The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-08-03

that Great Britain might settle part of its debt to the United States by ceding to this country corridor for this purpose. MT. Reynolds appar- ently would leave adjustment of the details of cession to the United Kingdom and Canada; within the frame of the British Commonwealth of Nations the Dominion holds sov- ereignty over the territory, and the British Parliament, even though 1t wished, could not legally confer such a corridor on the United States. In previous discussions of this scheme the highway has been treated as a scenic route and a pos- sible means of developing the land through which 1t would pass. MT. Reynolds adds to this the thought that in war between the United States and an Asiatic Power Alaska would be of supreme strategic im- portance to us, adding that under these circumstances "a good mili- tary highway from the United States (to Alaska) would be of the utmost value"
 That MT. ReynoldS's advocacy of cession of Canadian territory to the United States should come up at this time is interesting in view of the fact that on June 2 petition was presented in the Canadian Parliament asking the Dominion to begin diplomatic negotiations for annexation to Quebec of about five square miles of Maine. The argu- ment in favor of this project was that dense forests fifty to seventy five miles in width separate the land from Maine settlements, that the village of Escourt, in Temiscouata county, Quebec, straddles the inter- national boundary and that the conveniences of its people would be served by the change in sovereignty. The petition was rejected on the ground that 1t was not in proper form. It was reported on July 18 that United States custom officials had seized eight COWS owned by former Mayor Richard of Escourt, but this was promptly denied by the United States of1icers, who said they had dealt Iith no trespassing Can- adian cattle for year or more. The international boundary is that es- tablished in 1842, after war had seemed likely, by the Webster Ash burton treaty after negotiations in which Great Britain and the United States were both in the embarrass- ing position of suppressing maps which contradicted their conten- tions.
 The western boundary of Canada has also been the subject of dispute. It was set up in 1925 after three years of negotiation between Count Nesselrode and M. de Poletica act ing for Russia and Sir Charles Ba- got and Lord Stratford de Radcliffe acting for England, and gave to Russia an unbroken strip of coast from Mount Saint Elias to Portland Canal. The Russian title was trans- ferred to the United States through purchase in 1867. Although the Hud- sons Bay Company desired Pacific ports, the matter attracted little at tention until the discovery of gold in the Klondike district in 1896. Fol- lowing this the British advanced the contention that instead of follow. ing the sinuosities of the coast at a distance of thirty miles inland the line should parallel the coast of the Pacific. Had this interpretation pre- vailed important ports and districts would have passed to Canada. An international commission was cre- ated to decide the facts. Except on two points the contentious of the United States were upheld; Lord Alverstone, the Chief Justice of England, the British member of the commission, voted with the three United States Commissioners to up- hold the United States claims. The other members of the commission, both Canadians, withheld their votes.
 Perhaps MT. Reynolds can find room for an all-Unlted States high way on that strip of land follow ing the sinuosities of the coast for a highway to Alaska. If he does, and vacation makers use the road, they should eat Nesselrode puddings on their trip, for the Count Nessel- rode who retained the land for Rus sia and thus for this country was the creator of that delicacy.