The Winslow mail., 1898-02-19
ALASKA.
Interest in Our Far-Off Country Is
Growing Rapidly.

Growing Rapidly.
The "Civil and Judicial District of
Alaska has of late begun to attract
some serious attention from the, people
Of the United States. Nine outlof ten
Of us probably speak of it as Terri
tory; but such it has never become.
Gold, and a disputed boundary line,
will always suffice to draw attention to
any particular part of the earth's sur
face. Venezuela and South Africa are
cases in point In the case of Alaska.
as in many other boundary disputes,
the trouble can be traced to a de6cien-
cy Of geographical knowledge on the
part of the makers Of treaty.
When the convention of 1925 was rat
flied by England and Russia, it was
thought that a mountain range ran
parallel to the coast of what is now
southeastern Alaska. The summit Of
that range was made part of the boun.
dairy between the Russian province and
British America. But though there are
plenty of mountains, there is no coastal
range. 1t was further provided that
w AClCNC CI LuG Suullult VI ILLS lily IulCdl
range should lie more than ten marine
leagues from the coast, the line should
run parallel to the windings of the
coast, but not more than ten marine
leagues therefrom.
To this clause some uncertainty has
been attached by the raising Of the
question, What is the coast? Is it the
coast of the mainland or the seaward
edge Of the adjacent islands? Other
difficulties lie in determining the true
Portland Channel" through which the
southeastern boundary of Alaska runs;
and in determining the one hundred
and forty-frs meridian Of west longI.
tude, which is the northernmost part
of the eastern boundary.
None Of these questions were ever
pressed while Alaska was a Russian
province. Until quite recent years
they never caused any controversy be-
tween England and America. 1t is the
growing sense of the Importance Of
Alaska, particularly of it's mines, that
makes them practical questions. 1t
would, perhaps, never have been neces-
sary to determine the one hundred and
forty-f1rst meridian, If the discovery
had not been made that it runs close to,
or through, some promising deposits of
gold.
or these deposits the latest report Of
the United States Geological Survey
declares that they form a belt three
hundred miles long, entering the dis
trict near Forty-m Greek and extend
ing westward across the Yukon Valley.
In southeastern Alaska, the narrow
coast belt whose width is still to be
finally determined, there are gold de-
posits which are already being mined
successfully. There are also important
fishing and canning industries.
The experience of the year past is
enough to assure us that the boundary
question will be peaceably settled in
the end, whether the present plan of
a commission is successful or not But
Alaska has other difficulties. 1t has
been asking for better land laws and
for representative in Congress. The
settlers-numbering now between thir-
ty and forty thOusand-are anxious to
be recognized, not as adventurers, but
as an orderly community.
A government official was recently
indicted for indicating in an official re-
port, that there was state of lawless-
ness among them. The pioneers in the
westward march of the American peo-
pie have always been quick to develop
a healthy pride in the regions they have
settled.-Youths Companion.