The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-10-20
NOTIFIES Hay.
Commissioner Foster Cables Details
of Boundary Award

WASHINGTON. Oct 20-Secretary Hay
today received a cablegram from John
w. Foster of the American counsel be-
fore the Alaskan boundary commission
giving the details of the award of that
commission. The cablegram shows that
the contentious of the United States
have been granted in almost every case.
1t also stated that the Canadian COM
missioners refused to sign the aware.
Secretary Hay will lay the cabiegram
before the cabinet at today's meeting.
Mr.. Foster did not undertake TO sup
ply Secretary Hay with the text or the
agreement reached by the commission,
but furnished a Succinct outline OF its
provisions, telling what had Deen de-
cided upon under each head of the arti-
cles of submission This outline is quite
sufficient to enable the state Depart
ment officials to form an accurate con-
clusion as to the nature of the commits
SionS decision and they make no COLI
cealnent of the satisfaction with which
they look upon it. The diversions from
I the American claim as set out in the
Hay-Pauncefote modus vivend1 are even
more favorable to the American case
than the limitations set out In that
document.
One of the most important acquisitions
is the confirmation of the Americas
title to the White Pass and Chilkoot
Pass, the only practical available en-
frances to the Klondike country from
the head of the inland waterway in the
former of which stands the Canadian
custom house which must now give
away to American control. The north
ern boundary stands exactly as it was
claimed by the Americans thirty years
ago and as set out in the modus. On
the western side there is q slight diver
sion of the boundary line to the east
as made by the commissioners as COM
pared with the modus. so as to make
the southern terminus at Cape Fair
weather. This involves. it is believed,
a loss of a few miles of territory from
the extreme American claim, but it is
said that this land is worthless for
mining purposes and on the other hand
the Ameican prospectorS have now con-
firmed beyond question their r1gnu 10
exploit and locate claims upon the sup
posedly rich gold fields of the Klehini
river.
The attitude of the Canadian commits
sioners in refusing to sign the commits
sion's report is scarcely matter of SIT
prise to the department officials for they
realize that in the present heated state
of mind of the Canadians, a commits
siOner's lot would be. unpleasant if he
made any sort of concession to the Uni
ted States. The fact is that when the
commission was created Secretary Hay
felt that it was too much to expect of
human nature to look to the Canadian
members of the commission to take any
but an extI RENE view of the case re-
gardless of the proof presented by the
Americans and he relied almost entire
ly upon the sound judicial instincts of
the great English jurist who presided
over the commission to properly appre-
ciate the weight of the American case,
which the secretary regarded as invul-
nerable if it could ever have a fair hears
ing
What Mr. Foster has to say as to that
portion of the decision, touching the
Portland canal, goes to diminish the
importance of even that slight Cana
dian victory, for he confirms the Lon
don report to the effect that free navi-
CATION of that waterway on the western
| side with full control of the western
shore is retained by the United States
while the loss of Pearse and Wales is
lands from the extreme American claim
is partially met by confirmation to the
title of two other islands at the mouth
of the canal which from a military point
of view dominate the proposed terminus
of the Port Simpson railroad and the
adjacent British forts