The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-07-29
CANADA GAN
HOE HER ROW.
Sir Charles Upper Has Some
Plans Made
For Solving the Alaskan Bound
airy Problem.
SAY WE ARE AFRAID.
United States Doesn't Dare to
Arbitrate lie Declares.
SAY WE ARE AFRAID
Would LegisIate So We Would
Be Glad to Quit.

New York, July 29.-The Herald's cor
respondent at ottawa has interviewed
Sir Charles Topper, leader of the oppo-
sition and Senator David Mills. min
lister of justice on the Alaska boundary
question. Senator Mills went to great
length to show that the Canadian con-
tention was supported not only by
American precedents but by the lang
uage of the treaty.
THE settlement of the question: he
said, lin accordance with our contention
is a matter of great Importance to Can
ada because it gives US easy and mex
pensive ingress to our own territory,
whereas, if the United States win. it
will be great detriment to US and of lit
tie benefit to them. recall a bound
airy dispute between the United States
and Great Britain in which the Ameri-
can authorities contended that their
view ought to prevail because the con-
cession was of great advantage to them
without being seriously injurious 10
England
After detailing the Canadian conten-
ton that the line was to follow the
winding of the coast and cross the
mouths of inlets an estuaries from
headland to headland without following
the sinuosities of these arms of the sea-
Senator Mills made this statement:
Just why the Americans refused to
conditions impossible to us is shown IN
the treaty of 1925. BY the seventh ar
ticle Of that treaty, the vessels OF Rus
STA and England or those belonging to
their respective subjects We're mutu-
ally to be at liberty without any hind
rance whatever to enter all the inland
seas, CULTS, Ravens and creeks for the
purposes of fishing and trading with
the natives. BY article 10 the British
and Russian vessels navigating in the
Pacific ocean, if compelled by storm or
allowed take shelter
in the ports of the respective parties,
and were al liberty to ref1t there.
Now is it not too clear to admit Of
question that the contracting parties
assumed that under the provisions of
this treaty there were ports and es-
tuaries 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.
LAS a matter of fact, if the treaty is
followed the Lynn canal will be found
to be entirely within Canadian terri
tory. This point was made in the COM
mission On that Canada. would have
won. This is why there is no arbitra-
ton" -.
Sir Charles Upper said:
1.-The situation is thiS-in q treaty
made between Great Britain and Rus
STA in 1925 the boundary between the
Russian possessions and the British pos
sessions was defined. The United
States have come into possession of all
the rights OF Russia ana II was pro-
posed some years ago that the bound
airy should be deliminated. Persons
were appointed at the request Of Great
Britain and the United States to ex-
plore, survey and report in order that
the question might be taken up and set
tied.
when Joseph Chamberlain, Lord
SackvilIe and myself were appointed in
1887 to negotiate with the United States
for the settlement of matters affecting
Canada, we were charged with the set
tlement of the Alaskan boundary in
conjunction with the commission con-
sisting of Senator Bayard, Judge Put
name and Prof. Angelic Mr.. Bayard
took the ground that we had not suf-
ficient information and must get more
as to the topography of the country be-
fore we could submit it for settlement,
so the question was postponed and the
discussion went on.
1.-THE subject has acquired additional
Importance owing to the discovery of
gold in the Canadian Yukon territory
''Au that Canada asks-aH that she
has ever asked-is that if the United
States and Great Britain are not agreed
upon the meaning of the treaty provid-
ing for the delimitatiOns of the bound
airy, the matter should be dealt with
as all matters of a similar character are
dealt with, by the appointment of an
international commission to settle the
question, just as the boundary between
Venezuela and British Guiana is being
settled in Paris.
Canada proposed in the commission
that in reference to such a board of in
ternationaI experts the reference should
be in the express terms in which the
Venezuelan matter was submitted and
accepted by Great Britain.
The United States refused the terms
proposed by Canada and Great Britain
and decided that it would agree to a
commission of three on each side, with
out any umpire at all unless the UNI
pire be selected from South America
The United States also stipulated that it
would have no arbitration at all unless
it was previously agreed that in case
the arbitrator found that the existing
settlement of Skaguay and Dyea were
in British or Canadian territory, it
should be agreed that the United States
should retain them.
Il have arrived at the conclusion that |
under existing regulations these avenues
to the Canadian Yukon are in the pos
session of the United States and that |
as from the last step it is evident the
United States has no confidence in the /
result Of an arbitrament, that country |
has determined that there shall be no /
settlement of the question and that it |
shall enjoy the position that the abb |
sence of the denarcation of the bound |
airy gives it to lnonopolize conlmunica- |
ton with the Yukon, where at least so |
per cent Of the miners are American |
and which it is in a position to secure |
for coast cities.
THE United States has determined
that there shall be no settlement of the !
question until it ceases to be important /
by the exhaustion Of the gold fields of
the Canadian Yukon and recognizing |
the difficulties that lie in the way of an |
ultimatum on the part of Great Britain |
such as undoubtedly would pe resorted |
to dealing with any other country than |
the United States, and the consequent |
difficulty of obtaining q, prompt solution I
by the demarcation Of the boundary |
line, have proposed a new remedy
1T is not that there shall be a resort /
to war or to any collision between the /
United States and Great BRITAIN but /