Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-10-31
THE RUTLAND HERALD.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1872.
The san Juan Question.

The San Juan question recently set
tied by the award of the German En-
peror William, and which is so severely
criticised by the English press, has been
long pending. 1t was submitted to arbi-
tration by the Washington treaty, and
has been in a measure overlooked by the
prominence accorded to the Alabama
claims.
Its history is brief and will bear repi-
tition at this time. Great Britain, by
the treaty of 1916, substantially con-
ceded the territory in dispute represented
at that time by the Oregon question, and
agreed to the doth parallel as the boun-
dairy between the United States and
British America, with the exception of
leaving England IN possession of the
southern part of Vancouvers Island.
The waters lying between nhe CONT
nent and Vancouvers Island, our readers
will see by reference to the map, are
studded with numerous small islands
which were not mentioned either in the
negotiations or treaty. In 1856, the
American Commissioner, Mr.. Campbell,
In dissenting opinion claimed the island
of San Juan as the property of the
United States, confirming policy in
yolved by Oregon territory regarding
that island as included in one of the
western counties of Oregon. In 1854,
on the division of Oregon territory and
the establishment of the new Washing
ton Territory, the new territory made the
same claim and passed an act assessing
tax on the property of the Hudson Bay
Company located on the Island. This
in 1868 brought a distinct issue, the
Company refusing to pay the tax on the
ground that the island was British terri
tory, and resulted in the authorities of
Washington Territory advertising the
property for sale on the taxes that had
been assessed. This act led to a cores
pondence between the United States and
England, which was concluded by the
appointment of a commission, the men,
bers of which disagreed and left the
question still at issue. Our commissioner
adhered with great tenacity to the ter
ritorial view. Unable to agree, each
commissioner reported to his respective
government, and thus ended the first
attempt to settle the San Juan question.
1t would be tedious and uninteresting
to follow this correspondence through
more than to briefly point out the two
claims The English claim is that the
island of San Juan was first settled by
the Hudson Bay Company and has al
ways been treated as under the jurisdic-
ton of the Governor of Vancouver-a
plea disclaimed by the United States in
the treaty of 1916.
It's occupation is the history of an af-
fair that came near resulting in military
collision. In 1853 and 1859 small
body Of American emigrants settled upon
the unoccupied portion of the San Juan
island, and in June, 1859, arose the local
controversy that eventuated in military
occupation between the American resi-
dents and the Company's agents. The
incident in itself was a trif1ing one which
LED to a fierce dispute attended with
peril to resident Americans, and mill
tary force was sent to San Juan. The
Hudson Bay Company protested against
this act. An American man-of-war was
also sent as support. The British sub
sequently landed force equal to the
Americans on remote portion of the
island thus establishing the joint occupa-
tion that has ever since continued, but is
now at an end by the arbitration the re-
suit of which has just been made known,
and sustains the American claim to the
island Of San Juan. The possession of
the island is looked upon as fact of
considerable military Importance. 1t
gives the United States stragetic point
for military operations which she has
not hitherto possessed.