Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1903-09-04
ALASKAN BOUNDARY
COMMISSIONERS MEET
First Meeting Held In Lon
don Foreign Office.
LORD ALvERsToNE CHAIRMAN.

Reginald T. Tower Chosen Secretary.
Other Officers Named, Credentials
Exchanged and Oath Required by
Treaty Taken-InitiaI Preparations.
London, Sept 3-The Alaskan
boundary commissioners held their first
meeting today in the conference room
OF the foreign office. Prior to the
formal assembling, the commissioners
met in their private conference room
and selected Reginald T. Tower, of the
British diplomatic service, formerly
attached to the legation at Washing.
ton and recently minister to Siam, to
| be secretary Of the commission J.
K. Garter, second secretary of the
United States embassy, and Mr. Pope,
a representative of the Canadian gov.
| ernment were appointed assistant sec.
retaries. Lord Chief Justice Alver.
stone was subsequently chosen chair.
man of the committee. 1t was an.
nounced that oral arguments would
commence Sept. Is and Lord Alver.
stone, expressed the hope that they
would be finished by Oct. 9.
The conference room of the foreign
office, whore the commissioners met.
Is the choicest apartment in the Brit.
ish public buildings. 1t is a magnifi.
cent salon, with Gothic ceiling and
n9nnlAH walls hoo
OF many notable gatherings.
At the end of the room a platform
had been constructed and on it was a
long desk with a blue covering. Be.
hind this desk were six chairs, which
were occupied by the commissioners,
whose international regulations EN-.
phas1zed the Importance of the occa.
sion. Elihu Root and Lord Alverstone
sat in the center. Separate tables were
provided for counsel. Canadian coun.
sci were the first to arrive in the
chamber. They were followed by
John W. Foster, former secretary of
state and his assistants, who were &C.
companied by Ambassador Choate. The
commissioners came in a few minutes
later and Immediately began a pri.
vate conference which resulted in the
selection Of officers and at which they
exchanged credentials and took the
oath required by the treaty.
A few minutes after II o'clock the
committee took their seats, Senator
Turner, on the extreme right, then
Professor Sir Louis Jette. formerly of
the superior court of Quebec, lieu
tenant governor of the province of
Quebec, and professor of civil law; Mr.
Root, Lord Alverstone, Senator Lodge.
A. B. Aylesworth, who succeeded the
late Justice Armour, Of Canada, of the
commission; Mr.. Foster and Clifford
S1ftOn, Canadian minister of the inte-
rior. The agents Of the respective
governments sat at desks on the ex-
treme right and left of the commission
while council and stenographers occu-
pied desks facing the commissioners.
Lord Alyerstone, after formally an
nouncing that the committee was in
session stating that he had selected
as president, an honor which was
highly appreciated, asked counsel when
they desired to begin oral arguments.
Sir Robert B. Finlay, the attorney gen.
eral in behalf of the British counsel,
suggested that at least two weeks
would be required for preparation, to
which Judge John NJ Dickinson. rep
resenting the American council, assent
ed, though he said the American coun.
sci would be ready In a week. Lord
Aversion asked when the oral argu.
ments would be finished, and Attorney
General Ftnlay suggested Oct. Is, but
his lordship remarked that he thought
a shorter period was advisable, and
Oct. was fixed upon.
The committee decided to sit five
days a week, commencing Sept. Is
and excluding Saturdays, and to be
in session from II a. m. to 4 p. M,
daily and granted permission for
limited number of press representa-.
tives to attend the sitting.
In order that the examination OF
the cases may be exhaustive it is ar
ranged that three of the council for
| each government shall take arguments
in the cases, Great Britain opening
and being followed alternativeIy by
Americans and British, the former
having the closing argument.
The commission then removed the
Injunction of secrecy on all documents
| hitherto exchanged, and the sitting
was adjourned, the commissioners.
agents and counsel proceeding to the
quadrangle, where they were photo
|