The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-02-28
THE PRESS.
FOR MAYOR:
BENJAMIN KINGSBURY, JR.
Great Britain and the Treaty.

In the recent debate in the House of Com
mons on the Alabama Treaty, it was stated
by one of the speakers that if England
backed out she would do no more than the
United States did on the Northeastern
Boundary Treaty. And this statement,
strangely enough, is repeated by the Spectd-
tor of the third instant By the latter treaty
the question in controversy was submitted to
the King of the Netherlands. Before re-
port was made, flor there was no award) the
arbiter had ceased to be the King of the
Netherlands, and had, as King of Holland,
become to some extent dependent upon
Great Britain. But the point upon which
the treaty failed was this, namely: that no
award had been made. The King of Hol-
land reported that he was unable. to decade
the question, but would recommend certain
line as convenient" one. This recon-
mendation the United States declined to &C
cept, and SO the treaty fell through. The
United States did not decline to go to hear
ing, and did not refuse to abide by an award.
Afterwards this vexed question was settled
by the Treaty of Washington, sometimes
called the Ashburton Treaty, in 1912. We
had, however, better accepted the advice of
the Dutch King, for by doing so we should
have secured more of our territory and have
retained better line.
No claim ever set up by nation was more
preposterous than that made by Great Brit
ain to large portion of the State of Maine
The governing point in the Treaty of 1888
was ''the highlands" (which divide the
waters which flow into the river ST. Law
renee from those which flow into the Allan
tic ocean," England maintained that these
Highlands" were the isolated cone called
Mars Hill, which it is manifest did not divide
any waters flowing into the st Lawrence
from waters flowing into the Atlantic ocean,
or anywhere else. The most notifying
thing in all our history with other nations is
that we should be led to regard this as dis
putable question at all. The Senate by a
resolution passed unanimously, declared that
our title was ''indisputable." This ground
was taken by Mr.. Clay, Mr.. Webster, Mr..
time.
The excitement and clamorin England now
raised upon the Alabama Treaty reminds us
unpleasantly of the attitude of England toward
us on past occasons-and of what she has
been able to accomplish by pure cheek and
brayado. The same game of audacity and
bluff was played with success few years ago
in the Trent affair. And the present position
of England on the Alabama Treaty is aggra-
waited by the course which she has adopted in
regard to her own claims. The British gov
eminent has presented to the Commission
sitting in Washington the claims of her sub
jects for indemnity who had invested money
in the confederate cotton bonds, as valid
against the United States under the treaty.
Mr.. Gladstone has admitted that the instruc-
lions to the British agent at Washington
were broad enough to comprehend and au-
thorize the presentation of these claims
claims auhich our Constitution had forbidden
to be paid. 1t was only after the Board at
Washington had rejected these claims that
Great Britain discovered that this country
ought not to indemnify British creditors for
monies loaned by them to the rebels to de-
stroy our government