The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-04-05
AT A DIFFERENCE IT MAKES
Applying the Venezuelan Case to the
Uintah Asphalt Controversy.

(Fhom the London Times. March p. 1867
In the house of commons yesterday
there was seen at least one instance this
session where the warning factions were
united. In response to the question of
John Redmond, Mr.. Balfour stated the
governments position in respect to the.
now famous Uintah controversy with the
United States, and his exDlana ton was
received with tremendous cheers and
cries of Hear" Hear" and was fol-
lowed by a vote of confidence in which,
remarkable as it NAV seem, there was
not dissenting vote.
The question posted by Mr.. Redmond
was:
What action. if any. has government
taken in reference TO the claim of the
Utah, Uintah and Uncompahgre Asphalt
All the benches were full when Mr..
Baltour arose to reply to the question;
many 81 the Iores coming over rom rom, IIe
other house to hear the latest develop
ment of this matter which has excited
so much comment recently.
Mr.. Balfour said: The foreign office
has for some time past felt consider
able degree of impatience at the attitude
of President Roosevelt in the asphalt
matter. As the house is well aware.
this subject has been most annoying and
irritating to government for some
months last past. He was not, perhaps.
going too far in saying that there had
( been times when government hac felt
that some sharp reminder was necessary
to bring home TO President Roosevelt a
realizing sense of the situation which
had so often been called to his attention
1 by his majesty's ambassador The con-
slant reply of President Roosevelt and
his advisers. had been that the matter
was now pending in the supreme court
of the United States, and. therefore, he
could not consider or reply to the Sug
gestiOn Of this government that the
matter be submitted TO arbitration, until
such time. at least, as "a final decision
were rendered by that court. Moreover,
he regretted To say the president Of the
| States 4 n
tervieyv with his majesty'S ambassador.
al which AIR. Secretary Hay was also
present that he questioned the right
of his majesty's government 20 inter
tere IN the matter at all, (gEOans), but
ne was happy TO say that the reply
which Lord Sackvi!Ie West made to the
president was such that it met with the
most cordial approval of government.
Clear! HearD and no doubt was sufn-
Gent TO assure the president that Great
Britain would tolerate no infringement
of the rights OF its subjects, whether in
the mted States or elsewhere. tHear.
Heard
For the further information of the
house, he would say that it appeared
that some twenty-five years ago the
United States had granted to the Utah.
Dintah * CncOmpahgre Asphalt company
an exclusive concession TO mine asphalt
in the great asphalt lake situated in the
Indian reservation known as the Uintah
reservation in Utah, this property at that
time being under the sole control of the
federal government. About two years
sort of proceeding in an inferior fed
eral court in Utah to cancel this con-
cessiOn, the ground for such action be-
ing an unfounded claim that the Utah
Cintah * UncOmpahgre Asphalt company
had failed to comply with the conditions
contained in that concession. ii being
said that IL had failed to build a rail-
road from place called Pedro to OIaIa
where connection would have been made
with the Great Northern railway. 1t was
also claimed that one Of the conditions
was that the concessiOnaireS should
dredge out certain streams and make
them navigable. incidentally he might
remark-but he did so with some degree
OF amUsement-(Heari HearD that Pres
Ident Roosevelt also claimed that during
a recent revolution of the Uintah In
dams the cOucessionaire had furnished
arms and ammunition as well as money.
To aid the reVOlutiOnists: and that al
though, the president added il had cost
the United States some $50 600, 600 and the
lives Of nearly 10000 men to do SO, il
had successfully suppressed the upris-
ing The singular thing about this state
ment was that the president seemed to
think that such action on the part Of
the Utah, Uintah & Gncomo ahgre As
phalt company, were it true. gave him
any right to complain. (Groans and
laughter).
lie was glad to see that the house real
ICED On what slender grounds the fed