The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-06-12
ENTERPRISE CHECKED.
By the Dispute Over the Alaskan
Boundary Line.

boundary Line
Ottawa, Ont, June 12-Promoters or
half a dozen Yukon railway schemes
now before parliament are grieVouSly
disappointed at the announcement or
the governments policy to stop the con,
struction of railways into the gold
fields, pending the settlement of the
Alaska boundary dispute:
Sir Wilfrid Laurier today stated his
position more fully than he had done IN
parliament He said:
While we do not object to any
scheme to build railway from waters
that are without doubt in Canadian ter
ritOry to the Yukon country at the pres
entfine most of the charters asked for
are to build a railway along the Dalton
trail-that is to say, from pyramid Har-
Dor to Dawson. At the present time
Pyramid Harbor is in the disputed ter
ritory. We claim the ownership of it
and they have at present practically
Lynn canal.
Il believe it is so provided in the
charters asked for that they would have
TO be supplemented by American legis-
1atiOn, and SO we should be provided
for railway communication from a har-
Dor that is practically now in possess
sion of the Americans toward Dawson.
il we were to grant that we would only
be complicating the question of deter
mining the boundary between US and
the Americans. If we were to grant
the charter. under which, as 1 under
stand, S250,OO0 is already deposited, we
would build up an American city at
Pyramid Harbor and make it all the
more difficult to get back what we
claim belongs to us-that is to say, es-
tablish the boundary where it ought to
be.
AT the present time the question be-
tween US and the American authorities
is to the location of the boundaries
on the Lynn canal. We claim that the
boundary is at the entrance to the Lynn
canal and that consequently the whole
of the Lynn canal belongs to us. The
Americans claim, on the other hand,
that the boundary passes around the
Lynn canal, and that they should be
confirmed in the possession of Skagway,
which they now hold, Dyea and Pyra-
mid harbor.
4 think it is clear that parliament
acted with question: BILE wisdom when
in 1897, it granted a, charter to the Brit
ash Yukon railway company, because
the consequence is that we have con-
tributed to the building up of Ska gway
and American, between which and Saet-
tie there is a great increasing trade.
American interests have been establish
ed there and are increasing all the time,
and we have met, and are constantly
meeting and will constantly meet until
this question is determined, the antag-
onism of powerful American interests
10 our contention for the settlement
OF the boundary.
If we were to grant this new charter
from Pyramid harbor we would create
on the other side of the Lynn canal still
another American city and if there were
an American city at Pyramid harbor
and another one at Skagway. it is clear
that when we come to settling that
boundary these powerful interests
would weigh enormously at Washing
ton
Therefore we believe we ought to
delay the granting of these charters
from Pyramid harbor to the waters of
the Yukon until the question of the
boundary has been settled in some way
When it is settled-and we hope it will
be the decision that the Lynn canal be-
longs TO us-and that Pyramid harbor
rs oUrs-then we shall be in a position to
grant charter from Pyramid harbor
as being in Canadian territory and there
would be no need of an American char
ter
But" I asked, ''in the event of arbi-
tration being in favor of the American
contention would the Canadian govern
ment continue to discourage railway
construction from the Alaskan coast to
the Canadian Yukon?''
I must frankly admit" was the
prompt reply, that if it be determined
by arbitration that the Lynn canal does
belong to the Americans then the policy
of Canadians would be to get access to
the Yukon not by the Lynn canal. but