New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-07-24
THE BEHRING SEA DISPUTE.
AMERICAN RIGHTS UPHELD.
CORRESPONDENCE ON THE SUBJECT SENT
TO CONGRESS-.
SECRETARY BLAINE's DIGNIFIED AND REsoLUTE
MAINTENANCE OF THE AMERICAN POSI-
TIoN-LORD SALISBURY IN A BAD
LIGHT-A BRITISH THREAT
CALMLY IGNORED.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO TIE TRIDUyE.r

fashion of the sensationmongers who. for the last
few weeks. have been engaged in retailing war
rumOrs. The first note-that of the Secretary of
State to the President, transmitting the somewhat
vouminous correspondence in the case-says
under date Of July 10, that negotiations are still
pending glance at the remaining notes and
documents explains easily enough the delay in their
transmission to the House. OF rupture, or Of
serious complications of threats to resort to means
other than those known to diplomacy, of war,
there is not the aintest trace. Even the slightly
pompous protest filed in formal manner by
Sir Julian Pauncefote on June ii of this year,
will scarcely be regarded as anything but an un-
dignfed blum" By those who will take the
trouble to pcruse the entire correspondence, and
who can appreciate the stress under which Lord
Salisbury must have conducted his part of the
negotiations in order to satisfy the demands of a
none-too-loyal Province of the British Empire,
lying in tempting proximity to the United States
The most important notes in this correspondence
are those written by Mr.. Blaine under date of
Janddry 90, 1890, and of June 80 last. The
former of these contains an able and exhaustive
presentation of the principles upon which the
claims OF the United States are based. The latter
Is a rcluatlOn OF the arguments employed BY Lord
Salisbury to meet Mr. Blaines contentious An
tcdating the January note there will be found
few more or less formal communications
exchanged between Mr. EdHardcs, the First Secre
tary of the British Legation in Washington, and
Mr.. Blame, pending the arr;al in this country
OF Sir Julian. The interval between the note
of January %, 1890. and that of June 30 last
is marked 10y the exchange OF a series OF notes
only secondary IL importance to the two already
referred to, and tie formal protest handed in by
Sir Julian June II, against seizures OF Ca
madam vessels by revenue cutters, in which
document the United States is /" held responsible
for the consequences Following the note Of
June 30 there is but one other from the hands of
Mr. Blaine, dated July IS. but it is q complete
overthrow of the defcnces reared with more in
gcniousncss than candor by Lord, Salisbury in
order TO maintain u weak and tottering position.
4 PREMIER IN \ BAD WAY.
After reading Mr.. Blaines last note in
voluntarily regrets that Lord Salisburys reply is
not vet at hand-if it were for other reason
than that of seeing what he may resort to ncAt
after having been convicted of misstating facts. of
earbling extracts and of suppresslng important
passagcs in official documents III order TO supply
| ARGUMENTS in defence of a handful OF miserable
poachers.
The American case, already stated, is forcibly
and with much lucidity set forth by Mr.. Blaine
in his note Of January p. 1t practically opens
the negotiations carried on By the present Admin
istration for the settlement of the Bchring Sea
dispute after similar efforts on the part OF the
Administration OF Mr.. Cleveland had mlscarrled.
Mr. Blaine bases the claim Of the United States 10
uudi,urbed enjoyment Of the seal fisheries, not on
| tie ground that Behring Sea Is " mare cIausum
lthongh that it Is not such IS by no means al
mittcdI but because the determination of the seal
speclcs. as natural result Of permitting theSe
animal, to he killed IN the sea, would be contra
bonos mores7 and in utter disregard ot lh'erh1-
tonal comfy. Reviewing briefly tHe hlS'orIc'l
feature, Of the case. he points out that until
l-S6. when Canadian vessels began TO enter
Hebtnc Sea for the purpose of killing seal no one
Thought of disputng the American rights WHICH,
boscd upon mutual treaties between Russia Urcat
Britain and the United States were theh ol
oycr sixty Years standing. 1t was only III leoo
that the British Government suddenly discovered
49,, tia claims of the United States were con-
,r,. In international law and international usage
ur EIainr SETS forth arguments that Will pc
,,,,rd printed fully further on. 1t is enough To
.,,. bere that Ae tcrScly sums up the BRUSH
! .id, of the question when he uses the following
,rords toward the end of his note one s'ep
hoyorJ Tint which Her MaIestys Government
h,. t,len in this contention, and piracy hnds us
justification. ,,r;r
In his reply to Nh Blaine, under date ol APrlA
"a Sir JuIiau Paunceiote utterly avoids meet
inc the point made by Mr.. Blaine with reference
to the pearl fisheries of Ceylon. which are SiV"-
ated outside of the jurisdiction OF marine league
from shore. but which. nevertheless are yam
lcosod by the British Government 10 'lle hH''''
| bilder Equally unwilling are Sir JuIlah ana
Tord Salisbury to meet Mr.. BaineS inquiry rs
- how ENGLAND would regard the ac-
tion Of American fishermen who might
| r tho Banks OF Newfoundland, Deglh slaughter
inc fish by means of dynamite explosions whcu Is
! ouite as destructive method as Ic6druS HSh
as is the killing with spears and firearms VI
.c,Is i'm the open sea, and III each lhs'ahec WIN
| ro.uIt in the determination OF the species po''
| ,bcse ponts the representatives ol the bti'iSn
| Government brush aside with wave ol tne HHlio
| :, nara. in fact they boldly declare that they
have nothing to do with the cast iiS'o""' Oh
I,,i, ,rtf,Iv proposcs as the basis OF trlpartte
,,rcement betwcen Russia, Great BRIAN ana 'l'c
rtri,ed States close season, to extend over May
I, oct,her November and December, during
,,ticb perod no vessels to approach the seaI
.Ia,.Is within ten nules. lie accompanies TINS
,rons,I with the draft Of treaty, proNldlhs lor
iyod commission of eXperts-the laNOrle oe-
; or i,noIsh diplomats when they desHe 10
,bro,v dust into other peoples eyes-the coHiihl'-
sion 10 report within two yeaIs' regulations io'
tbc protection of seal life to be adop'eu LII ''''
meantime.
LORD sALIsBURYs CHANGE OF bASi.
This proposition was reJecteu OS vi. D 'i1,a NJ
May 30. In note to Sir Juliah Vi 'hHV "'.
ploine shows conclusiyely that up 10 1893 '''eic
ao,,od M difficulty at all in the way oil reaching
-a,ieroctorv conclusion Of the controversy.
II, bofore that time Lord Salisbury had made
himself the proposition looking to the establish
.. 90 = clos, season lasting five and one-halt
nontbs but. unlike the proposition made TINS
reor. such season included the months OF July,
Ing1st and september; in other words it included
thc months in which poachinS can be carried on
win VIII profit. More than this, in l8ss' Lord Sails
bury that dSgF e to approach the
c1 scaI Glands within 500 miles. The proposal OF
Sou INIT Al miles. w hat