The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1909-09-15
WHO IS OWNER OF The PoLE7


The NORTH Pole when ne can neither own
II, nor sell It. nor give It away?
And yet: that is precisely the situ3-
lion, no matter wat may be lntsr-
mined In the present depIoIable con;
troyersy hetner Cook or Peary saw
&c first.
One of the Interesting questions
S forts of these explorers is as to the
Jurisdiction wht..t may now hxtend
: to the Pole by right fidiscovc"v. Haze
they extended the possessions of the
United States. or nave theJ merely
added to tle hold:cgs OF E,clne ctnf r
nation2
Already two countries nave I:n; IN
their claims to whatever may have
been found at the top OF the world.
as part of Greenland. Canaia claims
as part of her northe-iy no6ses-
sfons. And American citizens faunI
IL Under these circumstances I'D
Peary have a right to offer the Pole
TO President Tai: as though it were
something he ownHd ord could give
to the American nation? 1t Is a Ilies-
tien which has. puzzled many eminent
geograph and statesmen.
light upon the subject is she'd by
a high Official OF the State rt>nartment,
according to whose argument no one
nation can claim special jurisdiction
there, hut the finding OF The Pole Is
az pift to the whole world.
There ere three ways by watch this
auestions of rights Ct discovery are set
Sied. One, which mas been recognized
for many years. applies 70 such mat.
ters as tho finding OF an iso:atel fslct
In the Pacific, for instance. &: surh
a case the discoyerer, by planting the
s flag of his country, and making formal
4 declaration, annexes the new land.
another way applies more partica-
laely to Arctic exploration. II r"w
Z lands are discovered AMI tlav prove
to be continuation Of, and part Of,
land already known, those new lands
seibelong to the same sovereignty that
owns the old Ianl. Thus IL Cooks
and Peary's ddscSv eries shomll nave
4 developed to be merely combinations
of Greenland, Denmark's cain would
be preeminent.
But this Is utterly d:sproved be-
cause it has been demonstrated that
Greenland is an Island. AInundsen, in
mis- explorations, proved this by cir
communicating it. Thus the Danish
claim falls to the ground.
The third way, which applies to the
Canadian contention. Is the claim of
nations to the Sutherland" which
stretches back from their acknowl-
edged possessions. There are several
Z 6amil:ar instances of this in Africa:
meets the acknowledged jurisdiction
of another power.
Brit in the case CT tie &orth Pole,
:, It Is situated at point w1ere all the
rneridfans converge and wnere all the
4hinterlands of all the northern ma
lions meet. For that reason no one
of them can set:up a cladtpto the.Pole
thout meeting the counter claims of
Others. Therefore, 1t is The worlds
possession and not that of any one
AS for the possession OF any islands
or lands which may have been discov-
cred by either Cook or Peary above
the STth parallel In their dashes to
the Pole, this same State Department
authority is of the opinion that they
i would be in the same category as
s ed over 200 years Ego, has never been
claimed by any civilized government
and is still a mo Mans l.6n6t"
tsBUt although, from tie argument
Of this learned authority. nctiher Cook
nor Peary can own, sell NOR give away
the North Pole. there are Profits that
come to such explorers in another way.
So5 long as the controversy exists az to
4 which got there first, and so long as
= the whole civilized worli is divided
+ into twot part isan camps. one believ-
S atlS In Cook and the ot:ter in Peary;
Inc two men are certain IN be in great
demand for their wFi tings and lectures.
Z II Isl calculated that both Of them will
ne E5rth At least a. hal II mil lion dollars
wttfifn the next year or t.AFo as a re.
suit pf their enterpr rise. That il the
i goEdcn reward to come to them for