Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-09-03
American Side of the Case is
 Fully Explained
THE LINE OF DEMARKATloN

The United States Claims Continuous
 Strip from Portland to West of
 Greenwich-Reply Is Also Given to
 Points Covered in British Side of
 Case - Boundary Commissioners
 Held First Meeting To-Day and Or
 ganized for Business.
 Washington, Sept 3.-The following is the abstract of the case of the Unit ed States before the Alaskan bound ary tribunal:
 The documents covering the Amerl- can presentation of the case are com prised in three volumes, making to- tai of about HOO pages. In addltlon there are also two volumes of maps. The largest of the volumes of text con tains the original statement by the American commissioners, while one or the smaller volumes presents the American counter-case in rejoinder to the British case, and the other the ar gument of the American commission CTS.
 Tn the first volume the questions at issue, namely, what is intended to De the point of commencement of the line of. demarkation between the United States and Canada; what is the Port land channel: what course the line should take to the entrance of that channel; to what point of the oofh parallel the line should be drawn from the head of Portland channel and other familiar questions are dis cussed. There also is extensive dis cussion of the extent of the strip of territory along the coast on the maln- land that Russia conveyeds to the United States by the treaty of 1S61.I It appears from the document that Great Britain comedies that the line begins at Cape Muzon.
 The United States contends that it was the intention of the powers which signed the treaty of 1925 to confirm in full sovereignty to Russia continuous strip or lisiere along the continental shores of the northwest coast of America extending from Portland ca nal to the 141st meridian of longitude west of Greenwich, and that such strip was to be ten marine leagues meas ured from the heads of all gulfs and 
 was within that distance a range of mountains The contention is fur ther made that there is no such noun tain range. 1t also is urged that the United States has occupied this strip of territory ever since it's acquisition from Russia and that Russia had con- tro1led it since the treaty of 1925, until ceded to the United. States in 1867.
 Tn it's counter statement the Ameri- can commission makes rejoinder to points covered in the presentation of the British side of the case, which it appears contains twenty or more doc tlndents which heretofore have not been given to the public. The addi- tional evidence referred to bears upon the negotiations which took place be- tween Great Britain and Russia dur ing the years 1923 to 1925, and it is contended that this new evidence in no way alters any material contention made in the original allegation, but that on the contrary it confirms and strengthens the position of the Unit ed States These documents con sist largely of statements made and letters written by MT Pelly, who was at that time deputy governor of the Hudson Bay Co., and it is contended that his letters fully sustain the asser- tion that in fixing line of demarka- ton the British government acted solely in the interests of that com pany
 The commissioners discuss at some length the claim made by their oppon- ents that many protests have been filed by British officials against the su4 ol< eoue1eJ9I IT mIgLo ueoFIeduv boundary line. They admit that from time to time there have been informal representations. but these they assert were in the main without sufficient data to justify serious consideration. Indeed, they say that never until after the Klondike gold discoveries were made in 1896 did the British govehnment take up the question seriously. They admit that in 1898 attention was call ed to the claim of the British govern ment that the ten league srip extend- ed only from the main waters of the ocean, but they say that this conten- tion was not made absolutely clear un- til the British case was delivered to the present tribunal on the second of May last Tn support of the American contention that the strip should meas ure from tidewater and from the heads of bays and inlets a number of deposi- tions are produced in connection with the counter case going to show the oc cupat1on Of this strip by settlers from the United States since 1880. Espec- ial effort is. directed toward showing the control of the country about the head of Lynn canal, including the sites of the towns of Dyea, Skagway, White Pass and Lake Bennett
 It is also stated that numerous docu- ments have been presented which had been given to Indian chiefs and others by officials of the United States an nually for 20 years after ahe United States acquired the territory. It is contended that this occupation and control were known to the Canadian government and it's people.
 Discussing. the boundaries proposed by Great Britain the commission makes reference to the instability of