Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-06-28
STATE BOUNDARIES.
Controversies Which Have been In
Progress For n Century.

.
The controversy as to the boundary
line between the states of Virginia and
Tennessee which has been in progress
for mere than 100 years and involves
jurisdiction over a strip Of land il the
Cumberland mountains nearly 100 miles
long has at last reached the supreme
court of the United States, which has
been asked to appoint a board of com
missioners to survey and officially to
declare where Virginia ends and Ten
ncssee begins. This contest, one Of the
Oldest between the states is one only Of
several similar controversies which have
been going on 70. many years. Some of
the states involved are Maryland and
Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania,
Kentucky and Tennessee. West Virginia
and Kentucky, Arkansas and Missouri,
Texas and Arkansas and California and
Nevada.
Tennessee was admitted into the Union
in 1I96. At that time the surveys of
the mountain districts which are partly
within Virginia and partly within Ten
nessee were imperfect and to some eX-
tent misleading, and since then the con-
trOvesy as to where the line of division
runs has been continued steadily, but
without as yet any positive determine
ton. Few American states are sep
arated by ordinary geographical lines,
such as separate, for instance, New Jer-
sey from its neighboring states. This
line of boundary is the Delaware river,
and New Jersey lies between the Della
ware river and the Atlantic ocean, north
of Delaware bay. But the northern
boundary of the state, which runs along
the south boundary of Orange and Rock
land counties, N. Y, is indefinite and
has long been the subject of dispute. In
like manner so has the boundary line be-
tween New York and Connecticut. Geo
graphically, the line which would divide
New York from Connecticut and Massa-
chnsetts would be the Hudson river the
head of navigation of which at Troy is
almost exactly opposite the boundary
line between Massachusetts and YER
mont. But for other reasons more cogent
than those of geography the east bank Of
the Hudson is included in New York as
well as the west and like orsiderations
account for some of the divisions be-
tween western states.
New iorks boundaries. though APP
parently settled in 1776, have been sub
ject to critical examination from time to
Tune Dy various commissioners ana
agents and have been re-cxamined and
established under authority of various
legislative enactments. An act was
passed by the legislature May rs, 1919,
directing the commissioners to resume
the work Of examination of the true To-
cation OF the monuments which mark the
several boundaries of this state as au-
thoriZed by the senate resolution of 1861
and in connection with the authorities
of Pennsylvania and New Jersey re-
spectively to replace any monuments
which may have become dilapidatcd or
been removed on the boundary lines of
those states. a committee was appoint
ed for this purpose June l, 1873. In
1880 the New York commissioners met
commissioners appointed by the states
of Pennsylvania and New Jersey for the
purpose of ascertaining the boundary
lines as originally established and mark
ed with monuments. The commissioners
were authorized to renew any dilapidat-
ed or lost monuments and to erect adj
ditional ones if deemed necessary. Tn
der the provisions of this law the New
Jersey boundary line was completed as
recently as 1883 and the Pennsylvania
line in 1SS5.-New York Sun.