The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-07-24

abrupt close of the London negotiations,
quotes from statement made to him by
United States Minister Phelps as follows:
Under the peculiar political circumstances
OF America at this moment" said Phelps,
with general election pending, IL would
De OF little use and indeed hardly practica-
pie to conduct any negotiations to its issue
before the election had taken place."
MISLEADING QUOTATION.
On the last of June Secretary Blaine ad-
dressed to the British Minister a very
lengthy answer TO Lord Salisbury's commu-
ncation, in which tile latter stated that
Secretary John Quincy Adams protested
against Russia's claim to exclusive jurs-
diction over Behring Sea. Secretary Blaine
says the quotation Lord Salisbury makes
is unfortunately most defective, erroneous
and misleading one. The conclusion is sep
arated from the premises, comma Is
turned into period, and an important
qualification as to the time is entirely
erased without even a suggestion that it
had ever formed a part of the text. and out
Of eighty-fOur words, logically and insep-
arably connected, thirty-iye are dropped
from Mr.. Adams paragraph in Lord Sails
bury's quotation.
PROHIBITION TREATIES.
The Secretary says further: Neither
by treaty with Russia OF 1926, nor by its re- .
newal in 1S45 nor by its second renewal in
1859 did Great Britain gain any right to
take seals in Behring Sea. In fact, those
treaties were prohibition upon her which
she steadily respected so long as Alaska
was Russian province. 1t is for Great
Britain now to show by what laws she
gained any rights in that sea after the
transfer of its sovereignty to the United
States. During all the time between the
treaty OF 1926 and the cession OF Alaska to
the United States in 1867 Great Britain
never affirmed the rights OF her subjects TO
capture fur seals In Behriug Sea, and as a
matter of fact her subjects did not, during
that long period. attempt to catch seals i'll
Behring Sea.
PERTINENT QUESTIONS.
81 am justified therefore in repeating the
questions which addressed to her Majesty's
Government on January 22d, and which
still remain unanswered, VIZ: whence did
the ships of Canada derive the right to do
in 1886 that which they had refralned from
doing for nearly ninety years2 Upon what
grounds did her MajeSty's Government de-
fend in the year 1886 her course of conduct
in Behripg Sea which had been carefully
avoided ever since the discovery OF that sea?
BY what reasoning did her Majesty's Gov
ernment conclude that An act may be cOnl-
mltted with impunity against the rights of
the United States which had never been az
tempted against the same rights when held
by the Russian Empire?"
A LENGTHY LETTER.
The thirtieth and last letter of the cor
reSpOndence, which would, IL printed en-
tire, fill over twenty newspaper columns,
was addressed by Mr.. Blaine to Sir Julian
Pauncefote from Bar Harbor last Saturday.
In 1t the Secretary says: Il am instructed
by the President to say that the United
States is willing to consider all the proceed
ings Of April TO- 1888 as Cancelled SO far as
American rights may be concerned. This
Government will ask Great Britain to ad-
here only to the agreement made between
Lord Salisbury and Mr.. Phelps on the 10Th
of February, 1888. That was an agreement
made directly between the two Governments
and did not include the rights of Russia.
Asking Lord Salisbury to adhere to the
agreement OF February 25th we leave the
agreement of April 10th to be maintained,
If maintained at all, by Russia, for whose
cause and for whose advantage it was par
tcularly designed"
AN INCORRECT STATEMENT.
Blaine also refers to Lord Salisbury's
statement that political event in the
United States had caused an interruption
Of the negotiations and not a Canadian OBJ
lection, and closes the yOlulninous corre-
spondence as follows:
II am justified in assuming that Lord
Salisbury cannot recur to the remark of Mr..
Phelps as one of the reasons for breaking
off the negotiations, because the negotia-
tiOns were In actual progress for more than
four months after the remark was made,
and Mr.. Phelps himself took large part in
them. Upon this recital OF facts am unable
W I6Chll VI III any way W Qudlll4 slo otato-
ment which made in my note of June 4th.
to the effect that Lord Salisbury abruptly
clused the negotiations because the Cana
dian Government objected, and that he as
signed no other reason whatever.
GRAVE INJUSTICE.
Lord Salisbury expresses the belief that
even if the view l have taken of these
transactions are accurate they would not
bear out the argument which found upon
them. The argument to which Lord Sails
bury refers is, presume. the remonsLrance
which L made by direction of the .PreSi-
dent against the change of policy by her
Maiesty's Government without notice and
against the wish of the United States. The
interposition of the wishes of the British
province against the conclusion of the con-
vention between the two nations which,
according to Mr.. Phelps. had been virtu-
ally agreed upon except as to Details was.
in the Presidents belief, grave injustice
to the Government OF the United States"