Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-06-09
THE NORTHEAST BOUNDARY.

| ~ WIN many tNoAs Va oAPAcaA"Sy 50 tN-S
early history OF the nation to bring about
the so-called Ashburton treaty OF 1912,
settling the northeastern boundary dis
pute, which reached climax because of
numbering operations on the disputed
borderland between Maine and New
Brunswick, and, after another long lapse,
| a commission is now at work to determine
the rights of the people Of both countries
in transporting lumber through the st.
John river waters.
The northeastern boundry dispute cost
several hundred thousand dollars; was
the subject of messages and papers OF
Presidents Washington, Adams, Monroe,
jackson and Van Buren,; engrossed the
attention of King George Ill and the king
of Netherlands, who in 1s2S, acted as arbit-
rator; caused the bloodless Aroostook war,
for which Congress gave President Van
Buren, an extra credit Of $4,000, 900 and
authority to call out $1,000 militia for six
months, and for which the State OF Maine
voted $500, 900 to defend her claims.
The present dispute arises partly over
the Pike law, discussed in the tariff con-
ferences at the present Congress, which
provides that manufactured lumber, cut
in the Maine woods and driven down the
st. John river to points in New Bruins
wick and there sawed in mills owned and
operated by Americans, may come into
the United States free of duty.
When the Pike law was enacted the
river was the only means of transporta-
ton. Now there are railroads over which
Maine lumber operators ship to market,
business rivalry has arisen between
manufactures in New Brunswick and in
Maine, and the former declare the manu-
facturers on the Maine borderiand inter-
fere, by means of sorting booms and piers
in the river, with the free passage of logs
down the st John river.
The trou bles eliminated in 1905, when
Levi Pond, in charge Of the st. John river
drive, dynamited the booms OF the Van
Buren, Lumber Co., declaring that they
DISTRACTED his drive, and the Americans
armed a posse and trouble of q serious
nature was threatened.
The present commission has begun TAX
ing evidence while the drives are in the
river, and has within the past month in
spected the booms along the disputed
territory.
P. C. Kee9sn, OF Van Buren,, and George
A. Murchie, OF Calais, are the American
commissioners, and o. F. Fellows, counsel.
A. p. Barnhill, K. c. and John Keefe, OF
st. John, represent England, and II. A.
McKeown, OF st. John, and W. P. Jones,
OF Woodstock, are counsel for the Canad-
ian commission.
The crux OF the present contention is, in
a large measure, the legal Interpretation,
together with question of fact, involved
in article OF the so-calied Ashburton
treaty, negotiated nearly seventy years
ago, relating to the navigation OF the st.
John river. The article in part is as fol-
lows:
4 Provided that the navigation on the ST.
Joha river, where it is decided to be the
Boundary. shall be free and open to both par
ties; that all the produce of the forest in logs.
Lumber, timber, boards. slaves. ETC.. or OF
/ agriculture, not being manufactured, grown
on any Of those parts of the State Of Maine,
wateied by the st. John river or by its tribu-
taries, of which fact reasonable evidence, IL
required. be produced. shall have free access
into and through said river and its tribu-
taries having sources within the State of
Maine, to and from the aport at the mouth
of the st John, and to and around said falls in
the river, either by boats, RATS or other con-
veyapce; that when within said province of
New Brunswick the said produce shall be
dealt with as II it were the produce of said
province; that in like manner the inhabitants
Ct the upper st. Jo hn territory determined by
this treaty to belong to England shall have
flee access to and through the river for their
produce in those parts aese he river runs
wholly through Maine; providing always that
this agreement shall give no right to either
party to interfere with any regulations not in
consistent with the terms OF this treaty which
the governments respectively of Maine or of
New brunswick may make respecting The
navigation Ct ssid river when both banks
thereof shall belong to the same party.
For many years after the signing of the
treaty of Paris in 1882, Great Britain con-
tended that the Schoooiac was the true st.
Croix river mentioned In the treaty as the
boundary, and the United States main
tanned that the Magagusdavic was meant,
the differences teriitorily involving some
5000 square miles. After the Paris treaty,
Nova Scotia, holding the Schoodiac as the
river boundary, made grants forming the
settlement OF st. Andrews, and Massachu-
setts appointed as commissioners to settle
the question OF the true river Gems. Lin
coin and Knox, who reported that in their
opinion the Magaguadavie was the river
intended, as being nearer to the st. John
river