The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-01-13
BUT ONE POINT IN DISPUTE
1t Does Not Present a Case for
Arbitration.
Reasons Plainly Shown Why Great
Britain Should Desire Portion
of the Alaskan Coast, and the
Immense Benefit it Would Be to
Her-Great is the Gall of the
British Lion.

WASHINGTON, Jan. Ex-senator
Davis, of the committee on foreign re-
lations, has been giving considerable
attention to the Alaskan boundary dis
pute He has found nothing in his
Investigations which would cause him
to change the lines which have al
ways been understood as the boundary
and upon which both countries have
been proceeding for many years. He
says that the only question in dis
pute is whether the ten marine leagues
from the ocean meant from the main
land or from the adjacent islands
Mr. Davis says this does not even pre-
sent a case for arbitration because it
is manifestly plain that the shore of
the main land of the continent is the
basis of
THE TRUE LINE.
1t is also evident from the selection
of the mountain range as a line that
the men who drew the boundary agree
ment meant that the line should be ten
leagues from the ocean where it touch
ed the main land. Islands, he said
always go with the shore and when
island, no matter at what time settled
or claimed, belongs to one country or
another, it goes always to the country
owning the main land if the main land
is adjacent. SO it is with the islands
of the Alaskan archipelago. They be-
came the property of Russia because
Russia owned the mainland of the
shore, and became the property of the
United States when Alaska was sold
to this country.
The desire of Great Britain for por-
ton of the Alaskan coast is plainly
apparent, declares Senator Davis, when
it is considered that there is a vast
country in the northwest territory
which can reach the sea board only
through a pass in the North Rocky
Mountains and thence across the strip
of land owned by the United States.
East Of the Rocky Mountains and east
of the Alaskan coast is a country of al
most inestimable extent, known as the
Peace River country. There may be
100000 900 acres of tillable or pastoral
ground there. 1t has the benefit of the
warm air currents from the Pacific
which make it a milder climate than
in those parts of the northwestern ter
ritory still further east 1t is de-
sired by Great Britain to open up this
great wheat and stock producing coun-
lily anu SECURE a snort route 10 the
sea. A branch of the Canadian Pa
cific road could be built through this
Peace River region, and by a pass
through the mountains reach the sea
coast without much trouble and by a
much shorter haul than by railroads
further south. This would give the
Canadian Pacific another western ter
minus, would build up a British city
right upon the flank of the Alaskan
possessions of the United States; there
would be another great naval station
and military post commanding our
Alaskan territory and the protection
which the Alaskan coast now gives to
this country would be largely multi
fed.
THE OBJECT
of Great Britain is quite plain. Upon
the great fertile lands to be opened
by building a road to the coast through
the Peace River region, there would be
vast fields of cereals competing with
the grain raised in our states along
our northern border. AT present these
fields cannot be opened nor the land
developed because of the long rail haul
to the terminus of the Canadian Pacific
road. Without another terminus in
Alaska these great fields cannot be
opened without the consent of the
United States
Senator Davis does not think this
government will ever seriously con-
slider the question of arbitratino +be