ts to this end
were signed at Washington, much to the President's satisfaction. All
trouble then ceased, and American commerce was resumed as before.

For many years there had been a dispute between the United States and
Canada, regarding a certain boundary line. This country claimed a long
strip of territory next to the sea, near the seaports of Dyea and
Skagway, and Canada claimed that this strip, about thirty miles in
width, belonged to her domain.

There had been endless disputes about the claim, and considerable local
trouble, especially during the rush to the Klondike after gold.

Many Americans contended that we had absolute right to the territory,
and when arbitration was spoken of, said we had nothing to arbitrate.
This was, in the main, President Roosevelt's view of the matter, yet, as
things grew more disturbed, he realized, as a good business man, that
something must be done. We did not wish to fight Canada and England for
the strip of land, and neither did they wish to fight, so at last a
Board of Arbitration was agreed upon, and the claims of both parties
were carefully investigated. In the end nearly every point claimed by
the United States was granted to us. It was a great satisfaction to have
this long-standing dispute settled; and how much better it was to do it
by arbitration than by going to war.

The regular session of Congress came to an end on March 4, 1903, but
President Roosevelt had already called an extra session, to consider a
bill for reciprocity in our dealing with the new government of Cuba and
to ratify a treaty with Colombia concerning the Panama Canal.

There was a great deal of debating at this session of Congress. The bill
concerning Cuba caused but little trouble, but many wanted the canal
placed in Nicaragua instead of Panama, and did not wish to pay the forty
millions of dollars asked for the work already accomplished by the old
French Canal Company. But in the end the bill passed the United States
Senate by a vote of seventy-three to five, with the proviso that should
we fail to make a satisfactory arrangement about the Panama Canal, then
the government should build the canal through Nicaragua. President
Roosevelt was enthusiastic over a canal at the isthmus, and lost no time
in arranging to push the work further.

The people of the far West were very anxious to meet the chief ruler of
our nation, and early in the year it was arranged that President
Roosevelt should leave Wa