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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 1903)
BBWPPWpHWw'i "HfrpWUBMW 4 WfVmwmT3Hf!!!- ' VHf ' wj in? ntw-r ir OCTOBER 30, 1903. ' ' eouthern terminus, to Motmt St. Ellas, the north ern end of the 'panhandle,' the boundary to fol low the configuration of the coast, and not to be drawn from headland to headland. About 20,700 square mile Qf territory instead of c small "frac tion of that urea. Continued- control of the many Important ' bays and inlets throughout rthe 600 miles of coast from Mount at. Ellas tor Portland canal. Much valuable -mineral land; and-the fish eries, along thecoast. Supremacy in tie Northern Pacific ocean." AN INTERESTING RESUME OP THE ALAS ltan commission's verdict is presented by the London correspondent for tHe Chicago Record Herald. This correspondent points out that the Alaskan boundary commission has recognized American ownership of the entire Alaska "pan J handle" which at various times since 18G7 has caused serious friction between the United States and Canada. Assuming that the commission's judgment will be affirmed by the two governments, and there seems to be no question on this point, this verdict means that Great Britain admits the right of the United States to about 20,00 square miles of territory instead of the small fraction thereof, together with continued control of many important bays and inlets through the GOO miles of sea coast. It means, also American supremacy in the Northern Pacific and -American possession of much valuable mineral land that Canada has for years claimed. . tr ac, THE PORTLAND CANAL, AS IS POINTED out by this London correspondent, is at the southermost end of this strip of territory and the American boundary line Is merely shifted from the southern to the northern side of the channel. A Canadian factory and a small settlement of Canadians is at Its head and the American com missioners seeing that Lord Alverstone was dis posed to grant tne justice of their contentions on every other point, agreed to allow Canada to have the Portland canal. During the discussions be fore the commission, it was pointed out by the American counsel that the" British claims as re cently presented were hot seriously, made until late in the '70's "when gold .-was discovered in the disputed territory.. In fact, as is pointed out by the Record-Herald's correspondent, most of the evidence against Canada was from the utter ances' of prominent Canadians and Englishmen. It was shown that from the time of the Anglo Bussian treaty of 1825 until long after Alaska's transfer to the United States in 1807, official Canada- did not contest the boundary lines laid down by Russia and in truth recognized the American claim. THE DISPUTE BETWEEN THE UNITED States and Great Britain concerning the Alaskan boundary has existed for many years. As is pointed out by the Washington correspondent for the Chicago Record-Herald, the main question was whether the boundary ran across the numer ous inlets and arms of the sea in the territory, or whether it ran round them. Canada contended that the line cut across the inlets, leaving the United States nothing but a waste tract of rocky, isolated promontories. The controversy centered on Canada's effort to acquire an oujlet to the sea, the assertion being that the Russo-British treaty of 1825 fixed the boundary line in her favor. Canada also said all inlets less than six miles wide in the disputed territory belonged to her. The Portland canal, or channel, is important to Canada chiefly because it grants that country 'the desired exit to the sea. It is at the southermost end of the "panhandle," where there is a factory and a Canadian settlement The boundary line is simply moved across the channel. At its mouth it is divided into two channels by Pearse island, which is a tiny piece of land of no particular value. The eastern channel has all along been conceded to. Canada, which now merely obtains the undisputed possession of the other water way or western channel,. THAT THE" BOUNDARY LINE AS ESTAB lished in the treaty of 1825 gave Russia control of the canal by recognizing her sovereignty over a strip of land which included the territory surrounding and behind the canal for some miles was the contention of the United States. It there fore, held that when Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867, the title reverted in full to the United States. England contended that by nego tiations with Russia between the. years 1825 and 1835, the sovereignty held by Russia was Inval idated, but the question was never given serious consideration until 1896, after the discovery of goid in the Klondike. The 'United States is con ceded control, of- the Lynn canal, possession of The Commoner. . which was chiefly desired by England becauso of the rich raining towns of Dyea, the port of ontry; Skagway, Whito Pass and Lake Bennett, situated along its banks and within easy access of the sea. It is in and about this section that tho rich gold deposits are located and by their indisputable ac quisition tliis 'country has gained an important victory. Strong opposition was made to tho claim of tho United States for this long and valuable strip of territory, on whlch Canada has for tho last seven years cast envious eyes and which En gland desired aljpve all else. IN JANUARY, 1903, REPRESENTATIVES OP tho two governments entered intd an agree ment whereby the question with respect to tho Alaskan, boundary should be submitted to arbitra tion. The points at issue wero to be decided by the majority report. Senators Lodge and Turner, Secretary of vVar Root, and Messrs. John W. Foster, J. M. Dickinson and Daniel L. Watson wcro chosen to represent tho United States. Lord Al verstone, Sir Louis A. Jette, Allen B. Aylesworth, and Clifford Sifton, Sir Robert Finlay and Chris topher Robinson were chosen to represent Canada. Tho representatives of the United States pointed out that for more than fift." years England had not contested tho interpretation proclaimed by both Russia and the United States that the boun dary of the Alaskan "panhandle" cut off Canada from access to the sea "about tho point of 44 de grees, 40 minutes." It was further pointed out that it was not until .1898 that England claimed that the right interpretation of the treaty gave Canada tho upper .portion of virtually all tho fords between Portland canal and Mount St. Ellas. AT ONE TIME THE DIFFERENCES BE tween the two governments with respect to the Alaskan boundary reached an acute stage. It will bo remembered that serious trouble between tho inhabitants of the disputed territory was with great difficulty averted. At one time mo United States was required to send troops to Dyea and Skagway and Canada assigned mounted police to both places. Finally in 1900 a modus vivendi was agreed to whereby a temporary boundary was de scribed. It seems to be taken, for granted that a distinguished member of tho British commission having agreed to tho claims set forth by tho United States government, there will bo little or no difficulty as to the proposition that both gov ernments confirm the verdict. ST J THE AUTOMOBILE SEEMS TO BE ESTAB lishlng a record for man-killing. A writer in the Kansas City Journal shows ihat for the year enaing August 30-, 19u3, automobiles have killed as many persons in England in a week as the railioads did in a year. It is pointed out that the accidents enumerated in England and Wales during the period mentioned were 3,991, the persons injured being i,991 and the deaths 411. The figures show an average of 70.75 acci dents per week, with 57.52 persons injured and 7.9 killed every week. During the last twelve months the total number of passengers and rail way officials killed by . accidents to passenger trains on British railways was eight, the injured being 224. ST tf N IMPORTANT DECISION WAS DELIVERED by the New York court of appeals on Octo ber 13. The case was entitled "The People vs. Plerson." The Albany correspondent for the Phil adelphia Public Ledger says: "Pierson lives at White Plains, and early In 1901 was sentenced to 500 days' imprisonment or fined $500 tor criminal neglect in failing to provide a licensed physician to attend, his blxteen-months-old adopted daugh ter in a case of bronchial pneumonia, which af terward proved fatal. Plerson and his wife be long to the 'Christian Catholic church,' of which John Alexander Dowie is the 'general overseer and a cardinal principle of their faith is the avoid ance, of drugs. The conviction was secured under the penal code, which holds that 'a person who omits without lawful excus to perform a duty by law imposed upon him, to furnish food, cloth ing, shelter or medical attendance to a minor', la guilty,' etc." IN THE CASE OF THE PEOPLE VS. PIERSON, Justice Bartlett, who wrote- the prevailing opinion in the appellate division, held that the "medical attendance" referred to in the statue did not mean exclusively the attendance of a medical practitioner in the general sense of the term, and in the appellate division the conviction was re versed. But Judge Haight, writing the prevailing opinion for the New York ourt of appeals,, said: "It would seem that the legislative intent ia rea- A '7 sonably clear, aitfbraglr possibly more rrccise Ian guago could hays tax, employed. Tho section of tho code under which tho indictment was found contemplates thit then hro persona upon whom tho law casta a daty of caring for minors. Wo are aware that there aro p-joplo who believe that the dlvino powor may bo Invoked to heal tho sick, and that faith Is all that la required. Thoro nro oth ers who bollovo that the Creator has supplied the earth, nature's storehouse, with everything that man may want for his support and maintenance, Including tho restoration and preservation of his health, and that ho is left to work out his own salvation undor fixed natural laws. There are still others who bollovo that Christianity and scl enco go hand In hand, both proceeding from tho Creator; tnat science is but tho agent of tho Al mighty, through which Ho accomplishes results, and that both science and dlvino power may be invoked together to restore dsoasod and suffering humanity. But, tlttlng as a court of law for the purpose of construing and determining the mean ing of-TBtatutos, wo have nothing to do with va riances in religious belief, and havo no power to detcrralno which Is correct. Wo placo no Hmlta- tlons upon the. power of the mind over tho body, tho powor of faith to dlspol Iseaso, or tho power of tho Supreme Being to heal tho sick. Wo merely declare tho law as given us by tho legisla ture. We find no error on tho part of the trial court that called for a reversal." GENERAL FUNSTON,IN COMMAND OF THE department of tho Columbia, In his nnnual report mado public recently at tho war depart ment, says something that will be of (onBldorablo interest to enlisted men. General Fitnaton says: "To got and keep a good class of men there must bo a radical Increase In tho pay of tho rank and file. There is no disguising tho fact that re cruits are obtained with difficulty, and that most of them aro not satisfactory. Few men rc-enllat, while the number of desertions and dishonorable discharges Is phenomenal. Tho government can not get something for nothing. Tho pay of tho enlisted men of tho nrmy Is ridiculously small. Tho wonder Is, not that so few men enlist and that so small a percentage of them re-enlist after three years, but that wo obtain and keep so many really good men as we do. In many parts of tho United States Ignorant, unskilled laborers, work ing by the day, are able to save abovo their board and clothing twice tho amount received by n private soldier on his second enlistment, arid yet only a small -percentage of theso men could pass tho test In a rcciuitlng office. If tho pay of a private on his first enlistment were mado to approach that of a farm laborer, I am. of the opinion that there would be a sufficient number of enlistments of a very superior class young men from the farms, who are usually of good phy sique and have a common school education, and are not so much addicted to Intemperate habits as men recruited in the cities." tr IT HAS BECOME APPARENT THROUGHOUT England that the English race is losing In physical vigor and this state of affairs has led the government to appoint a commission to In quire Into tho matter. The clerk of the privy council is the chairman of this commission and he. is to bo assisted by the former head of the array gymnastic school, tho inspector of reforma tories, the chief of the navy recruiting service, statisticians and others. The London correspon dent of the New York Herald, under date of Lon don, September 5, says: "The appointment of the commission was the outcome of a debate in the house of lords, July 16, during which Lord Mcath and the BiBhop of Ripon drew attention to the terrible conditions prevailing among the poorer classes. The Duke of Devonshire, lord president of the council, then admitted that Great Britain's military and industrial outlook wis seriously threatened and promised an Inquiry into the mat ter. The subject was also brought up in the house of commons by Sir William R. Anson, par liamentary secretary to the board of education, who declared 60,000 children now attending Lon don schools were "physically unfit for instruction. The director general of the army medical service reports that one man in every three offered as recruits had to be rejected. The appointment of the commission is hailed with approval. The Daily Chronicle says: 'If .t e people as a whole are deteriorating; we must change our ways or give up the national struggle as a mistake. The creation and preservation of a fine stock of man kind Is the first, perhaps the only, reason for national existence, and If the mass of the people .are going downhill in physique we may be quit sure it is going downhill in character and intel lect as well ' 1 H J tt