The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-09-05
THE ALASKAN BOUNDARY CUES
TON

TON.
The Alaskan Boundary Commission
ers have had their first meeting and
have agreed that oral arguments on
the points at issue shall be begun on
Sept. Is. The meetings are to be held
in the conference room of the British
Foreign Office.
1t is doubtful if anybody believes
that a decision of the boundary dis
pute will be reached by this commits
sion. There are three American and
three Canadian commissioners. The
American commissioners are thorough
ly convened that their view of the
question is the right one, and the Ca
madam commissioners are equally con-
fldent of the correctness of their view.
The theory on which the commission is
based is that the arguments and facts
on one side are so much stronger than
those on the other that one or more of
the commissioners of the weaker side
will be won over, and thus the ques-
ton will be settled.
The American claim, as is known, rests
upon the British Russian treaty made
in 1925 The United States bought
Alaska from Russia, and, of course, got
only what Russia had a title to. The
territory claimed by Russia is clearly
set forth in that treaty. If that claim
were admitted the controversy would
end at once. Canada does not admit
it. She says that the United States
knew that she claimed certain portions
of the Pacific coast at the time they
purchased Alaska from Russia. On the
other hand, the United States say they
never heard of this claim of Canada
until a few years ago.
AS a matter of fact. there was never
any Alaska boundary question until
Canada discovered that she needed a
port on the North Pacific coast. Then
she came to the front with the claim
that certain portions of that coast, on
which there are good harbOrs, were
hers. The most notable of these har-
bors is known as the Lynn canal
1t is asserted by the United States,
and the assertion is supported by all
of the old maps, charts and boundary
marks that the Alaskan eastern bound
airy line parallels the sinuosites of the
coast. Canada takes the position that
this boundary line should be drawn ar
btrarily from headland to headland If
her position were admitted she would
get the Lynn harbor and adjacent
coast. Unfortunately. however, there is
little or nothing on which to rest her
claim, except bald assertion. She ap-
pears to be making up in assertion
what she lacks in evidence.
AS a matter of fact, England doesn't
seem to be profoundly interested in
the matter, but she is necessarily COM
PEELED to do what she can to assist
Canada in maintaining her position.
There is an impression also that she
hopes the United States, on account of
the friendly relations existing between
the two nations: will eventually con-
sent to Canadas having enough of the
Pacific coast to make a good harbor
for her commerce. 1t is practically GER
tain. however, that the United States
are going to concede nothing, as they
do not care to have commercial rival
on the North Pacific coast.
1t is a pretty safe prediction that
nothing will come of this meeting of
the boundary commissioners. No one
of them will yield the conviction he
had when appointed on the commits
sion, and, hence. the conclusion of the
arguments will find the positions of the
commissioners to be just what they
were when the arguments began.