The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-10-21
United States Gets Everything Asked Except Portland Ca-
 nal as Before RumOred
CANADIAN REPRESENTATIVES
 CONTINUE ID ACT UGLY
Not Only Do They Refuse to Sign the Decision, But They Will Publicly Withdraw From the
 Commission.

London, October 20-The following is an official digest of the Alaska decision:
 "The decision of the tribunal is made up of answers to the seven questions con- tained in the treaty of 1903 constituting the tribunal
 First Question-Answer: The line com mences at Cape Muzoon.
 Second Question-Answer: The Portland channel passes north of Pearse and Wales islands and enters the ocean through Tongas Pass between Wales and Sit kan islands.
 Third Question-Answer: A straight line to the middle of the entrance of Tongas Pass
 Fourth Question-Answer: A straight line between Salmon and Bear rivers, direct to the 56th parallel of latitude.
 Fifth Question-Answered in the af- firmative.
 Sixth question required no answer after the fifth question had been answered in the affirmative.
 Seventh question-Answer: The ma- iority of the tribunal have selected the line of peaks starting at the head of Port land canal and running along the high mountains on the outer edge, shown on the map of the survey made in 1893, ex- tending to Mt. Whipple and thence along what is known as the Hunter line of 1878, crossing the Stikine river about twenty four miles from it's mouth, thence north erly along the high peaks to Kates' Nee dle. from Rates Needle to the Devils Thumb
 "The tribunal stated that there was not sufficient evidence owing to the absence | of complete survey, to identify the mountains which correspond to those in- tended by the treaty. This contemplates a | further survey of that portion by the two governments.
 "From the vicinity of Devils Thumb | the line runs 10 the continental water | she'd thence through White and Tayya i or Chilkoot passes westerly to noun | tain indicated in a map attached to the treaty at 6S50 feet in height, thence to another mountain $500 and from that point in a somewhat curved line across the head of the glaciers to Mount Fair Weather.
 "This places the Canadian outpost on the upper water of Chilkat river in Brit ish territory. From Mount Fair Weather the line passes north on high peaks along the mountains indicated on tbe map by Mounts Pinta, Ruhama and Vancouver to Mount St. Elias"
 Special opinions were submitted on the second and fifth questions by Lord Aver stone Secretary Root and Senators Fur ner and Lodge, which will form part of the record, and in which the reasons for their conclusions are explained.
 Will Answer Criticism.
 As the Associated Press has been of- ficially informed that Lord Alverstone and the American commissioners rely upon these opinions to answer criticisms of the Canadian members of the tribunal these opinions assume more than legal and technical interest.
 On the vital question, No. B. Lord Aver stone submits seven printed pages. Among other things the lord chief jus tice says:
 'In my opinion it is correctly pointed out on behalf of the United States that the word coast is an ambiguous term. There is, as far as I know, no recognized rule of international law which would by implication give recognized meaning to the word coast as applied to such snu- osities, and such waters different from the coast itself. After a most careful ex- animation I am unable to find any pas sage in the negotiations connected with the treaty of 1925 which supports the view that Great Britain was directly or indi- rectly putting forward a claim to the shores or ports at the head of the inlets. I have felt it my duty to express the reasons which led me to the conclusion to which I have come, that the answer of the fifth question should be In the af- hrmative. because I am constrained to take view contrary to that placed on behalf of Great Britain"
 Just and Equitable.
 "The consideration urged on behalf of i Canada" continued Lord Alverstone, strong as they are in favor of a just and equitable modification of the treaty, do not, in my opinion, enable me to put a different construction upon the treaty. "It is impossible to deal adequately by cable with the technical details" he said, in support of his belief.
 Messrs Lodge. Root and Turner also submitted long joint opinions on questions No. and 5. Their opinion on No. is a peculiarly able and judicial exposition dealing with the contention of counsel on both sides with this result: .'It is impossible to resist the conclusion that the construction of the treaty now contended for by Great Britain is an af- ter thought never entertained by any officer of the British government during the life time of the maker of the treaty,