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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
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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 '
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