Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-05-08
THE SEAL DISPUTE.
Another Series of Questions
Proposed by Blaine.
sALIsBURY's PROPOSALS REJECTED,


of the United states-A Complement to
the Claims for Danages-The Mare
Ciausum Claim Entirely Repudiated-
Few More Facts as to Row John Bull
Claims Jurisdiction A Distinction
That His Lordship Fails TO Recognize.
WASHINGTON CITY. May s-Secterary
Blaine last evening made public his latest
communication on the Behring sea mat
ter. 1t is addressed to Sir Julian Paunce-
fote, the British minister, and reads as
follows:
"SIR; The notifications which Lord
Salisbury suggests in the questions for
arbitration do not wholly meet the view
OF the president, but the president
| changes the text of the third and fifth in
such manner, it is hoped, as will result in
an agreement between the two govern
| ments. While Lord Salisbury suggests a
| different mode of procedure from that en-
| bodied in the sixth question the president
does not understand him actually to OBJ.
| ject to the question, and he therefore as
sumes that it is agreed to. The six ques-
tions as Low proposed by the president
are as follows:
First. What exclusive jurisdiction in
the sea now known as the Behring sea,
aud what exclusive rights in the seal fish
cries therein, did Russia assert and exer-
else prior and up TO the time of the ces-
sion or Alaska to the United States
second How far were these claims Of
! jur isdiction as to the seal fisheries recog-
nized and conceded by Great Britain?
Third Was the body of water now
known as the Behriug sea included in the
phrase Pacific ocean as use 1 in the treaty
OF 1875 between Great Britain and Russia;
and what rights, if any, in the Behring
by Russia after SAID treaty?
Fourth. Did not all the rights of Rus
STA as to jurisdiction and as to the seal
fisheries in Behring sea, east of the water
| boundary described in the treaty between
| the United States and Russia of March 80
1861, pass unimpaired to the United States
under that treaty?
Fifth. Has the United States any right
and if SO, what right OF protection oil
property in the fur seals frequenting the
islands of the United States in Behrinc
sea when such seals are found outside the
ordinary three-mile lmit2
sixth. If the discrimination of the
| foregoing questions shall leave the sub
jet in such position that the concurrence
o: Great Britain IS necessary in prescrib
ing regulations for the killing of the fur
seal in any part of the waters of Behring
sea, then it shall be further determined:
First-How far, if at all, outside the or
binary territorial limits it is necessary
that the United States should exercise an
exclusive jurisdiction in order to protect
the seal FOR the time living upon the isl
ands OF the United States and feeding
tkerefrom: SecoEd-Whether q closed
season during which the killing of seal:
in the waters OF Behring sea outside the
ordinary territorial limits shall be pro
hibited) is necessary to save the seal fish
ing industry, so valuable and important
to mankind. from deterioration or de
structions And, il SO. third-What
months, or parts os months, should be in
cluded in such season and over wh At wa
tiers it should extend?
The Question of Damages.
, "The president does not object to thu
additional question respecting alleged
damages to English ships, proposed b!
Lord Salisbury, if one condition can bt
added, namely: That after the issues o
the arbitration are joined, if the United
] States shall prevail, all the seals taken by
Canadian vessels during the period shall
J be paid for at the ordinary price fol
which skins are sold. This seems to the
president to be the complement of Lore
Salisbury's proposition, and he doubt:
: not that it will secure his lordship's as
; sent.
BehrinS sea Not Mare CIausum.
ain the first par agraph OF Lord Sails
bury's dispatch Of February q be make
the following declarations: 1t is nov
+, quite clear that the advisers of the presi
dent do not claim Behring sea as mar,
clausum, and, indeed, that they repudi
ate that contention in express terms.
Lord Salisbury's expression Is put in sucl
: terms as to imply whether he so intend
7 ed l know not that the United States haC
l hitherto been resting its contention upor
the fact that the Behring sea was mare
clausum. If that was his intention i
2 would have been we'll for his lordship t.
specify wherein the United States eve
made the assertion. The emphatic de
NAL in my dispatch of Dec. II last was in
tended TO put an end to the iteration o
the charge, and to eliminate it from til,
! current discussion"
: THE CONTROVERSY CONTINUED.
l The Secretary Cites Some More British
Law on Limits of Jurisdiction.
After referring to claim of Lord Sail
bury that he had not noticed his lordship'
citation of certain protests made in Is2
by the British government TO Russia, an,
showing that he did notice them, and il
his opinion proved that they had nothing
to do with the present controversy, Score
ttry Blaine says: in Lord Salisbury
Judgment the contention of the Unitet