The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1889-08-15
THE BEHRING SEA.
Canada's Attitude Indefensible-
Questions Concerning the Settle
ment of the Difficulties.
England Interested With the United
States i'm Saving the Fisheries
From Destruction.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 9.-Whatever may be
thought Of the negligence OF the United
States and the indifference of Great Britain
in failing to settle the Behrtng sea dispute
before it reached an irritating stage, the at
titude OF Canada is indefensible. The do
miuion press and the dominion government
have figured from the beginning as the apol-
ogists and defenders of a crew of poachers
and pirates whose ravages threaten the
destruction of an industry the whole
commercial world is interested in main
tanning. The seal fisheries of Behring sea
are said to repleeent capitalized value Of
$25, 5,0OO,0 Such estimates are neces-
sarily vague, buG that The value of the fish,
cries is enormous goes without saying
Their preservation depends upon their pro-
lection from unlicensed taking of seal at i'm
proper seasons and in excessive quantities
Two or three years raYaging of the Alaska
fisheries by reckless and greedy sealers
would destroy them as completely as similar
fisheries. once equally productive, in other
parts of the world have been destroyed.
The United States would not be the only
nor even the chief sufferer by such catas-
trophe. The sealskins which are taken in
Alaska are marketed in London. where the
costly processes of dressing and dyeing
which give them their value are gone
through. There is probably more capital
invested in these than in the tisheries En-
glish industry would suffer more than Amer
lean by the extermination of the Alaska
seal. The British imperial government is
equally interested with our own in
saving the fisheries from destruction.
The dominion government assails the
national industries end vested interests of
both when 1t defends and excuses the depre-
cations of the poachers and pirates of lis
maritime provinces. True the British
Columbian sealers are not the only nor even
the chief offenders. Behring sea swarms
with American poaching Sealers. But our
revenue marine can take care OF them with
out embarrassing the state department. or
creating international complications 1t is
in the performance of the Imperative duty
OF protecting the interests of the whole COM
merc1al world from depredators of all ma
tions that the United States has been obliged,
In the absence of an international agreement.
to transcend somewhat strict diplomatic
limits and place itself in what may appear to
the uninstructed false position.
This duty has fallen to the United States
because there was no one else to perform it,
The United States has dealt with the seal
poachers because it was the nearest nation
among all those interested. 1t has done on
it's own responsibility what it should have
done by international warrant, in coniunc-
ton, perhaps, with other maritime naJlons-
policed Behring sea. 1t has played the part,
in international affairs, of the pubiic-spirited
citizen who takes the law into his own
hands and seizes midnight burglar in the
absence of policeman with warrant. This
| =. T t. l.
guaranty that no serious complication with
Great Britain will grow out of the seizure of
Canadian sealers. 1t will be noticed that the
belligerent outcry of the Canadian officials
| and newspapers has not evoked the smallest
echo from the English press. 1t is q case
where the sympathies as we'll as the interests
of the English are with the United States
rather than with their own colonists, though
national obligation prevents frank avowal
of their feeling.
The natural disinc,ination to offend Canada
has held the British government back from
rational settlement of the Behrlng sea dis
pute by international agreement The
United States, in Mr.. Bayard's time, was
timid and sluggish enough in urging negotia-
more than half responsible for leaving d
was ready ut one time to go into con
ference for an agreement, but de-
llberately drew back, at the instance
of the dominion government, IN order to
keep open controversy it was to the inter-
est of both nations to close to use it as a
makeweight in the entirely irrelevant and
unrelated Atlantic fisheries dispute. The
best possible way to startle the British gov
ernment out of this deliberate policy of mac
tion against its own larger interests was rig
idly to enforce the American law for the pro-
lection of the seal fisheries The discussion
of the claim for damages which will undoubt
edly be made for the seizure of British seal
ers Will certainly lead to a consideration OF
the merits of the main question. The
solicitude of Great Britain for the material
welfare of her own people will certainly force
| her in the end to deal with that question
from the point of view of imperial rather
than Canadian interests If the Behring sea
nnd Atlantic fisheries disputes can be settled
at the same time, SO much the better; but
the former will have to be settled after the
vigorous policy pursued this summer. 1tcan
only be settled by an international agree
ment in the interest of the whole CONNER
clal world, regardless of those of few Can
adian poachers, backed by the noisy clamol
Of petty group of colonies F. A CARL E