The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1918-12-23
Problem Of Spitzenbergen Knotty
Affair." for the Peace Conference

Washington, Dec. i6.- Especially -
a land where highway robbery, MUIR
der and other high crimes and mis-
demeanors are perfectly legal, or at
least are not unlawful, will furnish
one OF the problems that will arise
to perplex the peace conference.
This land in Spitzbergen, and acts
which are punishable by death or
imprisonment elsewhere in the world
are not unlawful there because there
is no law
For Spitzbergen is in the truest
sense of the word a no mans land"
not metaphorically so as was the
deadly strip between the 1ront-line
trenches in France, but literally
what Robert Lansing, secretary of
state designed as terra nuIlius, a
no mans land" an international
freak.
This curiosity among the nations
OF the earth is not some tiny islet
in an isolated corner OF the remote
seas, but an island, or rather group
of islands, of vast extent. embrac-
ing $4,000 square miles. Spitzberg-
en- is 400 miles north OF Norway, and
is about as desoIute a place as can
be found on the earth's surface. In
the few sunny days of midsummer
a little grass appears in the shelter
ed hooks, but for the greater part OF
the year the Arctic winter reigns
supreme
1t would seem that a peace confer
ence that has to settle the myriad
questions growing out of the world
war would devote precious little
time to this group OF ice-covered
islands in the Arctic ocean, but
: rzr14n o4e ar-yy 1YYn
the question OF their disposition they
viii have set sail on an unchar!ted
sea OF International law. for the
problem of Spitzbergen is without
precedent and without parallel in the
history OF the world.
Attempt TO Steal Spitzbergen.
Germany, before she went out of
the business of apportioning the
world to suit herself, sought to steal
a march on the rest of the nations
by inserting a clause in the new de-
9unct Brest-Litovsk treaty dividing
the control of Spitzbergen between
Germany and Russia; In other words,
giving it to Germany. When this
clause came to light there was great
indignation In England over this act
Of German presumption. For, until
the signing OF the Brest- -Litovslk
treaty neither Germany nor Russia
had ever put forth any
claim to Spitzbergen. Neither had
England, for that matter, nor any
other nation. Over SpitZbergen's
bleak wastes no flag has ever waved.
The remarkable history Of Spitz-
bergen began when the islands were
discovered In 1896 by William Bar
ents, the Dutch explorer. The islands
were covered with snow and ice and
"a n
to lay claim to such worthless terri
tory. So, while visited occasionally
by whalers, they have remained
Dwnerless, through four centuries
while the powers of the earth have
been scrambling for colonies In fairer
lands. But If Spitzbergen is so
worthless as to remain unclaimed
through all the Intervening centuries
since Barents entered its harbor,
why should the peace conference
with its manifold troubles be called
upon to add this remote one to its
iist? The answer is that 1t has been
found that, nesting under Spitzber-
gems thick blanket OF snow and ice,
are great deposits Of coal, iron, pure
gypsum, marble. and oil-bearing
rock.
An American company began the |
development Of coal mines in Spttz-
bergen about 1900 Other countries
E1astened to follow suit. Then the
curious fact presented itself that
Spitzbergen. belonging to no nation,
and being without government of
any kind, there was no such thing as
private right OF property there. Con-
ditions as to ownership of property
in Spitzbergen. were just the same
as they were in Europe in the Stone
Age, when every man took what he |
could from his weaker neighbor.