Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-05-18
CANADIAN COMMISSION LIKELY To
BE REAssEMBLED.
SOME HOPE OF AGREEMENT
NEGOTIATIONS TO BE CONDUCTED
ON A WHOLLY NEW BASIS.
Canada Must Give Assurance in Ad-
vance of the Nature and Degree
of the Concessions She
VIII BE willing TO
Make.

WASHINGTON. May 17.-As the result
in London between Lord Salisbury, Sir Jul
lian Pauncefotc and Ambassador Choate
the latter acting under direct instructions
from Secretary Hay, it can now be pre-
dicted that the high joint commission to
adjust issues between the United States
and Canada will be reassembled during the
coming summer or early fall
This outcome Is not yet positively as
sured, but Mr.. Choate's report of the ex-
changes at the foreign office certainly con-
veys great encoura cement to the officials
here and warrants the expectation that ne
gotiations may be again taken up. with
some prospect of reaching agreements be-
tween the two branches of the commits
sion.
II can be stated that, If the commission
reconvenes IL will only do so upon COM
plete abandonment of the old basis, which
proved TO be unsuitable to the erection of
a complete agreement, and our govern
ment will have some sort of assurance in
advancn of the nature and degree of the
concessions that may be expected from the
other side, the lack of which, it is said,
tions.
Senator Fairbanks, president of the
American branch of the commission. was
at the state department to-day i'll confer
ence with Secretary Hay respecting the
outcome of the London meeting, and is now
convinced that the commission can be re-
assembled on new basis. He was recalled
from New York for the purpose of hold
ing this consultation and has changed his
summer plans In a measure, to suit the
changed prospects. He will still make his
intended journey to Alaska. but is planning
10 return to the United States by the mid
die of next July. little in advance of the
date to which the commission adjourned
last winter. The projected modus vivendi
has become involved in the negotiations
now proceeding in London, and its con-
summation is entirely dependent upon
them. If Mr.. Choate succeeds in arranging
the preliminaries to the meeting of the
commission as now expected, the two gov
ernments will proceed Immediately to ar
range modus vivendi to govern condi-
tons in the Klondike during the coming
summer and fall.
The negotiations have taken new turn
by the suggestion that the Alaskan bound
ary question be submitted to arbitration
independent of the other issues involved,
thus leaving the commission free to resume
its work on the many pending questions
The boundary question is said to be the
main obstacle to an agreement. so much so
that the commission took its last adjourn
ment because of manifest inability to come
together on this point. Since then the two
governments have tried to settle the ques-
ton and some progress has been made A
flnA agreement does not appear to be in
sight and a temporary adjustment by a
modus vivendi is still open. In the cir
cumstances the officials concerned in the
negotiations are favorably considering ar
bltratlon as means of settling the bound
airy matter. If that plaIr could be effected
II is said the commission would not only
be sure of reassembling but it would meet
with every prospect of winding up all the
outstanding difficulties between Canada and
the United States. While the plan Of arbi-
tratlon Is most favorably entertained by
officials 1t is not known how far it has
gone in the way of negotiations with Lord
Salisbury