Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-10-16
Tho San nuuu UsIond ni.ru,e.

NEWS itdCNGS US from DflLlSll OOlumDla which
we repu0lish solely upon the authority of the
journal in which it appears. 1t is not easy to
perceive how the award of the emperor of Ger.
many should be authenticity known on the
Pacific coast, when no official declaration has
yet been made in Europe. The following para
graph occupies position of due prominence in
the columns OF the Victoria British Colonist of
the goth September:
"IHE SAN JUAN ISLAND QUEsTIoN.-Great
Britain may make up her mind to lose San
Juan and adjacent islands, right or wrong. En-
peror William 1--WE are in a position to stated
has given decision in favor of the United
States, and the group will he coded to the United
States IN the coarse oil few weeks. This news
is perfectly reliable and authentic"
As the COloniSt, for reasons best known to the
EDITOR withhOlds the source from which its in
formation is obtained though there is no reason
TO doubt the bona tides of the announcement, we
cannot give credeuce 10 the intelligence, more
especially as the limited grounds which we have
Tor guessing at the decision Of the arbitrator
would appear 10 warrant a contrary belief We
know positively that the American troops in
garrison upon the disputed territory have re-
ceived orders to strike their camp so soon as
the diapldated barracks AT Port Townsend, W.
t., have been placed III a habitabe condition,
aud that Az officer has been sent from the United
States quartermasteTs department, at San
Francisco, to make the necessary contracts for
the iulfllment of the orders of the minister of
been made known at all, it is quite certain that
both of the disputing governments must have
been communicated with; and, if San Juan
island has been given to the Americans, it seems
strange that The removal Of their garrison is 10
be hurriedly ordered now, after occupyinr their
very comfortable quarters for a period of nearly
thirteen years.
The ColOnist has the following comments upon
the alleged disposition Of the DISPUTED territory
which represents the feeling Of the people Of
British Columbia:
"There is no longer any room to doubt that
the emperor of Germany has given his decision
in favor OF the United States, thus making Haro
strait the water boundary between the two coun.
tries. The blunGer committed by Great Britain
does not consist in conserving 10 submit
the point OF dispute to the sole arbltrament
OF the German emperor; for there was PERHAPS
no man living 10 whom it were better to submit
the question, if that mode of settlement were TO
be adopted. The blunder appears to have con.
sisted rather in the manner Of presenting the
case to the emperor. Had the distinguished
referee been simply invited to decide where, uD.
der all the circumstances, and in view of ali the
consequences, the boundary should run it can
scarcely be doubted that the Middle channel
would have been named. BY this the group Of
islands in dispute would have been about edual-
ly divided between the TWO nations; San Juan
and its immediate nclghbOrS, with Haro chan
mel, falling TO the empire of British North Amer
lea; and Lopez, Orcas, ano adjacent islands,
with the Rosario channel, falling to the United
States Thus would each nation have its chan.
mel oil communication with the open sea, each
channel being guarded by considerable islands.
The chiet objection to the United States possess
sing San Juan Islapd is that it gives them
possession OF Rosario channel and the Mid.
die channel, and also the means of control
ling Haro channel, thus leaving no chan
mel )t any importance free TO the British.
True the British will have the right TO use Horo
abo l. br1f t,a A nI,o
San Juan Island, ana hostiIites should arise.
she could only use it with their permssionl In
short, the decision Of the emperor places the
United States in Il position to command the
only channel OF communication between Victoria
and the mainland, the only way to the omen sea
possessed by the dOmiuionl Thus does Brother
Jonathan become the strong man armed. keen
ing the door OF the Pacific, Emperor William
has given him The key John Bull foolishlv
threw it away. But, instead of presenting the
case as we have suggested it should have been
presented the Brtish"W went for Rosario straipI -
that is to say, they joined issue on Rosario as
being the channel OF the treaty aud of Justice
and equity. In principle they may have been
right. As an act Of policy, they were wronp
OlcOurse the Americans claimed Haro channel.
ana ttHs i1"'.''1c - Soi1 prerogative of the
IeitISe 10 decide as between these two channels
which Of them in the highest degree fulfilled tbe
conditions and spirit Of the neaty There was
no room for compromise, no opportunity of do
cldng the dispute in spirit OF equity by selert
ing the Middle channel. And il NAV well no
0eleved that the arguments in support of Haro
as Delng the channel OF the stupid treaty, were
more adroity framed aud more deitly mi than
were those Of Rosario. The American case looL
the form Of a beautifully bound and highly giIt
book, with elaborate and skiliullv pxecnfed
maps, wherein everything was presented from
an American point OF view in the highest
artistic cOlOrs. II was clearly and most
ceyerly shown by words and drawings how
by strict right, they would have followed
the forty ninth parallel Of latitude thereby chr
ting vancouver island in twain, taking fhe
more valuable half 10 themselves: but how
with superahundant iberalty and good nature
they consented suddenly to dyerge sonthprIv
from he rigid line of indsputahle RIGHT. hit
only so as 10 save the island of Vancouver IN
the British. The British on the other hand
perhaps, with more bullheadedness than diplo.
macy, certainly with less conviction of the i'm.
portance OF the issue, staked all on Rosario. and
lost! IL will only be necessary, one might con.
cudc, for the United States 10 TRUMP no anoth-
er claim or two in order to "gobble mn" what
remains TO Great Britainl The possible uiti.
mate consequences 10 the New Dominion and
to British influence on the North Pacific of this
last master stroke of English craftsmanship we
do not care TO contemplate just now. Aud vet
there is one immediate consequence which it is
impossible 10 overlook. The decision which
gives the United States complete control of the
channels OF communication between Victoria
and the mainland, and between the mainland
and the open sea appears to render it absolutely
necessary that the trans.continental railway
shall find terminus on Vancouver island. II
would seem 10 be no longer matter OF choice
between terminating on the mainland and
expanding a few extra millions ia order to
reach a more eligible terminus beyond those
channesi the key T. which Brother jonathan
has just put IN his pocket This untowaId but
not altogether unlocked fordecsion must there.
fore, impart new importance to the surveys
now being made to the north Of Yictoria,"-
Montreal Herald.