The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-02-10
WHAT THEY WOULD SETTLE.

WHAT THEY WOULD SETTLE.
Questions the Alaskan Boundary
Arbitrators Would Consider.
Washington, Feb. 6.-The Alaskan
boundary line arbitration treaty is
meeting considerable opposition from
the northwestern senator's, who claim
that there is nothing to arbitrate."
The treaty provides for six impair
tial jurors, three on each side, a ma
jority vote to carry.
Article 3 provides that the tribunal
shall consider the treaty between
Great Britain and Russia of 1926, and
the treaty between the United States
and Russia Of March 80, 1867.
In the treaty between the United
States and Russia articles 3 and 4
of the Anglo-Russian treaty are
quoted as describing the line of de-
narration between Russia and the
British possessions. These articles
read as follows.
'His majesty, the emperor OF all
the Russias, agrees to cede to the
United States all the territories and
dominions now possessed by his said
majesty on the continent of America,
and in the adjacent islands within the
geographical limits herein set forth,
to-wit:
"The eastern limit is the line of
demarkation between the Russian and
British possessions as established by
the convention between Russia and
Great Britain of Feb. 2S (16), 1926,
and described in articles 3 and 4 in
the following terms:
Commencing from the southern
most point ,of the Prince of Wales
island, which point lies in a parallel
of 81 degrees 4 minutes north lati-
tude, and between the 131st and 1880
degree of west longitude (meridian
Of Greenwich), the said line shall
ascend to the north along the Port
land channel until it strikes the seth
degree of north latitude; from this
la~st-mentioned point the line of de-
markation shall follow the summit of
the mountains parallel to the coast
as far as the point of intersection
of the 141st degree of west longitude
(of the anne meridian) and finally,
from the said point of intersection
the said meridian line of the 141st
degree, in it's prolongation, as far as
the frozen ocean.
with reference to the line of de-
narration laid down in the preceding
article, it is understood:
"First-That the island called
Prince of Wales island shall belong
wholly to Russia; (now by this ces-
sion to the United States).
"Second-That whenever the sum-
nit of the mountains which extend
in a direction parallel to the coast
from the seth degree of north lati-
tude to the point of intersection to
the 141st degree of west longitude
shall prove to be at the distance of
more than ten marine leagues from
the ocean. the limit between the Brit
ish possessions and the line of coast
which is to belong to Russia, as
above mentioned, that is to say, the
limit to the possessions coded by this
convention shall be formed By a line
parallel to the winding of the coast,
and which shall " exceed the
distance of ten marine leagues there
from"
Another clause of the new treaty
says:
'.The tribunal shall also take into
consideration any action OF the sew
eral governments or of their respect
i've representatives preliminary or
subsequent to the conclusion of said
treaties so far as the same tends to
show the original and effective I'M
derstanding of the parties in respect
to the limits of their several terri
tol ial jurisdictions.
referring to articles 8, 4 and 5
the said treaty of 1925, the said tri-
bunal shall answer and decide the
questions:
what is intended as the point of
commencement of the line?
What channel is the Portland chan
mel?