Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-06-08

Washington Hears the Details but Refuses
to Give Them Out-Intimation That a
Modus vivendi Is What Is Wanted Just
at Present-CiviI Service President Proc
tor Doesn't Like McKinley's Order and
Says So Too Plainly.
Washington, June s.-A press tele-
gram from London yesterday quotes a
high authority of the colonial Office"
as saying that the negotiations with
reference to the Alaskan question are
in the rosiest possible condition. and
that this pleasant situation is due to
the tact and perseverance of Joseph
Chamberlain, secretary of state for the
colonies. Late in the day the officials
learned the details of the latest nego-
tiations In London, referred to in cable
dispatches. and Secretary Hay and the
British charge d'affaires, Mr.. Tower.
conferred on the subject. The details
Of the proposition were not made public.
1t is known that the arrangement of a
modus vivendi to govern the relations
of the United States and Canada on the
Alaskan boundary is receiving a great
deal of Ambassador Choate's attention.
Basis for a Temporary boundary.
The basis for the temporary delimita-
tion of the boundary in the neighbor-
hood of the passes leading into the
Klondike from the Lynn canal will, If
the present effort succeeds. be on White
pass on the east and on Chilkoot pass
in the middle-at the points where the
Canadian customs houses were estab-
lished about eighteen months ago. On
the Dalton trail the point has not yet
been selected, and as the pressure to-
ward the sea on this westernmost trail
by the Canadians has been more severe
than at any other point, very naturally
great difficulty is experienced in recon-
Cling, even temporarily, the conflicting
claims to jurisdiction. While Pyramid
harbor is not insisted upon at this
juncture by the Canadians as part of
the temporary arrangement they are
desirous of getting as near to tidewater
as possible.
Difficulty That Must BE Solved.
Their claim in this quarter includes
the important Indian village of kluk-
wan, a town that has long been under
the protection of the United States and
which our government is indisposed to
surrender, even temporarily, into Cam
adian control. If this difficulty can be
solved and divisional point located on
the Dalton trail there is no doubt that
modus will be the outcome. This
would remove the chances of hostile
collisions on the border and postpone
until calmer feelings prevail the perma-
nent settlement. With this Alaskan
boundary controversy removed from
the subjects for consideration by the
joint high commission there is every
reason to believe that a treaty can be
framed satisfactory to both parties in
time for submission to the senate at its
next session.
Entire Protocol Is Printed.
In view of the fact that the protocol
recording the proceedings of the joint
high commission in Washington on
Feb. is last has been made pubic in the
Canadian legislature, while an abstract
of it's contents has been also published
in London, as well as in this country.
the state department has deemed it
proper to give out for publication the
entire protocol, the purpose being to
show that the British Were responsible
for the disruption of the JOINT commits
sion. The contention is that it was not
the American amendments to the arbi-
tration proposal that ended the con-
ference but the British refusal to longer
continue until the matter was referred
to the British government, while the
Americans desired to continue negotia-
tions on the remaining subjects. The
entire protocol as published adds Moth
ing material to that issued by the Brit
ish foreign office and printed in these
disDatches June ;.