San Antonio Daily Light

ALASKAN BOUNDARY MENDENHALL OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEY.
His Views of That Question Protest Against Surrendering Our Valuable Coast Rights to Great Britain—She Has the Best Harbor Now.

New York, Feb. 20.—President T. C. Mendenhall, of the Worcester, Mass., Polytechnic Institute, formerly head of the United States geological survey, delivered a lecture last night in Chickering Hall before the American Geographical society on "The Alaskan Boundary." In 1892 Mr. Mendenhall was a member of the commission that surveyed the line which this country contends divides its northern possessions from the Canadian Northwest territory. He said:

"We are exceedingly lax in accurately fixing our boundary, and in our disputes over them—naturally with England—on the whole we have lost.
The trouble has been lack of diplomatic training and the indifference of the people. In 1867 when we bought Alaska from Russia the same language was used in the treaty as in that between Great Britain and Russia in 1825 and it is ambiguous. The boundary of lower Alaska was to run from the summit of mountain ranges parallel with the coast, never more than 10 marine leagues, or about 35 statute miles from the coast. There is no range of parallel mountains, so the line must be located by leagues. Great Britain has contended that the coast means the coast of the islands. In that case, she would have all of the coast line. Lately she has given up that claim, but seeks to get a harbor, most probably Pyramid harbor. Then I personally believe she wishes to secure a naval base. Already she has in Esquimalt on Vancouver island, one of the strongest stations in the world far ahead of anything we have. Should she control Southeastern Alaska through another naval key, she would have chief command of the Pacific.

"Lately both nations have been too busy with more important immediate troubles, but within a few years the Alaskan boundary question will have to be settled. I hope the American people will not, from sentimental or any other reasons, surrender what is theirs by right, and what, until the presence of precious metals in the regions was discovered, they possessed without dispute. But if they submit it to arbitration they will again lose valuable territory. For they will have to contend against men of the highest diplomatic training, the most faithful devotion to duty that the world has yet known, and men, who when their nation's trade is at stake, are absolutely regardless of every principle of honesty, justice and international law."