The morning call., 1894-12-17
THE ALASKA BOUNDARY.

| an interview with MI V. wilson giving
the outlines of a controversy now pending
between the United States and Great
Britain over the boundary line between
Alaska and British Co umbia. The CALL
! of Sunday morning published an interview
| with a gentleman who prefers not to give
| his name to the public on. the same sub
| iect. From these two interviews it ap-
| pears that the British Government is
basing a claim to ports and waterways
through which the products of Alaska
pass to the sea. THE CALLS correspond
ent says:
The contention of England is wrong on the
face OF II. All the rich trade from the interior
of Alaska or nearly all of it, comes TO the
heads of The Lynn canal and the two inlets
now. and il is this which England is striving
for by having this territory thrown within her
boundaries.
OF course, The right of thing is not
determined by the value Of it. But the
British claim seems to rest upon map of
a country that never existed. In other
words, the country as described on the
map was kind of conjectured country. A
treaty between England and Russia was
formed before Alaska was sold to the
United States and before anything was
accurately known OF the topography of
Alaska. England now proposes to follow
the lines on map that was not actually a
map at all, but KING OF chart denoting
the points of land that no one knew any
thing about. Following is the view ex-
pressed by he Post h1telligencer:
If the deimitation of the boundary decided
on by the International commission should be
England's Interpretation Of the treaty between
Russia and Great Britain a very small propor-
ton of the imports and exports of Alaska
would pass through American ports, for the
best harbOrs would be awarded 10 England,
and thu long, narrow strip of Alaska which
extends down TO the coast would be practically
worthless to the United States. On the other
band, if the American Commissioners lake a
firm stand and insist that the coast line shall
be regarded as following the shores of the
principal bays. inlets and estuaries, the
harbors will fall to the lot OF the United States.
and Puget Sound Will carry the commerce not
only of Alaska itself, but of the whole OF
Northwest Canada. which has no inlet or outlet
except by sea.
II is much to be hoped that the United
States Commissioners will take a firm
stand. This northwestern boundary ques-
ton has been a series of humiliatIons for
this country ever since it became subject
for negotiation. The first American back
down was on the o. 40 or fight proposition.
We neither got the "a 40 boundary line nor
did we fight. Then came the Alaska seal
fisheries matter. With precisely the same
right to one-half of Boring Sea that Russia
has to the other half we submitted our
claim 10 arbitration and lost eyerythin g
we commended for. We not only lost the
fishing grounds, but are under an obliga-
ton to pay nearly half a million dollars
for not having abandoned them sooner.
II Looks now as II these entertainments
would be continued until the firm stand
our contem porary speaks of is taken.
Great Britain's hand appears first on the
north, then on the south. 1t is now max
ing a pretense of a protectorate over a
tribe of Indians in Nicaragua the basis of
inter ference in the American control OF
the proposed Nicaragua canal. 1t would
be lesson to the United States if we
should be sold out of both Alaska and
Nicaragua. The statesmen of Great Brit
ain can see to the most obscure corner of
British territory and estimate its CONNER
cial, Industrial or strategic value. But
with here and there an exception, Ameri-
can statesmen sacrifice distant western
interests TO the immediate interests of the
Atlantic coast. The present administra-
ton thinks it of more Importance to send
a Turveydrop to the English court than a
man who will stand up for the rights of
his country. All our diplomacy and pretty
much all our legislation in the two last
years have been dictated by British opin-
on. 1t is about time to put few Ameri-
| cans on guard.