The Cordova daily times., 1920-03-24
TN 1896 two Dutchmen, Parents
 and Heemskirk, discovered Spitz.

TN 1896 two DutChmen, BarentS
 and Heemskirk, discovered Spitz-
 bergen, and were immediately
 followed by British explorers. A British seaman-POole-was one of These, and he was the first man to find coal in Spitzbergen, in 1904. Two notable British explorers were Foth- erby 1ld Baftin, who sailed to SpitZ- bergen on hehalf of the well-known company of London merchants known as the MuscOvy company. Carrying with them royal warrant they au- thOritatively and definitely annexed Spitzbergen in 1914 to the British crown in the name of King James for his heirs and successors. So it is certainly British yet by right of sue cession, whatever the successive heads of the British government have been or will be. since the reign of James VI of Scotland and I of Great Britain, writes Dr. William s. Bruce in Sphere.
 In 1914 Britain consented to sit at conference table, convened by other powers, at Christiania, to discuss in what way the government of SpitZber- gen should be organized, because of its increasing commercial develop ment by enterpr1sing miners and hunt CTS of various nationalities-British and foreign. There had been an ear Her conference at which Russia Nor way and Sweden only had sat, and at which, l understand, Britain had re- V fused to consent to sit, or at all events definitely did not sit and did not rec hgnize it as internationally authori tative. But in 1914-the tercentenary of Fotherby and Baffin's British annex ation-the British government, which had the ancient right and title to Spitzbergen as heirs and successors of King James, took up the very gener Ous attitude of insisting, if a British government delegate was to sit, that every power represented there must first acknowledge that SpitZbergen was Terra Nullius, or No Mans Land, thus not forcing British rights for ward, but also refusing to admit the right of any other power present to have any right or title whatever. This conference was sitting in Christiania in July, 1914. Besides Britain, the United States, Germany, Russia France, Holland, Norway. Sweden and Denmark sent delegates, but when the war broke out the different delegates returned to their respective countries and the conference was dissolved with ~out result, and Spitzbergen is, and re- mains, a Terra Nullius This is quite definite in spite of other unauthentic the press.
 Who Shall Rule the IsIand7
 What will next happen it is impos- sible to say, even by one who, like my self, has been very intimately asso- ciated with Spitzbergen for almost quarter of a century. But certain things must happen regarding some of the powers which were represented at the conference in 1914. CD Germany must not be allowed in future to take any part whatever in the organiza tion of Spitzbergen in spite of her forced bargain with Russia at the Brest-Litovsk treaty. CD Russia is surely not able to take a fully respOn- sible position now with her disorgan- ized government. (3) The United States has not the same interests, be- cause her citizens have since sold their estates to Norwegians; Holland has only early historical interests, France and Denmark have no special economic interests, and Britain, Norway and 7 Sweden remain the three specially in- terested parties.
 k Which of these three countries is able to look justly after the rights of it's own subjects, as well as those of the other two nationalities who have interests? Personally, for many strong reasons, I most emphatically empha- size that the British government should be asked by the world powers . at the peace conference to exercise it's rights not only as heir to the Brit ish rights and titles as defined and de- clared by Fotherby and Baffin in 1914, but also for the protection of subjects of other nations who have some, but not exclusive, rights there.
 Spitzbergen will soon be recognized