Show THE CANADIAN QUESTION dispatches from ottawa Can canada adm state that the governor general transmitted on the dinst to the canadian senate a number of documents relating to reciprocity between the united states and canada they consist principally of correspondence between lord salisbury the british minister at washington lord 1 I 1 ford and lord stanley I 1 though this correspondence la in I 1 voluminous yet it shows that nothing nothings conclusive has been accomplished 4 at the present time however thel 1 publication and discussion AlL these documents w will III give a neW petus not only to the scheme of 4 reciprocity but to the question of annexation sir job john n Mac macdonaldd donalds personality will no longer calm the troubled waters his success I 1 or is already drifting on shoals and the aati onal conservative party of W n to is showing signs of demoralize d decay inauspicious as the situation is in I 1 eastern canada it is much worse in the west british columbia is raising such a storm of indignation over the recent accent bering sea agreement that ite wall will soon be heard even in distant albion petitions are being forwarded to the governor general asking him to protest against the agreement the pride of the patriotic columbians columbiana Columb ians has been sorely wounded bemuse because the imperial government of britain in its negotiations with the united states state did not consult them in il any way on the proceedings hitherto canada has virtually dictated to the british foreign office its policy in this bering sea am business what is called the modus vi vendi or simply the articles of agreement were signed toned on the lust by the official representatives of england and the united states both countries have jl toled edged tred themselves to prevent the killing of seals within the disputed territory until may next by that time it is hoped the question will be settled by arbitration mr blaine cherishes the utmost confidence in the justness of his claims or else he be would not enter into arbitration in the face of the fact the united states always got the worst in all its cases of arbitration his contention is that abat the mainland maidland of ef alaska with oil all the islands in bering sea constitute alaskan territory and hence to la american the oft islands are in the centre of the bering gg the seals migrate annually hom the mainland to 10 these to landfa during the migration the canadians lie in wait and capture the seals they claim that all is open sea boa outside of a three mile limit from land but it appears that neither 19 england nor america ever recognized this three mile limit in 1815 england prohibited ships from approaching st helena at a twenty mile limit she ignored the three mile limit absolutely and it 19 is only very recently that the united states supreme court decided that chesapeake bay was american territory regardless of the three mile limit so that both nations are on as all ignoring that traditional limit built there was a time when the pope of borne settled these marine territorial disputes he divided the south atlantic between spain and portugal denmark owned all the seas between ireland and norway england owned all the waters around the british Is tends and declared war against the dutch batch for not loot saluting the british flag it in the english channel the pope will not be consulted in the matter but the question will be submitted to an arbitration board composed of men versed in marine jurisprudence and in international law the deliberations and decision of this board will form a very valuable addition to the jurisprudence of international economics it is the first time perhaps in history that the issue has come up in its present clear cut and defined form and its treatment will be watched with interest by all the nations of the civilized world |