Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1894-11-03
BOUNDARY LINE DISPUTE.
Cause of the Contention Between Mon
leo and Guatemala.


Z. WASHINGTON. Oct. os.-Senor Lazo ArTi-
ga, the Guatemalan minister, made state
/ ment in regard to the political difficulties
between his county and Mexico.
with he object OF ending the old and
! yexauous boundary question, the prelini-
nary basis for a definite treaty was agreed
upon and signed in New York city on the
18th OF August, 1882. and the formal treaty
was subscribed TO on the 9th Of September,
, The same year. N the preliminary treaty
il was agreed, among other points, that in
The demarkation OF the boundary line ae-
sual possession should be generally consid-
cred The base, but tha. both governments
by agreement, could change this rule by
making mutual Compensations; that until
the boundary line IS marked, each OF the
contracting parties should respect the party
in actual possession; and that, in the event
SAID parties houtd not agree ABOUT the TO-
tai or partial designation of the line, the
differences that would rise should be settled
by arbitration OF the president Of the Unit
cd States OF America.
The definite treaty provides that the
parallel beginning near iXou shall run east
20 laumac!nla river ii thIs river was TO be
reached IN that G!rectl4n, or 10 the ChiNoy
river ii the former was not in The way of
said parallel. Tins parable! 4il not reach
sumleIHta, t!lis river being north OF il,
ant according 10 the treaty, said parallel
shun!d have stopped at Ch!Noy river bur
tbs Mex. can engineers endeayored 10 pro
long ii Ia the tuHtu'n i4ver under 4 ground
less assertion that t2lS Is The SunaC!nt..
rver, thus giving Mexico ever one lhou-
5 tHu square miles ut GG4teluaian TERRITORY.
lae Government vi GUatelunIa made Il yery
strong protest ihel leon, and the Mexican
government accepted its views OF this
lo;n', although un'!er conditions that no
other similar qusstlons should ARISE.
here were no other difficulties, in fact,
except ye1y small differences IN the work OF
the engineers, hul lis they think can be
arranged Nv themselves.
In The meantime each OF the govern
meuts has preserved, accorGing To the
treaty, TIE dominion OF the respective terri
tories that Will be annexed hy tina other
upon the tIua! !emUIlat.ou ot lhe boundary
line and Tie authorities OF the lwo coun-
tries have granted concessions to cut ma.
hUgany III ssla territories From an i'm
memorial Ulnc GG&temala has been III pos
session, never qucs ioHed before by Mexico.
"a. Iurgc portion OF lil" land located Oh the
west side Ut the thlxov ana tsumacinta
rivers, and upon this territory being in
yade.i recently by MeXieans, the t,uatema-
ian authorities were obliged to expcl and
protest against the invasion, asking at the
same time for due explanation. but the
Mexican geVtrnmcut now assert, that SAID
territory belongs to Mexico, evidently be
lng msintormed by lis engineers. Tue
government OF GuAtcma'a had not then,
ior has al PRESENT, any armed force outslce
OF its own territory.
Senior ArriGa believes that as soon as the
Me2sean government Is informed OF the
real facts il viii change lis attitude towart
& l'UateHlalu, and also believes that war be
,Ween the two nations is very impro obable
contingency, not only because the present
difficulties are not of great lmpo;taE but
chiefly because the treaty provides that ali
questions incident to the Gemarkatlon OF
me boundary line shalt be settled IS lbore
81 ated, by civilized methods of arbitration.
Should actual difficulties, he added, reach
his point, the president Of the ntted
states vi be lnN, led o act as arbitrator.