The herald., 1897-01-30
ALASKE'S BOUNDARY LINE
To Be Determined by Peaceful
Arbitration
A DIPLOMATIC SECRETARY
Aims to Kill Two Good Birds With One
Stone
Settle the Boundary and Remove OBJ
lection to the General Arbitration
Treaty With England.

Associated Press Special Wire
CHICAGO, Jan. pa special to the
Daily News from Washington says:
Secretary Olney will send to the senate
in the next two or three days new
treaty, which will, it is claimed by the
friends of the administration. be Sec
ond in Importance only to the Nenezue-
ian boundary treaty, and involving the
same principle of determination by
peaceful arbitration with Great Britain
of an important boundary dispute. Two
years ago it was claimed that Great
Britain had determined to acquire by
unwarranted claims two of the richest
gold bearing territories in the world,
one in Venezuela and the other in Alas
ka. Since then President Cleveland and
Secretary Olney have settled peacefully
by arbitration the Venezuelan contro-
versy to the disadvantage, it is every
where admitted, of Great Britain. In
a few days the secretary of state, act
ing under instructions of the president,
will send the senate a new treaty signed
by himself and Sir Julian Pauncefote
designed to settle by peaceful co-opera
ton between the two great English
speaking nations the real location of the
west longitude, parallel No. 14l, which
by treaty and tradition establishes the
boundary line between British Columbia
and the United States.
The new treaty has two objects in
view. primarily the peaceful settlement
of the territorial dispute, but really to
pave the way in the senate for the rati-
fication by that body of the new arbi-
tration treaty, which is being opposed
NV nd .,.tb tbxtnS .
senators because 1t is supposed by them
to include the Alaskan boundary dis
pute. By new treaty. or rather an
agreement, perfected after several con-
ferences between Secretary Olney and
Ambassador Pauncefote, the Alaskan
dispute was to be excepted from the
general arbitration treaty and made the
subject of a special investigation by a
joint commission.
In its own words the treaty is indefi-
rite as to convention between her mai
esty. queen of the united kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, and the
United States of America for the de-
markation of so much of the 141st merid-
ian, west longitude, as may be necessary.
for the determination of a boundary
between their respective possessions
The purpose is to determine the actual
boundary intended by a treaty between
the United states and the Emperor Of
Russia in March, 1867, as to the cession
of Russian possessions of North Ameri-
ca also of the treaty of February, 1926,
between Great Britain and Russia de.
timing the northerly part of the bound
ary line between their respective pos
sessions.
The commission" in the language Of
the new treaty. lis to determine the ter
minal points defined in said treaties -
and ''to be dependent upon scientific as
certainment of certain points along the
said meridian and survey of the country
intermediate between such points This
commission is to involve no question of
Interpretation of the aforesaid treaties,
but merely the determination of sucn
points and their connecting lines by
ordinary processes of observation ana
survey conducted by competent astron-
omers, engineers and surveyors The
treaty, after many 'whereases," adds
the fnal one as follows:
Such determination has not hitherto
been made point of survey as is re-
puired i'll order to give complete effect
to said treaties, although independent
observations and surveys have been
conducted from time to time and are
now being conducted by expert officers
in the service of the respective govern
mntS along said meridians of 141st de-
gree. west longitude, resulting in a col
lection of scientific data and establish
ment of stations on or near said merid-
ians of which the two governments NAV
avail themselves for the purpose of ac-
complishing convention" Therefore.
1t Is resolved, etc, in the uninteresting
formal language characteristic of treat
les that the document be promulgated
1t is signed by Richard Olney for the
United States and Ambassador Sir Ju
Ian Pauncefote for Great Britain.