Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1903-10-21
ALASKAN AWARD
DISPlEASES CANADA
Her Commissioners Declined
To Sign Same.
They as Well as the Canadians Con.
nected with the Case Are Very Bit.
ter-Award Gives United States Two
Islands Of Strategic Value.

London, Oct 20.-The Alaskan
award relating to the Portland ca
nal gives the United States two islands
-Kannahunul and Sitklan, command
ing the entrance of the Portland chan
mel and the ocean passage to Port
Simpson and destroying the strategic
value of Wales and 'Pearse islands
which are given to Canada.
In consequence of the attitude main
tanned by the Canadian commissioners,
Lord Chief Justice Alverstone decid-
ed this morning not to hold the pro
posed public meeting of the Alaskan
boundary commission, but to hand it's
decision to MessTs. Foster and Sfiton,
respectively, agents of the American
and Canadian governments.
The Canadian commissioners not
only declined to sign the award, but
said they would publicly withdraw
from the commission. They as we'll as
the Canadians connected with the case
are very bitter. kilograms from Pre-
mier Laurier and other prominent per.
sons in Canada show that this senti.
ment is shared generally throughout
the dominion
Messrs. Jett and Aylesworth, the
Canadian commissioners, made a
statement regarding the award as fol.
lows:
THE decision of the Alaska bounI
ary tribunal has been given and in
view of its character the people OF
Canada, are, in our judgment, entitled
to such an explanation from us as will
enable them to comprehend fully the
manner in which their interests have
been dealt with. We take up the
points Of the decision in the order in
which they are presented by the treaty
under which the tribunal was consti.
tuted:
First, the Portland canal-there
are two channels parallel with each
other, with four islands between them
The Canadian contention was that the
northern channel should be adopted
The United States contended for the
channel. On the result of the decf
sion depended the possession of the
four\ islands s,-Kannaghunal, SitkIan
Wales and Pearse. When the tribunal
met after the argument and consid
cred this question the view of the
three British commissioners was that
the Canadian contention was absolute
ly unansWe able. A memorandum
was prepared and read to the commits
sloners embOdying our views and
showing it to be in dispute that the
Canadian contention in this branch oil
the case prevail, and that the bound,
ary should run to the northward o.
the four islands, named, thus giving
them to Canada. Notwithstanding
these acts the members of the tribu
nal other than ourselves have now
signed an award giving two of thf
islands, Kannaghunal and Sitklan, tt
are the outermost Of the four. They
command the entrance of the Port
land channel and the ocean passage
| to Port Simpson. Their loss wholly
| destroys the strategic value to Cana
| da of the Wales and Pearse islands
There is, in our opinion, no process o
reasoning whereby the line thus de
cided upon by the tribunal can be jus
| titled. It was never suggested by
| counsel in the course of argument tha
such a line was possible. Either tht
four islands belong to Canada or be
long to the United States. In thu
award, Lord Alverstone agrees with
the United States commissioners tha
the islands should be divided, givinl
the two which possess strategic valu,
to the United States.
Second, the line northward from
Portland channel, substantially the Ca
madam contention regarding this lin,
| was that there are mountains parable
with the coast within the meaning 0
the treaty of 1925, and that the top
of s1.ch mountains should be declare
7 the boundary, the mountain nearest TIL
sea being Eakan- The fEnitaa a4ase