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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 1903)
itJ&iii'il&fiffi rZmMw&wrmmS&q wry "w1" 6 The Commoner VOLUME 3, NUMBER 5. THE RATIFICATION BY THE SENATE OF tho Alaskan boundary treaty docs not ncces surily mean that tho dlsputo has boon submitted to arbitration. On tho contrary, the representa tives of tho administration havo taken pains to Bay that "arbitration" Is not intended by this troaty. Tho treaty provides for a joint commis sion to bo composed of threo men chosen by tho United States and threo by Great Britain. Tho Issuob aro to bo subm't ted to this commission and unloss at least one member representing tho United States or one member representing Great Britain shall yield tho claims mado by his gov ernment, thon no result will be obtained. Because there Is no seventh member empowered to cost tho deciding voto, and perhaps on the theory that tho threo mombors representing tho United States will not yield, tho representatives of tho administration claim that they are correct in their contention that tho question affecting tho Alaskan boundary has not been submitted to arbitration. If It bo well understood in tho beginning that, ir respective of tho showing to bo mado before tho commission, neither side to tho controversy will yield then It is fair to say that tho treaty docs not. provide for arbitration. And yet if one of tho representatives for Great Britain should. In tho, presonco of tho showing mado on behalf of tho' United States, yield tho claims made by his government, tho dlsputo would undoubtedly bo disposed of. AT THIS TIME THE ALASKAN BOUNDARY Is practically defined by tho agreement made between Secretary Hay and Lord Paunoefbto, October 20, 1899. That agreement is known aa tho modus vlvendi and it. will bo remembered that during tho presidential campaign of 1900 it was frequently referred to. Tho modus Vi vendi involved at least a temporary surrender of; territory that had all along been claimed and con coded to tho United States. Tho purport of that agreemont was well doscribed by tho New York Sun In its issuo of August G, 1900. Tho Sun at that timo ontcrod vigorous protest against tho modus Vivendi and said that it yielded the boun dary lino that "has remained just whore it is on all government maps of our possession ever sinco Alaska bcoamo a territory of the United States in 1867." According to tho Sun, prior to 18G7 tho lino had remained whoro It was prior to tho modus vivondi and remained undisturbed for forty-two years on British maps marking tho limits of Russian possessions In North America; and precisely tho same boundary lino appears on British maps Including oven so recent an atlas as that which tho London Times published in 1897. THE AGREEMENT ENTERED INTO BE tween Secretary Hay and Lord Pauncefoto was bitterly condemned by this Now York paper. Tho Sun said: "Wo confess our utter inability to understand tho curious plea put forth by the state department that, while tho United States sur rendered not a single inch of territory by this provisional lino, Great Britain surrenders nine-teon-twontleths of tho land in dlsputo, and that tho modus Vivendi is, accordingly, another di plomatic victory for Secrotary Hay. It Is vory much as If Great Britain, in bohalf of Canada, should suddenly demand a readjustment of tho Malno boundary on tho northeast, claiming all of Now England and part of Now York up to tho lino of the Hudson river and Lake Champlain; and if Mr. Hay should agree to a provisional boundary lino at tho Penobscot river and along Its east branch to tho Schoodic lakes, and should then an nounce his readiness to receivo congratulations on having induced Groat Britain to surrender nine-teen-twonticths of tho land in dispute, at tho samo time removing tho source of irritation in tho re lations of tho two countries. That master stroke ?n?Si?a? WttU1.(! b0 llUely t0 recoivo clos at tention in tho United States senate." T N THE DISCUSSION OF THIS QUESTION BE J. fore the commission appointed by the Alas kan boundary treaty, tho modus vivondi cannot properly bo accepted in evidence. Great injus ?Z d0nVh0 United Statea if tho dispino bSr 20 eid8SonST ? !in ,f th0 "ASroonieiit of Oc ! S?I ttu ,. Tho boundary line as claimed by tho United States is tho boundary line as it wS described in the treaty In which Russia coded Alaska to tho United States and it is significant that tho description used in that treaty is identi cal with tho description of tho boundary lino agreed upon between Russia and Great Britain 'in tho treaty mado between those governments in February, 1825. As a matter of fact in tho treaty in which Russia ceded Alaska it is ex pressly stated that the line of demarkation fixed is described in words identical with tho descrip tion contained in articles 3 and 4 of tho treaty between Russia and Great Britain in 1825. GREAT BRITAIN HAS LONG COVETED A portion of this territory. In 1824" Russia was in possession. Tho question was then raised by tho British ministry and after a series of di plomatic negotiations the dispute was settled by tho treaty of 1825. In 1867 Russia ceded Alaska to tho United States. Since tho treaty between Russia and Great Britain in 1825 the British min istry had raised no claim to this territory and it made no protest when Russia ceded the same to tho United States in 1867. Indeed tho official maps of Great Britain and particularly the chart of tho northwestern coast of this country as pre pared by the British admiralty concedes the claim as to tho Alaskan boundary made by the United States. But when gold was discovered in the Klondike, the British ministry suddenly found new interest in this boundary line. Even the Now York Tribune, pro-English as it is, admits that not until the discovery of gold in the Klondike did the British ministry advance a claim to this territory. Jn tho light of these facts, it is not 'at all surprising that American statesmen very gen erally object to any proceeding that might lead to a surrender of territory to which tho United States appears to be entitled. A SNARE DRUM THAT WAS TAKEN FROM the British at Bunker Hill was recently pre sented to the G. A. R. at New Bedford, Mass., by Israel Smith. This drum has beqn in tho posses sion of Mr. Smith's family for many years. Its original owner was Levi Smith and the historic character of tho instrument appears to bo well au thenticated. THE ISLE OF PINES, TERRITORY CLAIMED by the Cubans and territory which will probably be claimed by the United States, Id at tracting some attention. In the famous Piatt amendment in which amendment conditions were set out after compliance with which the Cubans wore to bo permitted to establish Iheir own gov ernment, it was expressly stated that tho question affecting the title to the Isle of Pines should bo left to future adjustment by treaty. A writer in 5Il?1!LJ?plnion' roferrinS to this territory, says that though the Isle of Pines has been put po litically beyond the limits of Cuba's constitution and is geologically dissociate it is yet historically, and even physically, closely attached to tho larger island. It is as a pendant hung from the fair throat of Cuba. There is a little band of railroad running from Havana, on the north shore, to Ba tabano, on the south, and then a string of almost continuous keys, from Batabano to the emerald Kinna,lYf Dasu PI Th0 appropriateness of tho Blmjlo is increased by the island's resemblance at Ani mTi? ei &$ 3ewel blazinS the sun. And it is seldom out of the proud ssight of tho Ri;r "? mQ of PinaY del Rio al ?i f i de Ca?,allos a always visible if the day be fair and tho atmosphere clear." nnHERE ARE 3,200 PEOPLE IN THE ISLE OF A p, i, ??' m of whom arG wttite- According cLPbiC 0pinl01l mst of the People camo from Spain by way of Cuba. At one timo tho island was knoWn as the Isle of Pirates because it was ZZ ,? ndez7us of political offenders who S4?S de n r,banishmt and for criminals m servitude. It is, however, no longer a piratical resort or penal colony, but is quite a cSnfortaSo home for those who have been born in i and a delightful hosplco for those who may be tramline that way. It Is pointed out that one-third of the population of the Islo of Pines live in th0 villago of Neuva Gerona. Another third live in th vn lago of Santa Fo, twelve miles away. Tho re- maining portion of tho population aro scattered through the habitable parts of the island which without Cienaga (swamp) have an area of but little loss than that of Rhode Island. So outsido of tho villages there Is an average of but one per- son to tho square mile or one family to every five square miles. SINCE THE SPANISH WAR A NUMBER OF Americans havo taken up their abode in the Isle of Pines and these are earnestly advocating its annexation to the United States. Of these people Public Opinion says: "They have already pre empted a good portion of the forest land and productive plain and have begun the planting of oranges, bananas, and pineapples, in anticipa- . tion of the day when their lumber and fruit may be shipped without duty to our ports. They urge that it is the only tropical territory within the American system not only climatically adapted but unreservedly open to American colonization, the native population bearing so trifling a pro portion to tho sustaining capacity of the island, and that tho moral effect of a thoroughly Anglo Saxon colony in tne midst of the West Indies would be most wholesome. But the congressional reason for putting its title in commission was its supposed strategic value. It can easily be made impregnable, and it lies not far from the Yu catan channel, and so along one of the paths to and from Panama and Nicaragua." ONE BUILDING IN JERSEY CITY, N. X, AT tracts considerable attention because of the fact that it is the home of 3,000 corporations. The building is eight stories in height and of course could not accommodate all of its legal tenants if they were persons rather than corporations. A large number of these corporations' are repre sented by a single person. , 9 8? A HINT AS TO THE MYSTERIES OF THE construction of a dam is provided by Les lie's Monthly in an interesting description of a dam across the Hudson river at Glenn's Falls In this way: "To say that 150,000 barrels of cement were used in making the concrete in which the SSfSni?!?8 of eranite were laid, to state that 400,000 tons of this same granite were built into the wall; that 30,000 trees were cut for the wood work;' that 1,500 men labored for three years to complete this narrow barrier stretching across the river, represents only a series of .ungraspable ideas. The cable ways used to transport buck- !S ? 2?ment ,and blocks of Btone were the larg est in the world the biggest 2,400 feet in length la rfV'40 fe& or fuIly two mile of wire cinm if m, gisa?Hc, aerial road- Tho finished dam-it will probably bo completed early next Ste111,,1 o1!00 feet log' eiBi?e of tte wate n7Vfthe canal built to condt the wfll be lK?ewbln?Whee1-, The ereatest height win be 154 feet, with a width alone the ton of onns fs1?LiTh?re arVne or Tlo suci?on dm so miehtf i largerrin l. out none that Dar so mighty and powerful a river. The nower developed will be 50,000 horsepower at times." SO ft N?vVhPLpnGcHURCJ'1 BENEFIT HAS RECENT- Setv Sf T i?dUCed the members of the aidso eggsy la d t tundav de,d,cat8 to chuSh all of the society Tho ,he?f 0Wned by enbers from SeMemW ? d?dicaUon covered a period is to tL formJnfnUary 15- ThG taiSey- on Thuwday cyeniS of n?B,80ClaI t0 be hild ber of eggs laid on InmEf" Wf e,Jf whn.n thG nfr- the sale of aG Samo wmband the proceeds fr Mr. Cooper recenUyXckerS ThS ISft festival and social in n!u, modern chu$ch Young LuttoiSi0 nl. D, an. .artIcle Panted iSftho cation plan Is attracting muchTtentlon.T N ttfe- WAHERE among the nonulaHnn "u,muer of Chinamen for Leslie's th.,? A wrlt there are about 100 one nui a estimated that . l loo'O0() Chinamen in the United A I A ;'. - P ;