The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-04-27
THE SEAL GROUNDS
Canada Claims Rights in
Behring Sea.
A Dx.ArE IN PARLIAMENT
The Dominion win Retarn Amer
isa's Defanisers In Fntnre-
Religious Intolerance.

CrTasA. Aprll SIN the House Of Com.
mons to-day Prier brought np the question
OF the alleged Illegal seizure of British
vessels ID Rehziug sss. He said the Uaited
States, England and Russia siguet. a treaty
n lsei, in which Russia abandoned her
claims 10 exeiu i've jurisdiction in Reh.
ring sea- He referred 60 the seizure al
three ships from Victoria In Rehrsng sea In
iss5 By American cruisers. The greater
portion of the catch canfscstsd al the
same time was caught long before the nj.
isged American waters were reached No
settlement bad been arrived at for those
slzrres. nor had say compensation been
offered 10 the owners. who had been rs,.
ined- The smount Of the original claims
reached $isss 03a Eight other vessels lsssre
seized in the following year.
He referred 20 har1sAsps experienced by
British seanen on these vessels, who, after
being landed AZ Alaska, were Obliged "a
return home in pennies ecnaissan'
Three OF the vessels to-day lay rotiirg On
the beach OF Alaska He knew the Do
minion government had asked England 70
secure a settlement. aud he wanted infor-
nation as 10 the DELAY in bringing inter
national negotiations to Il close III sny
blame exisssi be wanted 70 know where ii
rested he confrasted the delay in settling
the behriug sea affair with the haste shown
by the united States in the Samoan nfyair,
He confenced that a majority of thc
Americans on the Pacific coast were op-
posed to the monopoly enjoyed BY the
commercial Company in Alaska Nothing,
he contended, could Justify the seizure Of
British vessels, in many instances many
hundreds of miles from land. He referred
20 the issue OF q proclamation by President
Harrison, and said il was violation of in.
tsrnationai rights. Blaine he regarded as
/ A. seF 49, -
simply proposed TO enrich the Alaska
Commercial Company. The monopoly, he
said, had its agents and lobbyists az Wash.
ington.
He urged the government to ask the i'm
perial anthori les TO send a British war
vessel - Behrlng sea He felt certain that
even II little ganhoat put its nose near
the Alutian islands we would hear of no
further seizures.
Davies, Liberal. agreed with Prior as o
the importance OF the matter. The delay,
he said, simply showed that Canada couid
never secure summary justice until she
had an agent at Washington. Ii English
and American relations we're unfriendly,
no reason existed why Canada should
suffer. The present unsatisfactory state of
affairs would continue until Canada hau
the right 10 make her own treaties. Davies
then turned attention 70 the alleged indig
mites committed by an American cruiser
in Behring sea, and to show that the
Americans had no jurisdiction outside of
their marine limit.
Sir John Macdonald replied He said
be would not deal with the question of es-
tablishing commercial agency at Wash
.ngtop- Parliament had already decided
the question. The United States, he con-
unued, Claimed exclusive jurisdiction In
Behring sea- In American seas Canadian
vessels had suffered equally from the az
gressiye monopoly. The question was not
local one. Il was enc that affected all
maritime nations, which he felt certain
would resist the iniqaitous attempt OF the
United States TO claim Behring sea. Eng
land was pressing for settlement
Sir Julian Pauncefute, he felt
sure, as British minister TO Washington,
would do all in his power TO bring the mat
ter TO termination. England has indorsed
Canadas claims. and recently admitted
that the American contentious were un-
founded. III the United States insists upon
ITS pretenslons, grave complications would
arise What the results would be he dared
not say. nor did lie dare TO think OF the re-
suit Canada had resisted her wrongs She
would continue to resist them, and CON-
pensation was inevitable. The Marquis OF
Lansdowne, ex governor general of Can
ada, took warm personal interest in the
question, and when he went to England
ne took with him statement from the
Dominion government. The speaker said
he felt that sir Julian pauncefote was
equal TO the occasion.
sir Richard Cartwright took occasion to
show what he considered the necessity for
Canada TO demand the establishment Of
an agency at Washington, as Canada
alone as unable 10 settle her grievances,
I, owing 10 the interminable delays in the
foreign ONCE. He declared that the
claims of the United States were absurd.
Welden said the American claim was
that Behring sea was closed sea. and
blamed the government for delays in pres
sing for settlement
Sir John Thompson, minister of Justice,
| followed. He denied the truth OF the as
| sertions that Canada could appeal from
| the judgment of Alaska courts.