Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-31
Demands of the Canadians in
Boundary Matter.
CLAYTON-BULWER TREATY
Is Now Being Used by Great Britain
as a Weapon to Compel Amer.
icl to Grant II. -.
~"
Y yt r., y. r.

New York, May 31.-A special to the
Herald from Washington says: Though
less confident than it has been Of settle
ment of the Alaskan boundary question,
! the administration is still hopeful that
the negotiations being conducted by Sec
retary Hay and the British government
Will yet furnish solution of the contro-
versy. Sir Wilfrid Lauriers statement
that Canada has never demanded Pyr-
amid harbor is confirmed by officials
who. however, decline to talk for publica-
tion. AS a matter of fact, Great Britain
or Canada have never asked formally
for a port on the Pacific. This was the
conclusion drawn by the officials from
reading between the lines of the English
communication
An official cOnversant with the negOtia-
tons says that after considerable dis
cussion in the joint high commission the
suggestion was made that the boundary
dispute be referred to arbitration. In
principle this was satisfactory to the
United States, but this government de-
sired TO have it determined specifically
what territory should be subjected to ar
bitratiOn. Great Britain consulted Cam
ada, and later, in a communication, in
dicated that Canada desired to put into
controversy port on the Alaskan coast,
probably Skagway though none was
named. Secretary Hay officially replied
that the United States could not consent
to adopt the British proposition This
decision was reached after careful con-
slderation with the president and with
a full understanding Of the Importance
of such port to the Great Britain north
west territory and the injury such an
outlet would do the Pacific coast.
TO a great extent the assembling of the
high joint commission and the abroga-
tloh or the Clayton-Bulwer treaty de-
pend upon the solution of the boundary
question. Great Britain insists that the
United States has more to gain by the
abrogation of the Nicaraguan canal con-
vention and the settlement of the numer-
Gus questions pending with Canada than
she has, and that as an offset the gov
ernment should be willing to make con-
cesslons in the boundary controversy.
The administration, however, does not
intend to jeopardze American interests
by giving Canada a port in the Pacific.
and regrets that Great Britain is en-
deavoring to use other questions as
club with which to get this country to
accede to her views in the boundary dis
pute.
In the matter Of the Clayton -Bulwer |
treaty Secretary Hay and Sir Julian |
Pauncefote had agreed upon the details |
of the conventions for it's abrogation.
and that 1t was ready for their sigma
lures when Great Britain brought for
ward this proposition to determine the
Alaskan boundary line, and directed Sir
Julian to stop negotiations with refer
ence to the Clayton Bulwer treaty. Sec
retary Hay and Reginald Tower, charge
'aHalres of the British embassy, have
held one conference this week regarding
the boundary question, but it was stated
that there did not appear any better
chance of an agreement than there had
been for several weeks
While the United States has complied
with the British requests that no troops
be sent to Pyramid harbor Alaska, the
is determined to have
sufficient force in the territory and con-
ienent to the boundary line to prevent
my fighting between American and
miners.
The lornviau El>ct,ou.