The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-13
But It Is Believed Canada Will EndeavOr to
Induce the Home Government to Demand
the Release of the Captured Sealers.
clustering Language of Mr.. Foster, the
Canadian Minister of Fisheries.
New York and Texas Laws Found to Contain
the Features to Which Mr.. Bayard Objects
in Mexican Statutes-Capital Notes.
THE CANADIAN sEALERs.
Story that Carries Its Own Contradiction
The Real Question at Issue.

Story that Carries Its Own Contradiction
The Real Question at Issue.
WASHINGTON, Sept 1.-THE dispatch from
Ottawa, Ont, stating that Canada has made q
demand through the British minister at Wash
ington for the instant and unconditional release
of Canada sealing vessels captured by the United
States revenue cutter Corwin, in Alaskan waters,
| carries its own contradiction on its face. The
Canadian government does not treat directly
with the United States, nor has it any authority
to use the British minister here as its diplomatic
agent The Canadian government, powerful as
it assumes itself to be in the waters of the Do
minion, is colonial dependency of Great
Britain. If it has any complaint to make of the
United States with respect to the action of the
revenue cutter Corwin in Alaskan waters, its
only course will be to make this cause of COM
plant known to the British Foreign Office,
which can alone communicate with the United
States on the subject. The British minister in
Washington can receive no instructions except
from London Moreover, our State Department
has received no demand or other communication
on this subject from Great Britain through Min
ister West or any other source, up to the present
time. 1t is believed to be the purpose of the
Canadian authorities to induce the British gov
ernment 20 make such demand, and should
such demand be made our government will un-
doubtedly be prepared to meet it. The State
Department has no information as to the facts Of
the capture of any Canadian sailing vessels in
Alaskan waters except such as every American
citizen has read in the newspapers. The United
States Treasury Department controls the revenue
cutters and does not make any report to the
State Department as to their action. In fact in
matters which partake to some extent of an in
ternational character, but which are strictly in
their end for revenue. the Treasury rather re-
sents any interference from the State Depart
ment, and Is not likely to furnish the State
Department with any report of the opera
tions of the revenue cutter Corwin unless
the State Department specifically calls
for it. The newspaper clippings which have
been received at the State Department show
| that the Canadians are by no means agreed that
Russia bad not full power to csde to the United
States jurisdictioa over their efeat inland
Behring Some of the Canadian edi tors,
whose opinions have been received here, concur
with the United States that the jurisdiction of
our government is supreme in those waters, and
there can be no question that the power of Rus
STA to grant the islands was absolute. whatever
contention there may be as to the itself. The
two pertinent facts which supposed to be
prominent in the complaint of the Canadian gov
ernment are that one of these sailing vessels was
captured siXty-one miles from land and the
other 156 miles from land. The whole point of
the Canadian claim, of course is that Russia
had no right which can be recognized by inter-
national law to cede to the United States juIis-
diction over so large body of navigable water
which is only in part land-locked. Judge Porter,
Assistant Secretary of State, TO whom all such
matters referred, stated tonight that the
State Department had received no complaint
from Great Britain, and official information
that complaint would be made, but he did not
doubt that representations would eventually be
made to the United States by the British gov
ernment on this subject, and that would proba-
bly, be the introduction to long diplomatic cor.
respondence