New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-04-04
trousers-legs, and how many ROSTERS there
are in his hat.
4 FIR SEAL COMMISSIONER.

A FUR SEAL COMMISSIONER.
Congress il asked, for the ninety ninth time,
IN investigate Alaska. Probably no spot on
this terrestrial globe has been so much inves-
tigated, reported upon, and specially comms-
stoned as Alaska and its seal Islands Inc
archives of the War, Treasury, ana Interior
Departments are redolent OF seal oil ana pei
tries. The number of gallons OF oil, hundreds
of seal-skins, acres of granite, tons OF ice, and
families of Aleuts which may be extracted
from our wonderful purchase, have been cal
culated. divided, and sub-divided by army
officers, Treasury agents, ana lndlan
bureaucrats from the earliest time to the pres
eDt. The number of special agents VINO nave
gone to Alaska to investigate that unhappy
country is beyond all calculation. The books
written on that inexhaustibe subject would
fill the entire Congressional Library. Printed
at the public expense they have burdened the
mails for these many years past anu nave
gladdened the hearts of the paper-makers'
The VOLTS long howl from Oonaaska's shore,
erewhile in everybody's mouth. Is not worn so
threadbare as the climate, resources. and pro-
auctions of the fairy land of the great Russian
purchase. The diligent reader OF Congressional
reports may be said to know more OF the hao-
its of the fur seal than he does of the
woes and wants of his next-door neighDor.
Yet it is proposed to send out Special Com
missioner of Fur Seals " with salary OF elgnt
dollars per day and actual travelling ex-
"pensesr Is not this carrying national joke
to fur country7
AS we have limited, innumerabc special COM
missioners have made excursions to that
much investigated country, from whose bourne
every traveller returns with great celerity
They bring back no bananas nor pine
apples with which TO hquidate the national
debt But there is some horrible fascina-
ton about the place; they all want to go
again. Hence these continual iDvestiga-
tions. During the debate in the House,
on Thursday, Mr.. Beck gave information
calculated to harrow the souls of men opposed
TO a Special Commissioner at SIS per day and
actual travelling expenses. During his recent
visit among the etfete monarchies of Europe
| Mr.. Beck counted the sea-skins sold in Lon
| don He believed there were 100000 OF them /;
| the law allows but 100000 seals to be Killed
annually. Therefore, we should have Com
! missioner from the army. Then it came out
| in the reply of Mr.. Dawes that this bill was
intended for the benefit Of "a young man
"who had been @ year and half on
" these islands" Why didn't he stay
therea Why should this young man
persist in coming back and asking
Mr.. Dawes to ask Congress to send him out
as Special Fur Seal Commissioner Doubtless,
as the honorable gentleman from Massachu-
sets observes, this young man could bring
back more information concerning Alaska
than any other living young man. But do we
want it Mr.. Dawes believes that there is no
cheating going ON if there were, it is the
business of the Special Agent already In the
field to find it out and report it. We have
heard all about the tropical productions and
delicious climate. the amphibious animals
and the semi-pagan Aleuts; why should we
hear more of the manners and morals of the
sportive warus and the elusive sealf Enough ;
the world is surfeited'w with knowledge of the
| Alaska seal islands. 1t repels another dose as
if it were the odoriferous blubber or the I'M
fragrant pelt. In the language of the worldly,
| Give us q rest.