Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-20

tne OutermOSt or the four Ihey command
the entrance of the Portland channel and
the ocean passage to Port Simpson. Their
loss wholly destroys the strategic value to
Canada of the Wales and Pearse islands.
There is. IN our opinion. no process of rea-
soning whereby the line thus decided upon
by the tribunal be justified. 1t was
never suggested by counsel in the course
of argument that such line was possible.
Either the four islands belong to Canada
or belong to the United States. In the
award Lord Alverstone agrees with the
United States commissioners that the
islands should be divided. giving the two
which possess strategic value to the United
States.
Second. the line northward from Port
land channel. Substantially the Canadian
contention regarding this line was that
there are mountains parallel with the coast
Wlthln the meaning of the treaty of 1925,
and that the tops of such mountains should
be declared the boundary. the mountains
nearest the sea being taken.
Inc United States contention was that
there are no mountains parallel with the
coast within the meaning of the treaty
and that the boundary must therefore be
hXed under the provision of the original
urea treaty relating to ten leagues. and SO be
run a distance of thirty-five miles from the
shore, including in the term shore the
heads OF all lnlets, bays, etc.
Existence of Mountains Acknowledged.
The tribunal finds that the Canadian
tne mountains within the terms of the
treaty, but the fruits of victory have been
taken from Canada by fixing as a mountain
line a row of mountains so far from the
coast as to give the United States sub
stantally nearly all the territory in dis
pute.
Around the head of the Lynn canal the
line follows the watershed somewhat in ac-
cotdance with the present provisional boun-
Diary.
we are of the opinion that the mountain
line traced by King the Dominion astrOno-
Iner, along the coast should have been
adopted at least so far as the shores of the
Lynn canal If effect We're given to the con-
tentlon that Great Britain had by acuuies-
cense to adverse occupation deprived her
self of her right to claim the head of the
Lynn canal we would have regarded such
conclusion as perhaps an open and reason
able justification. No such position can
however, be taken regarding the inlets
lower down the coast
Kings line, running along the coast to
the Lynn canal, and the line thence around
the head of the Lynn canal following the
watershed would have given Canada the
heads of the lower inlets with at least
one fine harbor, from which easy access to
the interior of the Atlin and Yukon coun-
try could have been had. 1t would not
so far as We have been made aware, have
taken any territory ever actually occupied
by United States citizens, it would have
given the United States the whole of the
Lynn canal, including Skagway. Dyea and
Pyramid harbors, and it would have been
we think reasonably satisfactory to Can
ada. Instead of taking the coast line of
mountains, line of mountains has been
chosen far back from the coast clearing
completely all the bays. inlets, etc The
mountain line adopted as the boundary
lies so far from the coast as to give the
United States substantially all the terri
tory in dispute. The line completely clears
all the bays and lnlets, and means of ac-
cess to the sea. giving the United States a
complete land barrier between Canada and
the sea. from the Portland canal to Mount
St Elias.