Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-12-12
DAILY P0ST.INTeLIIGENcfR
sogssAeIEs ~ SEfs ef RserrFt.
fAytae

The press Of the Dominion - Canada
Ia actually Discussing The asvssAotiI1y
Of purchasing tie state Of Name frou
the United states sH1 snneTiuR 70
the Dominion. The idea - peculiar.
and IL Possesses the viTs1s q btsezif ess
and originality. u nothing else. 1ss
argument ia thA; the boundary lie. III
stead Of turning 10 q noEtusriy dIree-
ton and leaving Maine n tie -o1tE and
east, sho.ld run directly east b. TIE Al
Iantie. The mistake wbich Eas made
In giving the line 40 up~afd twist, II is
urged, should - rsstihsi At one. The
United States II e9arss, say the Cana
dams, cogld not oHsr any obJsction 90
q plan 20 clearly IN harmony With the
eternal fitneas Of things, ara even u it
did. Canada would not object 70 a
slight money oonsidsration, Shieh eonld
not fail 90 smooth away al difficulties.
There are several obstacles ~ The way,
however, xhioh scarcely seem 10 receive
the amsnnt Of attention. which they de
serve. In the first place, the Govern
mcnt Of the United States has 20 more
right TO sell or give away any territory
belonging 10 state of the Union than
Il has % sell the dOminIsns % the Khan
Of Khiva At public auction; in the SEQ
ond place, the people Of Maine might
decline psremytorily TO become Cana
dians; and in the third place, the
United states eonid never think Of al
lowing Mr.. Blaine 10 pass into the pos
session Of fsrsigB poser. These COZ
sidsrations, IL strikes na, are worthy OF
attention. IL IL scarcely worth while ~
meation the additional fact that n the
general government did have psvsr TO
cell State. IL would consider the entire
Dominion Of Canada. Nth Nevfonnd-
land, Jamaica and sundry other parts Of
the British Empire thrown IN. an made
quate compensation for Maine.
Trifiing a. the argument about
strengthening the boundary line seems,
IL Ia no more absurd than the argument
arged In favor OF the annexation Of a
valuable portion of Alaska to British
Columbia. Yet the latter IL urged With
some effect. There are people IN the
United states who appear willing 10
give away large strip Of territory. rich
in mineral wealth, simply because
Canada xAats IL. The olaim upon this
territory possessed by she Dominion is
no more worthy Of consideration than
the claim upon Maine. La each CASE the
boundary line ia said to be not precisely
In the place whore Il ought to be, and
in each case g rectifiosti0n Of the error
would be favorable 10 Canada and IN
favorable 10 the United States. The
Alaskan boundary was established by
treaty between Great Britain and Rus
STA In 1925, Il was perfectly satisfso-
tory 10 all parties concerned doring
forty-txo years of Russian rule and
fifteen years OF American role 10 Alaski.
Nov tina, 1t Is evident that the country
10 OF some value, hswever,it is discovered
that the boundary never was Just right,
and that the territory which has always
bean regarded as part Of Alaska Is
really part of British Columbia.
After ali, 1t will not be surprising II
the Canadian claim il allowed by an
administration which would recognize
England's right TO share in the control
Of an American canal between the At.
lantie and Pacific oceans. II the Cana
dams are wise they will revive their ola
Oregon claim. There may be some
thing in H.