The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1903-09-11
Representatives Who Will Settle
Alaskan Boundary Dispute Hold
First Meeting in London.
LORD Chief JUSTICE ALVERSTONE
NAMED AS PRESIDENT OF BODY
Oral Arg ument to Begin September
Is and to Continue to October s.
other Details of Meetings Ar
rangcd-OutIine of Americans Com
tention Regarding Territory.

~ON
boundary commissioners held their
first meeting Thursday in the confer
ence room of the foreign Office. I
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 lega-
ton at Washington, and recently min
lister to Siam, to be secretary of the
commission. J. r. Carter, second sec
rotary of the United States embassy,
and Mr.. Pope, a representative of the
Canadian government, were appointed
assistant secretaries. Lord Chief JUS
tice Alverstone wac subsequently chos-
en- chairman Of the commission.
1t was announced hat oral argu-
ments would commence September IS,
and Lord Alverstone expressed the
hope hat they would be finished by
October 8.
Lord Alverstone, after formally an
n%ouncing that the commission was in
session, stating that he had been Sc
lected as president, an honor which
he highly appreciated, asked counsel
when they desired to begin the oral
arguments. Sir Robert B. Finlay, the
attorney general. in behalf of the Brit
ish counsel. suggested that at least two
weeks would be required for prepara-
ton, TO which Judge John M. Dickin-
son, representing the American coun-
sci, %assented, though he said the
American counsel would be ready in a
week. Lord Alverstone asked when
the oral arguments would be finished
and Attorney General Finlay suggested
October IS, but his lordship remarked
that he thought a shorter period was
advisable, and October 8 was fixed up
~. f
The commission decided to sit FIVE
days per week, commencing September
Is, and excluding Saturdays, and to be
In session from II a.. NJ. to 4 p. m.
daily, and granted permission for a
limited number of representatives Of
the press to attend the sittings.
In order that the presentation of the
cases may be exhaustive, it has been
arranged that three of counsel for each
government shall make arguments, the
tentatively by Americans and British,
the former securing the advantage of
the closing argument.
The commission then removed the
injunction of secrecy on all documents
hitherto exchanged, and the sitting
was adjourned.
The American Case.
The documents covering the Amer
lean presentation of the case are COM
prised in three volumes, making a to-
tai Of about 100 pages. In addition
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 of
smaller volumes presents the
American counter case in rejoinder to
the British case. and the other argu-
.ents of the American commission
ers.
In the first volume the questions at
issue, namely. what is intended to be
the point of commencement of the
inc of demarkaticn between the Unit
States and Canada; what is the
Portland channel; what course the line
should take to the entrance of that
channel; to what point of the Seth par
allel the line should be drawn from
he head of Portland channel, and 9th
II familiar questions are discussed. |
There also is extensive discussion of
he extent of the strip of territory
llong the coast on the mainland that
russia conveyed to the United States
" the treaty of 1867.
The argument in the case is a care
ul study of maps, treaties and other
bearing upon the boundary
and it is Intended to drive
lone the facts presented in the state
nents.
kIondike Gold Discoveries.
Considerable space is devoted to the |
,art played by the Klondike gold dis
overies IN -aTousiagg Great Rritain,s
interest in the controversy. ard in this
notice is taken of an as |
ertion made by the British commits
toner's that the towns of Dyea and.
'kagWay owed their existence to the
migration to the Klondike. They as
ert to the contrary that Dyea was
ounded in 1886 and Skagway in 1889.
hey contradict fatty d contention
made by the British commissioners to
he effect that "Canada's claim to the
erritories at the head of Lynn canal
vas at the time well known to the
States government.
This they say, rs q g~ratuitous
assertion. There is no proof to aus-
ain II Canada never put forward any
claia to- the United States. The
lain was arst made In 1893 BY Great
Britain before the joint high commits
1t IS said that stf the Canadian
government had instructed British YES
'els To disregard these regulations
would have been grave danger
,f serious collision. There undoubt-
sdly would have been q collision, just
is certainly rs If they had been in
structed til dfsregardth regulations of
he port ot New York