Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-20
THE MODUS WVENDI
Agreement on the Alaskan Tempo
rary Boundary.
ENGLAND ANNOUNCES ACCEPTANCE
important Advantages Obtained by
the United States.
REGARDED AS SATISFACTORY

The Alaska modus vivendi was agreed
upon between Secretary Hay and Mr..
| Tower, charge of the British embassy, this
morning. 1t follows the precedent estab-
lished by Secretary Evarts in 1878 in agree
| ing upon a temporary boundary on the
| Stikine river in Alaska, by an exchange
! of notes.
At 1870 o'clock this morning Mr.. Tower,
the British charge here, called at the State
Department and handed to Secretary Hay
| note formally accepting for his govern
| ment the proposition for the temporary ad
justment of the Alaskan boundary line
proposed by Secretary Hay in his recent
| note. With that act the lons-expected
| modus vivendi relative to the vexed bound
ary question went into effect and what has
| for a long time past been a threat to the
peace and good will of the United States
and Canada was removed for the present
at least.
That result has been brought about
| through the direct negotiation of Secre-
| tary Hay and Mr.. Tower, after several
| failures in the past through commissioners
and ambassadors. The State Department
! is confident that it has conserved every
American interest In the arrangement,
without unjustly treating Canada.
The New Boundary.
Under the modus the line on the Chilkat
of navigation on the Chilkat inlet of Lynn
canal and on the Kehini river, twelve
statute miles further inland. ara the whole
| valley of Porcupine creek is included with
| in the American line On White and Chill
coot passes the line Is fixed at the summit
or watershed, being the points which have
for some time past been observed by the
customs authorities of the two countries.
The divisional line on the West pass, by
which the Dalton trail is reached, is placed
22 IA miles above Pyramid harbor, which
is regarded under the treaty as ttdewater
mark so the Canadians are not allowed to
reach any point on the Lynn canal More
over there is no permission given for
free port or even for the free transfer
across American territory OF Canadian
goods except of miners belongings. Those
matters may figure later on, when 1t comes
to a permanent boundary line but they
are not touched upon in this modus.
Advantages to the Amsricans.
| Some of the more important advantages
| that accrue to the All erlcan, side through
today's settlement would escape obserVa-
| ton, save through study of the map
which is attached to the notes. Thus il
appears that instead of placing the line d.
rectly at the town Of Klukwan, which
marks the head of canoe navigation, as the
British sought to do, it has been located
several miles above that town, directly at
! the junction with the Chilkat river of the
! important tributary klehini This MAIN
tains the Indians at Klukwan under Amer
| lean jurisdiction without question. and also
provides a natural and unmistakable bound
AIRY line. such as is always sought by to-
! pographers, In the shepe of q considerable
river. Then, when 1t comes to the point OF
departure from this river. the klehtni,
the line has been prolonged toward its
source as to include in American terri
| tory the mining town Of Poreupine, the
| head of mining operations in the Porcupine
section.
One sign of the view that is likely to be
taken of the modus by the Americans in
| Alaska is afforded by the opinion expressed
by the Daltons, after whom the celebrated
Dalton trail is named, and who are re-
garded as among the most influential and
weathiest persons in the section affected.
They had been, after a fashion, taken into
the confidence of the negOtiators during the
| closing stages of the exchanges. and, it IS
| learned, expressed the utmost gratification
| with the results of the efforts Of the State
Department embodied in the modus.
| Text of the Agreement.
| The text in the modus vivendi is as fol-
! lows:
| 1T is hereby agreed between the govern
| ments of the United States and Great Brit
| ain that the boundary lire between Canada
| and the territory of Alaska i'll the region
| about the head of Lynn canal shall be pro-
visionally fixed without prejudice to the
| claims of either party in the permanent
| adjustment of the international boundary
| as follows
IN the region of the Dalton trail. line
| beginning at the peak west of Porcuplne
| creek, marked on the map No. 10 of the
| United States commission, December 81,
| 1888, and on sheet No. Is of the British
| commission, December 81. 1895. with the
| No. $500; thence running to. the Klehini Cor
| Klaheela) river in the direction of the peak
| north of that river, marked 5000 on the
| aforesaid United States map and 5.o2o ON
| the aforesaid British map; thence following
| the high right bank of the said Klehni
| river to the junction thereof with the Chill
| kat river, a mile and a half more or less,
| north of klukwan; provided that per-
| sons proceeding to or from Porcupine creek
| shall be freely permitted to follow the trail
| between the said creek and the said juno
| tion of the rivers, into and across the ter
| ritory on the Canadian side of the tenn
| porary line wherever the trail crosses to
| such SIDE and, subject to such reasonable
| regulations for the protection Of the rev.
enue as the Canadian government may pre-
scribe, to carry with them over such part
| or parts of the trail between the said
points may lie on the Canadian side of
| the temporary line such goods and articles
| as they desire, without being required to
| pay any customs dues on such goods and
articles; and from said junction to the
| summit of the peak east of the Chilkat
| river marked the aforesaid map No. 10
| of the United States commission with the
| No. $40 and the map No. II OF the
| aforesaid British commission with the No.
5,49O.
"On the Dyea and skagway trails. the
| submits of the Chilcoot and White passes.
| 1T is understood. as formerly set forth
in communications of the Department of
State of the United States, that the cit
liens or subjects of either power found by
| this arrangement within the temporary
jurisdiction of the other shall suffer no
diminution Of the rights and privileges
| which they now enjoy.
'"The government of the United States
| will at once appoint officer or officers In
conjunction with an officer or officers to be
| named by the government of her Britannia
majesty to mark the temporary line agreed
upon by the erection of posts, stakes or
other appropriate temporary marks"
Not Entitled to Extra Pay.