Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1909-09-18
RAISES A QUESTION
PEARY'S DISPATCH TELLING
OF NORTH POLE CONQUEST.
Doubted by Many If United States Can
Claim Possession by His Act-Atti-
tude of State Department at Present
Is That North Pole Belongs to No
Nation, Even by Discovery.

When Commander Robert Z. Peary
reported by wireless and cable recently
to the state department that he had
hoisted the Stars and Stripes on the
north pole and had formally taken pos
ritory for and in the name of the presi-
dent and the United States Of Amer
lea he raised question which is bound
to occasion controversy among geog-
raphers, scientists and statesmen.
The state department, with its Gus
tomary caution, declined to express an
official opinion upon the matter. 1t
has become a subject for future deter
mination-one upon which the decision
may have to be rendered later in case
of an international dispute.
Belongs to NJ Nation.
Unoflicially, however, it can be
stated that the attitude of the depart
ment at present is that the north
pole can belong to no one nation and
that not even the first man who dis
covered it, whether he be Cook or
Peary, can lay claim to it or pass title
on it to any country whatever.
This theory is based upon the fact
that, outside of the former habit of
discoveries of claiming for their coun-
try islands of the sea which had not
yet foated any flag, habit which has
fallen into disuse because no discover
les are now made, there are no recog-
nized principles governing claim to
new-found territory.
Greenland an Island.
One Of these relates to the discovery
of lands which are continuation of
territory already under a certain SOW
ereignty. Thus if either Cook or Peary
had found lands extending the boun-
DIARIES of Greenland to the north, the
claim of Denmark to the new find
would be recognized. But by the voy-
ages and explorations of Captain
Amundsen, who circumnavigated it,
Greenland has already been proven to
be an island, so that the Danish claim
has no foundation.
The other basis of claim, and the
one upon which Canada relies appar-
emily, is the Hinterland, which is mere
ly clam to all territory back of
acknowledged possessions up to the
point where it meets another jurisdic-
ton. There are many cases of this
kind in Africa. But in the case of the
north pole in all of the Hinterlands +"
of the northern nations all meridians
converge. Therefore the north pole
is merely a boundary point between
the possessions of the nations, and like
the boundary point between two pieces
of property, belongs to no one.
Bounded by Frozen Ocean.
A further objection raised in some
quarters is that of the treaty between
Russia and the United States by which
this country purchased Alaska. 1t was
expressly stated that the cession was
bounded on the north by the "frozen
ocean" That prevents the United
States from claiming any "Hinter-
land" to Alaska.
On the other hand, Hannis Taylor,
recognized as an eminent lawyer and
jurist and who was formerly United
States minister TO Spain, holds that the
right of jurisdiction and ownership
go with the right of discovery in
the case of new-found lands He
claims that even if the north pole is
not situated upon land, but upon an
immovable ice field, the discoverer has
a right to claim il for his country.