The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1919-10-02

at least are not unlawful will be one
OF the problems that will arise to
rerplex the peace conference which
will hand down a decision on the late
unpleasantness This land Is Spit
bergen, and acts which are punish
able by death or Imprisonment else
where In the world are not unlawful
there because there is not law.
For Spitzbergen is in the truest
sense of the word a mo mans land
ncs metaphorically so a was the dead
" strip between the front-line trench
es in France, but literally what Robert
Lansing, secretary of state, described
as terra nullius, mo mans land" an
international freak.
This curiosity among the nations Of
an isolated corner of the remote seas,
but an island. for rather group Of
islands, of vast extent, embracing
10000 square miles. Spitzbergen is 400
miles north of Norway, and is about as
desolabel a place as can be found on
the earth's surface. In the few sunny
days of midsummer little grass APP
pears in the sheltered hooks, but for
the greater part of the year the arctic
winter reigns supreme.
1t would seem that peace confer
ence that has to settle the myriad
questions growing out of the world
to this group of ice-covered islands
in the Arctic ocean, but when the Dip
omats embark upon the question Of
their disposition they will have set sail
law, for the problem of Spitzbergen is
without precedent and without parallel
in the history of the world
Germany's Attempt.
Germany, before she went out of the
bushes of apportioning the world to
suit herself sought to steal a march
on the rest of the nations by insert
ting a clause in the now defunct Brest-
Litovsk treaty dividing the control of
Spitzbergen between Germany and
Russia; other words, giving it to Ger
many. When this clause came to light
there was great Indignation in Eng
land over this act of German presump-
ton. For until the signing Of the
Brest Litovsk treaty neither Germany
nor Russit had ever put forth any
claim to Spitbergen. Neither had
England. for that mater, nor any other
nation. over Spitbergen's bleak vast
es no flag has ever waved
The remarkable history of Spitzber-
gen began when the islands were dis
covered in 1896 by William Barents,
the Dutch explorer. The islands were
covered with snow and ice and no ma
ton considered it worth while to lay
claim to such worthless territory. So
while visited occasionally by whalers
they have remained ownerless thru
four centuries while the powers of the
earth have been scrambling for colon
les in fairer lands But If Spitzbergen
Is so worthless as to remain unclaimed
thru 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 list? The
answer is that it has been found that
nesting under Spit2bergen's thick
blanket of snow and ice, are great de-
posits of coal, iron, pure gypsum. mar
Bile and oil-bearing rock.
Coal Mines.
An American company began the
development of coal mines in Spitzber-
gen about 1900. Other countries hast
ened to follow suit Then the curious
fact presented itself that Spitzbergen,
belonging to no nation, and being with
out government of any kind, there
was no such thing as private right of
property there. Conditions as to own
ership of property in Spitzbergen We're
just the same as they were in Europe
in the stone age, when every man took
what he could from his weaker neigh
Dor.
Why, it probably will be asked, did
not some nation raise it's flag there
and proclaim its sovereignty as is done
when on uncharted island is discov-
cred or as Columbus claimed America
in the name of Spain? Because, again
quoting Secretary Lansing. the nations
had so long acquiesced in the assump-
ton that Spitzbergen was terra nulius
that none of them had the hardihood
II make claim of individual ownership.
1t was after Secretary Lansing made
that statement that Germany had an
excess of hardihood and drew up the
Crest Litovsk treaty. After Germanys
action became known. England hur-
ried ship to Spitzbergen and rails
ed the English flag there. England
announces, however, that she took
this action merely to offset the claim
of Germany and that the disposition
OF Spitzbergen will have to be made
at the peace conference.
But, 'reverting to pre-war oondi-
tons, If capital was to be invested in
Spitzbergen, capitalists must have
Sc me assurances of protection. AS
matters stood, any man who was
strong enough physically could take
anything of value he found in Spitz-
bergen. and there was no law in the