The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-07-25


WASHINGTON, July Ex-senator
Fairbanks, chairman OF the American
Division of the High Joint Canadian
Commission, made brief call upon the
President to-day, before starting for
his home in Indiana. He declined to
discuss the speech of Sir wilfred Laur-
ier,or to remark upon the situationwIth
reference to the boundary dispute. He
confirmed the report already given out
that there would be no meeting of the
Joint commission on August and, say
ing that he and Sir Wllfrid Laurier had
last Friday agreed upon postpone
ment for an indefinite period, The sem
ator would not hazard n surmise as to
when another meeting might be held.
Direct negotiations respecting the
Alaskan boundary are now in progress
between Secretary Hay and Mr.. Tower,
the British charge here. The negotla-
tons are directed towards on adjust
ment Of the issue by amlcable arrange
lnent between the parties, though on
somewhat different lines from those
pursued during the spring and summer.
The principals are not without hope
that success may attend their efforts,
and then there is arbitration yet in re-
serve in case of failure on the present
lines.
The officials here are in nowise
alarmed at the recent Developments at
Ottawa, feeling confident that Sir VIII
frid I.aurier's utterance in which he
mentioned the word war" as an alter
native to arbitration. was given a mean
ing not intended by the Canadian pre-
mIer. The strong language attributed
to Sir Charles Topper is not credited
to the Canadian government and it Is
realized that great latitude may prop
erly be allowed in viewing the utter
Rnces of members of an opposition par
".
Inasmuch as the Canadian officials
have laid stress upon the refusal Of the
United States to accept fair arbitration
Of the pending question. 1t may be
proper to explain the reason for refusal
as pointed out to-day by high officIal.
In the first place our government, 1t is
contended. is absolutely certain of the
soundness Of its claims in the matter Of
the boundary. That would seem to be
a good reason for submitting the mat
ter to arbitration on the ground that a
good cause had nothing to fear from
fair arbitration, but our government
holds that arbitrators are almost all
subject to the fatal weakness OF COM
promising. In our case any compro-
mise would amount to the loss Of our
whole contention, for once Canada Is
admitted to the Lynn canal we would
be deprived Of the only weapon which
we now possess for the protection OF
our miners going into the Klondlke from
extortion and perhaps expulsion. It
was for this reason that Secretary Hay
rejected the Canadian proposal to arbl-
trate attended by the condition that in
any case Pyramid harbor should be be-
slowed upon Canada. Then. too. 1t is
realized that an agreement to arbItrate
might be extremely unpopular in the
west, so that the officials will be giad
to adjust the matter without resort to
arbitration II possible. This has caused
a revival of the project to allow Canada
free port privileges at some specified
ports on the Lynn canal, Dyen, Ska
quay, or Pyramid harbor, perhaps,whlle
allowing sovereignty over them to re-
main In the limited States. and this Is
one of the propositions that is now en-
gaging attention. 1t Is realized that
this plan would meet strong opposition
from that element which favors no
concession whatever to Canada but un-
der such an arrangement American
miners might reasonably expect to ben
aht u good deal from the construction
Of the proposed railroad running from
free Canadian port on the Lynn canal
straight through to Dawson in the heart
of the Klondlke.