The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-21
Steve Elkins' Seals Let Loose In
a Herdio and Caught
Again.
Dilcmm ma In Which Blaine Found Him
self-Eikins Temporarily En- Con-
somme, as Diplomats Say.

iANAS DSoSAA W.
son and Blaine, md d. o. Mills
father-in-law of Whitelsw Reid
and bosom friend Of Harrison
and Blaine, might now be about to knock
in the head of every male seal on St
George and st. Paul, old and young, good
and bad, necessary or unnecessary-lf
(there's much virtue in that IT'D if a mar
had not talked in q street car about some
thing else than the weather.
The man was n of several agents Ell
kins and his company keep here to iniu-
ence senators, representatives and othel
public men and get misinformation into
the newspapers. This particular agent
was telling an intimate friend the
week the president left. as they
rolled along in a big Hsrdic coach up Fiji
teenth street, how Elkins had come from
New York just before the president left and
bulldozed or honey-fugled Blaine and Har-
rlson into giving directions to Secretary
Foster that the North American commercial
company should be allowed to clean out
everything in the way Of a male seal there
was in sight on the seal islands this sum-
mer.
'Then they can nave their closed season,
and be id to Them" he added %gleefully,
winding up with a general conRratulation
all around over the fact that the eloquent
and effective Elkins had been taken into
"our company" last fall. Now, elated
though he was, this fellow was not taking
the world into his confidence Intentionally.
He was only talking in a street We
hicle, which kept up, as WAS sup
POSED. a continuous monotonous rum
Ila lo,1 annruh to drown aVGrC
word he said. He forgot that in every such
rumble there are periodical pauses like the
rests in music, during which conversation,
especially of such an enthusiastic, not to
say excited. kind is distinctly audible to
sharp ears anywhere within the three-foot
limit. Now it SO happened that there was
in that vehicle a young diplomat, with
sharp ears, who is on the visiting list of the
British legation.
He caught just enough of the converse
ton to get the fact that Elkins had gotten
permission to raid the seals this season,
but he realized that this would be intensely
interesting and impo' tant news to Sir Jul
ian Pauncefote. and it was not many hours
before Sir Julian had it in his possession.
Naturally enough, he did not believe it.
For over six months. ever since he received
the startling reports of the disappearance
of the seals from Agents Elliott, Golf. Law
ender, Nettleton and Murray: with the
~ RtoSAP AAS sANA's
Secretary Blaine has been ostensib!y
anxious to stop the seal killing, SEND a
Joint English and American commission
to the islands to see what the actual con-
dition of the seals was, and If 1t was as
stated to secure a close season of six or
to repopulate the vacant rookeries. For
several weeks, at least, Sir Julian has
been saying to him that the British
government desired just what he. pro
posed to devise. To be sure, pending the
discussion of the abstract questions to be
submitted to arbitration, the practical
propositions had not been formulated in
writing. But the verbal understanding
was, Of course, just as binding on honor
able men. However, inquiry by friends al
the treasury department satisfied the Brit
ish minister that his informant had given
him accurate. information. As soon af
he had gotten over his surprise and dis
appointment he cabled Lord Salisbury
and then sat down and formally drew up il
writing the proposition to stop seal killing
this season on land and sea, and to send
joint commission to the islands to investi
gate the seals. He sent 1t at once to Score
tary Blaine. and followed it up in a few
days with a cablegram from Lord Sails
:. bury reiteratina the proposition, which, b.
Lord Salisbury'a direction, he presented il
pc SOC. BY this time Blaine. seeinI
that he was cornered in al
ugly dilemma, was angry. and be
haved toward the cablegram very much a
tional red rag. He seemed to take it almos
: as a personal a%ffront, and showed no dis
a position Whatever to accept 1t in the ami
cable spirit in which it was rendered.
He talked vigorously, not to say violently
. about other things which were to be cor
y sidered besides these seals. There were th
u natives on the islands. Should they be CT
e off from their only means of livelihoo
!. and left to a lingering decline an
Death? Was not one human life il
~fnitely more important than the lives o
a thousand seals? Then there was til
g empty treasury of the United States (h
N had not read the reassuring Leech- Foste
= Statements, the United States treasur
10 reduced to it's silver halves and quartz.
~ and dimes. Did it not need the revenu
III to be derived from seal killing? Did
not have use for the $50, 600 rental. IL
1882 royalty and the 81 revenue t;
per SKIN, to say nothing of the 80 cen.
"a lessee company had contracted to lay Il
&c it's privileges? And much more equally i
relevant from a practical point of view
e. And this was the attitude of Secretal
Is Blaine until he heard from President Ha
ss rison. | do not know whether Blaine tran
III mitted the Pauncetote and Salisbury pro
10 o~sitions to Harrison of his own motion.
r hardly think he would have dared to witt
10 hold them. Russell Harrison migl
lg have rebuked him in his ne,
1f weeks leading editorial for i
4 But, at all events, in some We
they got to Harrison. They instantly ga
what Blaine saw, that when these ofici
B. communications are published to tt
or world, rs they might be any day, the
could be but one reply which the Unite
VI States could affo;d to have publish,
Us with them, and that that reply must
x an acceptance. Harrison, not beil
&c blinded by anger or by Elklns Ia,
longer, also saw what Blaine apparent
did not see-that tho acceptance INT
Is, be very speedily made-and he issu,
'el his mandate to Blaine according
about way, of course, for he docs not /
lieve that a straight line il the short.
between two given points, and will ul
ice mately insist in his own strenuous
of with a plague on all mugwumps and an
en- Blame democrats} that it was he and l
i'd the British minister or the Brit
i've premier who made the propositi,
ia and doubtless, also, that he h
ate great difficulty in bringing the Brit
,he government to join with him i'll stoppi
ct. the seal killing this year. AS for b
tbs Elklns, he is temporarily zen consomm
as they say at the state department; bu
nave no doubt that Blaine will make it
oen rlRht with him, and that that was the {
lect OF Blaine's visit to New York.
would be neither strange nor uncertain
the Blame suggested to him that this was
on due to Hairison's intermeddline.
III M