The Indianapolis journal., 1903-10-21
Regarded at Washington as the
Greatest Diplomatic Success This
Country Has Had i'm Years.
PRESIDENT WELL PLEASED
CABINET MEETING TURNED INTO A
CONGRATULATORY LOVE FEAST.
Gen. John w. Fosters Message to the
State Department-Praisc for
Lord AIycrstOne.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20.-At a meeting of
the Cabinet to-day hearty Fluctuations were
exchanged between the President and his
advisers over the result of the deliberations
OF the Alaskan Boundary Commission. Sec
retary Hay presented to the President and
his fellow Cabinet members the decision of
the commission as stated in the official dis
patches to the State Department. The de-
cision itself indicates more clearly than any,
thing else could how complete the Ameri-
can victory is. BY the President and the
Cabinet the result achieved by the Ameri-
can commissioners is regarded as far and
away the greatest diplomatic success the
United States has had for generation.
President Roosevelt and the members of
the Cabinet were jublant over the deci-
sion. particularly as it removes any cloud
from the title of the United States TO any
part of the Alaskan territory in dispute
They regard that territory as one of the
greatest possibilities and one which in per-
haps a few years will become a populous
country. The President, who always has
been deeply interested in the development
of the Northwest. indicated to the Cabinet
how much the decision meant to the entire
belt Of territory along the Canadian border
III CONSTRUCTING the action or the COM
mission both the President and the men,
bers of the Cabinet expressed sincere and
cordial appreciation of the lofty and fair
minded position taken by Justice Alver-
stone, the British member of the tribunal
incidentally. too, attention was directed to
the accurate and exclusive forecast of the
commissions decision given in the London
dispatches. the first information of the re-
suit of the tribunals work being received
through the Associated Press.
General Foster did not undertake to supply
Secretary Hay with the text of the agree
ment reached by the commission but gave
a succinct outline of its provisions telIin,~
what had been decided upon under each
head of the articles of submission. This out
line is quite sufficient to enable the State
Department officials to form an accurate
conclusion to the nature OF the commits
sion's decision and they make no conceal
ment of the satisfaction with which they
look upon it. The diversions from the
American claim, as set out by the HAY
Pauncefote moduS vivendi, 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 American title to the
White pass and Philkoot pass, the only
practical available entrances to the Klon-
dixie country from the head of the inland
waterway, in the former of which stands
the Canadian custom house, which must now
give way To American control. The north
'ern boundary stands exactly as II was
claimed by the Americans thirty years ago
and as set out in the modus. On the west
side there is slight diversion of the
boundary line to the east as made by the
commissioners, as compared with the modus.
so to make the southern terminus at
Cape Fairweather. This involves, it is be-
lieved, loss Of few miles of territory
from the extreme American claim, but ii is
said that this land is worthless for min
ing purposes and on the other hand the
American prospectors have now confirmed
beyond question their right to exploit and
locate claims upon the supposedly rich gold
fields at the Klenhini river.
The attitude of the Canadian commission
ers in refusing to sign the commissions re-
port is scarcely a matter Of surprise to the
department officials, for they realize that
in the present heated state of mind of the
Canadians a commissioners lot would be
unpleasant if he made any sort of conces-
sion to the United States. The fact that
when the commission was created Secretary
Hay felt that it was too much to expect
of human nature 70 look to the Canadian
members of the commission TO take any
but an extreme view OF the case, regardless
of the proof presented by the Americans,
sound judicial instincts of the great English
jurst who presided over the commission
TO properly appreciate the weight OF the
garded as invulnerable If ii could ever have
fair hearing
What Mr. Foster has to say as to that
norton of the decision touching the Port
land canal goes to diminish the Importance
of even that slight Canadian victory, for
he confirms the London report to the effect
that free navigation 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
islands 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.