Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-08-22
THE MANlTORA.OSrARI BOUND.
Any SOU aBBLR.

Inc toloRrapn ana primers tnk nave
lent an importance to tho outbreak at
Rat Portage over the boundary ques-
ton which dvindies into the ridiculous
when the actual scene and the actors in
the affair are taken into account. The
station on the Canadian Pacific Rail
road at the Lake of the Woods, which
10 happy in the name of Rat Portage,
has soanty 900 people. The past of
the place is suoh as any backwoods
trading point can parallel. Its future
ia not ford with visions of prosperity.
As trading station for loggers and a
manufacturing aud shipping point for
lumber, Rat Portage may double its
present population In the uext ten years.
As far as any local consideration enters
into the controversy over the boundary
gu, stion il can be only trivial. When
the title of the Hudson Bay Company
was relipquished to the Dominion Gov
eminent, the company retained por-
ton of land around each of its building
stations. Rat Portage was one of these,
and the company always claimed that
the Ontario boundary ran east of that
place. Acting on this claim, town lots
we're sold to quite an extent, and build
ings we're erected on them. In course
of time application for incorporation
WAS made TO the Ontario Government.
Why the citizens of the place should
have looked to Ontario for their
chartered rights when their land
titles proceeded from the Hudson
Bay company does not appear. But
this application vas refused and Rat
Portage was incorporated by Manitoba.
A dispute having arisen between Onta-
rio and the Dominion over the disputed
tract Of land around Rat PortaQe. .
board Of arbitration was resorted to,
and this board In 1873 gave color of To-
gality to Ontario's title. The Domin-
ion government sanctioned this arbi-
tration, and helped pay the expenses Of
the board, but failed to ratify expressly
its finding. Yet in several acts Of leeis-
lation the voting Of the Dominion to
include Rat Portage in Ontario has
been unmistakable. The Ontario COY
eminent have adopted q Reometrical ar
Rament to prove their claim. In 1881 q
certain proclamation by the Dominion
government withdrew certain laws from
operation in RAT Portage, in the Ter.
ritory of Keewatin"-the latter terri.
tory being no part Of Manitoba. In
1881 th Q Dominion extended the Prov.
ince of Manitoba eastward % as to
make the eastern boundary oo-termin-
Gus with tho western boundary of On.
tario. Therefore, il Rat Portage II moi
in Manitoba, and the eastern boundary
OF Manitoba and the western boundary
Of Ontario coincide, what 10 not in Man.
itoba must Be In Ontario. Al the same
time Manitoba having endorsed Rat
Portage with his municipal breath OF
hfr, looks upon the place as clearly un-
der the jurisdiction of that provincial
government. In the absence of q judicial
adjustment of the rival claims of Mani
toba and Ontario there has beeu an
opportunity for clashina Of local au-
thorities at Rat Portage, and is has not
been allowed to pass unnoticed. When
new settler from Nova Scotia applied
to the Ontario Government for q liquor
license. and was on the point Of receiv-
ing II, the Manitoba police arrested him
and thrust him in What by the ooussrva.
tive Canadian photography 10 still q
goal" on the charge OF selling liquor
without q license. His friends offered
bail, bat the Manitoban magistrate saw
the inter provincial importance Of the
case In hand and refused is. Thereupou
number of the prisoners friends, Who
were also Nova Scotiens, pushed O tele.
graph pole through the jal and let him
ont, together With two other offenders.
When the news Of this offence reached
Winnipeg great was the alarm. The
sovereign dignity OF the province was
insulted, and the Norquay ministry.
with a company OF constsblss. hastened
TO Rat Portage, and several men Who
we're suspected Of participation in the
jail breaking. were arrested and sent 70
winnipeg. The question OF jurisdiction
Wis raised In their hehalf. and shus q
good start il made for getting fuliand
thorough decision IN the coorts on the
puxzling question. whether Hat Portage
IA the child al the pralriespreaa Maui
toha, OF the primevally forested On
tario.