Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1896-11-16

The country which is 1t understood tnls
will open to arbitration embraces all OF
the vast tract west of the EslqulDo river,
including the Orinoco river in both banks
and at the mouth and the stretch OF iand
on either side: also the Barima country
in which are located the gold fields, the
most valuable resources of the country
East of the Esiquibo river lies the Brio
ish colony of Demerara with its capital,
Georgetown, and lesser settlements radi-
ating westward. This portion east cas-, !. Of +
standpoint about the only territory to
which the doctrine of prescription, or
lOng-cOntinued possession, appHeS. Inere
are scattered English settlements in the
interior and to them it is said 1t VIII
be question of fact before arbltraters
to determine whether the British occu-
pancy has been open and notorious fof a
long term of years.
The Law of Prescription.
Lord Salisburys acceptance of this
common law doctrine of prescription as
applicable to an international dispute is
said to be in line with the views laid
down by international writer's who have
differed only as to the length of occu-
pancy essential to establish title. Most
of our states have adopted from ten 70
twenty years. The original English
rule was that the occupancy should be 50
long that ''the memory of man runnetn
not to the contrary" The international
writer's have fixed twenty, thirty and IN
some cases as high as 100 years as the
period necessary to establish title no
international writer has placed the PERIOD
below twentr years, so that II AmDasSa-
dor Bayard is right in his belief that
twenty years will constitute the rest OF
British right, it indicates an indisposi-
ton to yield the fullest extent How
ever. later adyiceS indicate that sixty
years will be the period.
Among diplomats it is felt that the eff
forts of the Venezuelan commission have
not been in vain. 1t is regarded as the
moral force which helped toward the
present result. Moreover, the commits
sion has accumulated a mass Of evidence
bearing directly on the facts of British
occupancy which is now the test of set
Element. The fullness of this informa-
ton gained by the commission leads to
some general comment as to the probable
choice of Justice Brewer or others of the
commission as arbitrator, but this is
purely speculative.
Individual Cases to be Considered.
Frederick r. Coudert, member of the
commission, said today that it would be
much better for the boundary to be de-
termined by arbitration than by decis-
ion of the commission. The report of the
commission, however it should be made,
will be of much value in determining the
matter in dispute. Mr.. Coudert when
asked concerning the subject of the
statutes of limitations referred to in Lord
Salisbury's address; said that the state
ment was not sufficiently definite to en-
able one to say what length of
time would be fixed as giving
good title He was of opinion
that the circumstances of individual
cases will be taken into consideration.
Mr.. Coudert expressed the opinion that
moral as well as legal claims will be
recognized in any arbitration. When
asked if the commission had been ap-
prised beforehand concerning the an
nouncement that would be made in the
Guild hall speech, Mr.. Coudert said that
he had no prior information that Lord
Salisbury was to make the announce
ment of the near approach to a settle
ment of the dispute.