The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-08-01
THE BEHRINa SEA INCIDENT.

THE BEHhlNd SEA lkClDENT.
The news from Behring sea is inter-
esting. A British sealer has been capt
ured by the United States revenue
cutter in those waters, her cargo of
seal-skins confscated, her papers seized,
and the schooner sent into port in charge
of an American officer. The capture
was not effected until the COM
mander of the revenue cutter had Or
dered her ports lowered and guns run
out, showing that he meant business.
The captain of the sealer is reported as
saying that when in Victoria he had
been ordered to pay no attention to the
United States cutter, and that he would
not have surrendered if her force had
not been superior to his own. The affair
has all the elements of an international
incident, and will doubtless be the sub
ject of diplomatic correspondence. The
captain of the revenue cutter either has
strict orders or else he exercised large
discretion, for, after boarding the
sealer and demanding her pa
pers-which were refused-he broke
open the captains chest and
took possession of the papers. 1t is
hardly probable that he would have
taken all these steps, even to boarding
the British vessel, Selling her papers and
sending her to Sitka in charge of an Off
Ger unless his instructions authorized
him to do so. Further information shows
that the cutter had started in pursuit of
other British sealers, and no doubt other
| captures have been made under circum-
stances quite as exciting as those mar
rated.
These captures will bring the Behring
sea question to the front at once. The
British government will probably ask for
an explanation; our government will
define its position and assert its claim, q
diplomatic correspondence will follow.
perhaps maritime conference, and the
whole question of boundary lines and
national rights in Behring sea will be
definitely settled. The turning point of
the whole business is the protection of
the seal fisheries, and the fact that the
British government is quite as much in
terested and as anxious to accomplish
this as the United States will doubtless
contribute to friendly settlement of
the matter. Two years ago, when there
| was talk of maritime conference on
the subject, Minister Phelps wrote to
our Secretary of State, "Lord Salisbury
assents to your proposition to establish
by mutual arrangement between the
| governments interested close time for
fur seals between April 10 and No
vember /. He will also join the United
States government In any preventive
measures it may be thought best to
adopt by orders issued to the naval YES
sells in that region of the respective gov
ernments." The conference was not
held and no understanding was reached.
The recent proclamation of the Presi-
dent and the orders to the revenue cut
ter include the prohibition from seal
fishing in certain waters of American as
| well as British vessels. 1t is simply a
question of enforcing American law in
those waters in regard to the killing of
fur seals. The whole business of seal
fishing in certain parts of the sea is
prohibited by act of Congress, and it is
this law which the revenue cutter is sent
there to enforce. Incidentally, it raises
the question of the right of the United
States to exercise jurisdiction over the
waters, and this involves the question of
| closed sea.
The present seizure is made under pre-
cisely the same circumstances as those
which characterized the seizure, in the
same waters, of several British schoon-
ers in 1886 and 1887. La that case the
vessels were taken to Sitka, tried and
condemned, the masters fined and i'm
prisoned, and the seal-skins cOnfscated.
The owners appealed to the British gov
eminent, which made demand for their
release, and presented claim of about
$4,000 for damages. By order of Pres
ident Cleveland, the Attorney general,
in January, 1887, sent q dispatch to the
authorities in Alaska ordering the un-
conditional release of the imprisoned
men, and the surrender of the vessels
and other property. This was complete
surrender of the claim and rights of the
United States in those cases. Itremains
to be seen what the outcome will be in
the present case.