Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-28
As to Where the Alaskan
Boundary Runs.
CANADIAN STATESMEN
Say the United States Should Not
Refuse to Arbitrate the Natter
Two Laws Proposed That Would
1njure American Miners.

New York, July 2S.-The Herald's cor
respondent at Ottawa has interviewed
Sir Charles Tupper leader of the opposi-
ton, and Senator David Mills, minister of
justice, on the Alaskan boundary ques-
ton. Senator Mills went to great length
to show that the Canadian contention
was supported not only by American
precedents but by the language of the
treaty.
"The settlement of the question" he
said. lis Of great importance to Canada.
because it gives us easy and inexpensive
ingress to our own territory, whereas if
the United States wins, it will be a great
detriment to US and of little benefit to
them. I recall boundary dispute be-
tween the United States and Great Brit
ain, in which the American authorities
contended their views ought to prevail
because the contention was of great ad-
vantage to them. besides being seriously
injurious to England
After detailing the Canadian contention
"of the coast and across the mouths of
inlets and estuaries from headland to
AAN~N'AAAN "iSAoul AOllOWIHS tN6 SlnuOSl-
ties of these arme of the sea, Senator
Mills made this statement:
Just why the Americans refused to
arbitrate or to compromise except on con-
ditions impossible to us is shown in the
treaty of 1925. BY the seventh article Of
that treaty the vessels of Russia and
england or those belonging to their sub
jects' were to be at liberty without any
hindrance whatever to enter all the inland
seas, CULTS, havens and creeks for the
purposes of fishing and trading with the
natives. BY article 10, the British and
Russian vessels navigating the Pacific
ocean, if compelled by storm or accident.
were allowed to take shelter in the ports
of the respective parties and were at lib
erty to refit there. Now is it not too clear
! to admit of question that the contra citing
parties assumed that under the provis-
ions of this treaty there were ports and
estuaries along the coast that were under
the sovereignty of each? Yet if the
| United States contention is correct
there were no ports and no waters re-
naming to Great Britain. AS a matter of
| fact, If the treaty is followed, the Lynn
canal will be found to be entirely within
Canadian territory. This point was made
in the commission. On that Canada
would have won. That is why there is no
arbitration"
Sir Charles Tupper said:
THE situation is this: In a treaty be-
| tween Great Britain and Russia in 1925
the boundary between the Russian pos
sessions and the British possessions was
defined. The United States have come
into possession of all the rights of Rus
sla, and it was proposed some years ago
that the boundary should be deliminated.
Persons were appointed at the request Of
| Great Britain and the United States to
explore, survey and report in order that
the question might be taken up and set
| tied. When Joseph Chamberlain. Lord
Sackvlle and myself We're appointed in
1888 to negotiate with the United States
for the settlement of matters affecting
Canada, we We're charged with the settle
ment of the Alaskan boundary in con-
junction with a commission consisting Of
! Senator Rayard, Judge Putnam and Pro-
fessor Angel. Mr.. Bayard took the
ground that we had not sufficient infor-
nation. and must get more as to the to-
Biography of the country before we could
submit to settlement. so the question was
postponed and the discussion went on.
This subject has acquired additional
importance, owing to the discovery of
gold in the Canadian Yukon territory.
All that Canada asks-all that she has
ever asked-is that if the United States
and Great Britain are not agreed upon
the meaning of the treaty providing for
the delimination of the boundary, the
matter should be dealt with as all ma tiers
of similar character are dealt with, by
the appointment of an international COM
mission to settle the question: Just as the
boundary between Venezuela and Brit
ish Guiana is being settled today in Paris
Canada proposed IN the commission that
in reference to such a board of experts the
reference should be in such express terms
as the Venezuelan matter was presented
and accepted by Great Britain. The
United States refused the terms proposed
by Canada and Great Britain, and decid-
ed that 1t would agree to commission of
three, one on each side without any UNI
pre- at all, unless the umpire be selected
from South America.
"The United States also stipulated that
it would not have arbitration at all unless
it was previously agreed that in case the
arbitrators found that the existing settle
ments at 'Skagway and Dyea were in
British or Canadian territory. it should be
agreed that the United States should re-
tain them. have arrived at the conclu-
son that as under existing regulations
these avenues to the Canadian Yukon are
in the possession of the United States,
and that as from the last step it is evil