The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-24
FIRM TALK BY CANADA.
THE fREHIERS "ARBITRATIoN on
VAR" SPEECH MUCH DISCUSSED.


Severely Attacks Our Position-Says
We Trade on Englnnd's Friendship and
| Have Refused to mined
| to Surrender No Yukon Territory Pro-
| posnls for the Exclusion Of Americans.
OTTAWA. Ont. July 23The debate in tho
| Canadian Parliament yesterday on the Alaskan
| situation forms tho all-absorbinG topic OF dis.
| cusson in political circles here to-day. Party
| lines are broken down and Liberals and
| Conservatives alike commend the attitude
| OF the administration in regard to the Cana.
| dian contention Sir Charles Upper has
| practically offered to form coalition gov
| eminent on oil matters pertaining 10 tho
maintenance OF what has been advanced by
| the Government as Canadas inalinnable rights
| In the disputed territory. Tho announcements
| OF the Premier that, failing arbitration. the
| only other alternative might Ia nm appeal u
| the arbitrament OF arms Is not regarded go.
| riously. such contingency being looked upon
| as impossible But for the first time probably
| In the history of this question its serious as
| poet has become apparent to tho Canadian
| public.
Interviewed concerning the Premler's state.
ment In the House. Sir Charles Upper snid:
Il do not think Sir Wilfrid Innricr went TOO
| far in single uttcrancc. True. ne saiI there
| was no alternative but arbitration or war, but
| American refusal to arbitrate does not nocc.-
| sarily argue war. Let the United States COM
tinue to hold tho territory in dispute anu it will
! be- utterly worthless to them IL the Legislation
| propos" IL enacted
| The discussion in Parliament was opened ~
| Sir Charles Upper. who said:
Before the orders Of the day arc called I
wish to max" n few remarks to the House
on what | consider to be a very grave
and important question. refer to tho
Alaskan boundary question and the position
| in which Canada stands in relation to that
matter at the present time. After giving this
subject the most careful consideration that
could have arrived at the conclusion that it
10 my duty to bring II before the Parliament
OF Canada. The House will recollect that
when the commission closed its labors at
Washington communicate was given by au-
thorty Of the Premier Of Canada and chair.
man OF the American Commissioners ] NAV
say that l felt extremely indignant At tho
action taken and the position assumed by the
United States in what | regard as the most
unreasonable attitude that 1t was possible for
any Government to assume on question OF
that kind. / believe / am correctly informed
when | say thar 1t has been decided that at
present the high commission shall not meet
because the Government OF Canada have
found that all their Efforts to obtain a salts.
factory reference and settlement OF tho
tHiSkhn boundary nave tailed Those
| who have read the American papers and those
| who have read the London Times know that
great deal OF misrepresentation exists with re-
| gard to this question. and that the steady and
| persistent efforts OF the American press to
mislead the public mind have been eminently
| successful in that country. and regret to say,
| too. successful in Great Britain. The London
| Times. very unfortunately in my Judgment,
permitted a correspondent holding a hiSh and
| IA i..l tab
| correspondent OF the pross-who stated that
| he had been In close and intimate as
| socIation with tho American Commission.
| ers during tho sittings at Quebec and
| the subsequent sittings in Washington
| To- use the columns OF that paper to put forth
| in most authentic form the statement that the
| position which the Government OF Canada Ind
assumed in regard TO that question was lust
! the same as II Franc" were 10 claim that the
| Channel Islands belonged.to her that in fact
| the grounds taken hv the Government Of Cam
| ada for opposing the American proposals could
| only be parallelri by such an act rs France
| undertaking to claim the Channel Islands as Q
| part OF her possessions because they were not
remot" from France itself,
THE whole aim aud object OF tho press Of
the United States. and am sorry to say that
am unable to confne this remark to that press,
has been from tho outset to lead the world to
SUPPOSE that England was quite prepared to
make such a settlement Of this Alnskau
| boundary AS they desired hut that the dlf-
hculty was caused by Canada and the Ameri-
can press has even gone further and has said
that my right honorable friend was not ua-
willing to make a fair and Just settlement with
the United States but that he was restrained
by tho fact that sir Charles Tupper and the
Conservative party in Canada war hanging
on his flank and embarrassing him in dealing
" ' d Hgefs1 fha h crr" "S4HS IN
be- understood that my right T0norahYe friend
does no, represent tho Government Of Canada
a es Verm "I IN G npnHa h nt h"
| aLd that whatever side OF the House We my
G"y TOO T%ady to DO H9ythns
| hands Of the Government in taxing such n
annTa as s vail Shs sSGgrs rights 81
unfair and un!ustIhahle course on the part u
When my right honorable friend and his
britain, both British and Canadian, made the
that they were prepared in regard to the
boundary to adopt similar reference to that
controversy. which is now being dealt with bT
an International commission in Paris. think
beyond the verge. Of what they we're justiiei
II doing in order 10 show that Canada ana tRe
he "ry whch III" Tnitci States tk had n nn1p
and which had been accented by Lord Sails
bury is somewhat similar case.
Now. sir. what g this question II is SIM
ply tn" question Of a treaty made 10y Russia
and Great Britain in 1920. in which boundary
lin" was stated not delimited. hut In which
the indications Of whore The defamation
should b" made were laid down 4 contro-
versy has arisen between the United States
aud Grcat Britain in which Canada supports
a." British contention to the utmost extent.
That j. as TO IN" term shore used in that treaty,
which Indicates that the strip OF territory
from Mount 81. Elias down to the Portland
channel should be fixed and deIinited at ten
leagues from III" shore.
Nothing can belong to the intel States
except that which the treaty with Russia gave
them. They purchased the rights 81 Russia in
al their coInrl"ten"ss. but those rights alone,
In view of that fact IL eau hardly he believed
that any CORRESPONDENT declaring that he was
expressing the views and sentiments which he
hhi acquired from intimate association with
the American Commissioners should he per-
mtt"d IN that great organ Of public opinion in
Eng!and 10 say 10 the British public that tho
claim which Canada was setting W was so un-
trnall" and unjust that it could only he Iaral-
l"l"i by IA" claim 81 France that tho channel