Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-10-10
OUR ICY PURCHASE
1t Manages Somehow to Keep
Things Warm.
ALAsKA'S BOUNDARY IN DISPUTE.

Son Bull and Uncle Sam Worrying Over
Where the Line Runs-Facts of the Case
and Points at Issue-A Pension Bureau
Ofcial Mixes Politics with a Decision
and Gets Permanent Leave of Absence
Figures Imports and Exports-Labor
Law Prosecutions-SIrs.H Harrison.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10.-When a man
buys piece of property, according to a
business adace, the purchaser usually en-
tails lawsuit, but when the United
States bought Alaska from the emperor of
Russia in 1861 it also accumulated in en-
bryo two lively quarrels. At that time the
possibility of controversy was probably n OF
suspected, but it has since developed in a
most marked manner. Just now the two
are engaging the attention of the govern
ments of the United States and Great
Britain-the seal question and the boun-
Diary between Alaska and British Column
bia- The matter of the seals has been
pretty well exploited; that of the boundary
fine is not so well known, but is likely to be
within the next few months.
And of Course They Cannot.
The controversy has been going on with
more or less force between the two govern
ments for several years, and has now
a StSttc W iitTt tstNLA
commissioner to confer together on the
subject and see if they cannot agree upon a
line The British commissioner is the
chief astronomer of the Royal college of
Canada: for the United States Professor
Mandenhall. superintendent of the coast
and geological survey, has been named by
the president. They will meet in Montreal,
probably next month, but it is not thought
they will reach joint satisfactory conclu
sion.
Description of the Boundary.
The line in dispute was laid down origi-
nally in the treaty between Russia and
Great Britain executed in 1925, and Is there
described as follows: Commencing from
the southernmost point of the island called
Prince of Wales island, which point lies in
the PARALLEL of "a degrees, 40 minutes
north latitude, and between the 1Slst and
the 123d degree of west longitude (meridian
of Greenwich, the said line shall ascend to
the north along the channel called Port
land channel, as far as the point of the
continet WHERE il strikes the Seth degree
of north latitude; from this last mentioned
point, the line of demarcation shall follow
the summit of the mountains situated
parallel to the coast" etc.
Point That Is Understood
with reference to the line of demarca-
ton laid down in the preceding article, it is
understood that whenever the
Summit of the mountains which extend in
a direction parallel to the coast from the
fifty-sixth degree of north latitude to the
point of intersection of the 141st degree of
west longitude shall prove to be at the dis
tance of more than ten marine leagues from
the ocean, the limit between the British
possessions and the line of coast which il to
belong to Russia as above mentioned that
is to say, the limit to the possessions coded
by this convention), shall be formed by a
Il IL Il. - a
and which shall never exceed the distance
of ten marine leagues therefrom."
The Definition of Coast I'm Dispute
At that time the interior of the country
was but little known; hence the insertion
of the alternative line ten marine leagues
from the coast" Better acquaintance with
the territory has developed the fact that
the supposed range of mountains parallel
to the coast does not exist, so the other
line must be established. There will not
be much difficulty in locating the line after
the meaning of the word "coast" has been
agreed upon. Herein lies the only prob
able important point of difference. The
British officials, it is understood, Will as
sert that what is meant is the outside line
of the fringe of islands skirting the coast
and to support the contention will allege
that Portland channel was named in the
treaty by mistake; that what was meant
was another arm Of the sea some miles to
bne WESTWARD,
Claims of the Contestants.
Portland channel or canal as it is known,
by the way, isn't a canal at all, but an arm
of the sea, narrow and well defined, some
what resembling canal. Another point
made by the British officials is that Port
land canal does not extend to the 53th de-
gree of north latitude and therefore it
could not have been meant. On the other
hand, the United States commissioner will
contend that the coast line means the
mainland, not that of the outlying islands.
As to Portland canal he will assert that at
the time of the treaty the canal was be-
Ileved to extend as high as SO negroes by
both parties. and was used advisedly.
If 'Twere Well Done 'Twere Done Quickly.
Professor Mendenhall, speaking of this
matter, says: "The boundary question
ought to be settled soon. 1t can be done
now without much controversy, for the ter
ritory involved is not known to be valuable.
There are reports of good mineral finds, but
they are not wholly verified If they should
turn out to be true of course the settlement
will be that much more difficult to make.
We could have agreed with England about
the seals in two minutes quarter of a
century ago; now several years are required
TO reach settlement" The "coast line"
difficulty is important, for if the string of
islands is the line there is no territory left
for the United States on the mainland
worth contending for.