The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1899-10-26
Canada'S La>est Proposition for
Settling A ask IN Dispute.
CHhNSERLlIN ADVISES CONCESSION.
Hopes to Secare Final Adjustmen mt of
the Affair tPGn Terms Sim
liar to Those Imposed
on Venezuela.

London, Oct 25.-The press is en-
abled to give authoritatively Canada's
final proposition for permanent set
Element of the Alaska dispute. 1t is
very different from her former de-
Tands and was delivered to United
States Ambassador Choate by the
Canadian minister of marine and fish
cries. Sir Louis Henry Davies, late
the night before the latter sailed and
dispatched Tuesday to Washington by
the officials of the United States en-
bassy. 1t is as follows:
That the boundary l!ne be arbitrated upon
terms similar TO those imposed by the
United States and Great Britain over Ven
ezuela, particularly those provisions max
Ing 30 years occupancy by 81 her side con-
elusive evidence Of tite, occupancy of less
than that psricd TO be taken as equity al
lows under international law.
That, as a condition precedent to and
abso utely preliminary to arbitration,
Skaguay and Dyea would be conceded to
the United States without further claim
if Canada received pyramid harbor.
In other words. Canada gives up much
If the disputed gold country in return
Tor a seaport, but stijnlates that she
must get the latter before she agrees to
arbitrate the boundary line.
The press is reliably informed that
Cauada's rev position was greatly in
fueHced by iHperial pressure. and it
can be stated definitely that Mr..
ChamberIaiE advised GORGE ssion as
much as possible in order to lain port
Of entry free from United States con-
troll, with the professed reason that
commercial advantages would accrue
therefrCm. But il is said that the
Interior motive is to increase the Brit
ish nava! strength by making Pyramid
harbor a strong naval station.
ProbubIe Action of United States.
Regarding the probable action of the
United States in these altered cOndi-
tons. British official opinion IS that the
United States, having been t'1Et'd
Dyea and Skaguay, cannot r. use IA
accept the identical form of arl 'tratiCn
they compelled England to take to-
wards Venezuela. This course is con-
tingent upon the United States decid-
ing that the old Behring country is
more valuable than Pyramid harbOr.
Agrees to Arbitration.
London. Oct. 25.-Russia, ii has been
learned by the press, has at last agreed
to arbitrate with the United States the
claims resulting from the seizure of seal
ers in the Behring sea, which have been
pending for about eight years. A pro-
ha txrn mi .
been drawn up, the final formalltles
are expected to be concluded next
month and the arbitration will prob
ably take the form of the Venezuelan
court.
A summary of Old Claims.
II is said at the state department
hat the proposition as to a permanent
Naskan boundary laid down by Sir
Louis Davies is nothing more For less
than a summary of claims heretofore
preferred. When the commission was
in session last spring and the Canadian
Droposition was made to settle tie
Boundary question by arbitration, the
American commissioners replied with
an offer to accept arbitration with the
proviso that no point occupied by Amer
leans for a specified term of years
should be submitted to the arbitration.
In other words, the term WAS so fixed
that by no possibility could the title
to Skaguay, Taiya, or any other place
that the Americans had occupied for
a period represented by the discovery
of the Klondike fields be called into
question by the arbitration. This was
one of the final propositions rejected
by the Canadian commissioners which
caused the failure of the joint confer
euce.
Since that time there have been sew
eral suggestions in the nature of com
promises, and included among these
was one like this embodied in Sir Louis
Davies propositions, namely: That the
United States should confirm the Can
adian title to Pyramid harbor in return
for Canadian confirmation of the Amer
lean title to Skaguay and Taiya. 1t il
not possible to accurately forecast the
view that the state department will take
of this last proposition, but il may be
proper to recall the fact that in the
opinion of the department, Canada has
no more claim TO Pyramid harbor thar
it has to Skaguay and Taiya, and the
British government has already beer
informed of that belief. Therefore, I
seems probable that Sir Louis Davies
proposition will not materially advance
:, ,,ar,,,opapt catfIemapt of the bOun
dairy question, and that the two coun
tries will continue to act for some time
TO come under the terms of the modui
viyendi recently arranged by Secretary
Igo,. ond Mr. Tn,xar