Evening journal., 1891-06-02
TO THE SECOND READING
England Is Pushing Her Beh-
ring Sea Bill.
LATE CORRESPONDENCE PUBLISHED

LATE CORRESPONDENCE PUBLISHED
and Pauncefote Were Rather
slow and the President and Secretary
Blaine Had to Keep Punching Them
Up-The Outlook Seems Favorable.
WASHINGTON, June 2.-The state depart
ment has made public The recent CORE |
spondence on the Behring sea fishery ques- |
ton. The first communication is from
Secretary Blaine to Sir Julian Pauncefote. |
IL reads as follows:
WAsHINGToN, May 4. 1891
SIR: During the month Of March last, a few
days after the adjournment Of congress acting
under the instructions Of the president pro
posed to you that modus vivendi b. agreed
upon touching the seal fisheries pending the
result Of arbitration OF the question at issue be
tween the two governments The presidents
first proposal, which | submitted to you, was
that no Canadian sealer should be allowed TO
come within certain number OF miles OF the
Pribyloff islands II was however, the conciu-
sion Of the president, after reading Lord sails
bury's dispatch Of February q, that this modus
vivendi might possibly provoke a conflict in
Behring sea, and to avoid that result ne In
structed me TO propose that sealing, both on
land and sea should be suspended by both ma
tions during the progress Of arbitration or dur
ing the season Of 1891. On both occasions It
was conversational exchange Of views, the
first in my Office at the state department, the
second at my residence.
The President Was Anxious.
The president was so DESTROYS Of prompt re-
sponse from Lord Salisbury to his second propo-
sition that ] ventured to suggest that he re-
L. 9 ss1.l
cially was the president anxious 70 receive an
answer (Which he trusted would be favorape)
| before be should set out on his tour to the Pa
| cifc states He left Washington on the night
/ Of April l3 without having beard word from
your government 1t was then a full month
/ after he had instructed me 70 open negotiations
on the question, and the only inference was that
Lord Salisbury would not agree to the proposal.
/ The silence of Lord Salisbury implied, as seemed
/ not improbable, that he would not restrain the
| Canadian sealers from entering Behring sea,
| and as ali intelligence from British Columbia
/ showed that the sealers were getting ready b
sail in large numbers the president found that
| he could not with justice prevent the lessees
| from taking seals on the Pribyloh islands. The
| president therefore instructed the secretary OF
the treasury, who has official charge Of the sub
jeet to issue to the lessees the privilege of kill
ing on the Pribyioff islands the coming season
the maximum number Of G0,00 Csixty thousand.
SEALS subject, however, to the absolute discre
ton and power of an agent appointed by tbs
secretary of the treasury, 10 limit the killing 4
as small number as the condition Of the herC
might, in his opinion, demand.
Lord Salisbury Was willing.
on April %, eight days after the presiden
had left Washington, you notified me, when
was absent from the capital, that Lord Sails
bury was ready to agree to that all seaiinl
should be suspended pending the result o
| arbitration on April . telegraphed Lor'
| Salisburys proposition To ths president. II
, replied April p, expressing great satisfaction
with Lord Safsbury's message, but instructe
me to inform You that Hsome seals must b
killed by the natives for food, that the lessee
are hourpd under their lease from the govern
ment to feed and care for the natives maxim
: it necessary 10 send a ship to the Pribylo
islands each season at their expense and this
, for this service, very expensive one, th
slessees should find their compensation in tai
ing a moderate number Of seals under th
, lease" The president expressed his belief ths
this allowance would be readily agreed to b
| Lord Salisbury, because the necessity is abs
r lutte You win remember that when / con
municated this proposition from the presider
to you. on the evening Of Monday April 2
; you did not agree with the presidents sugge
tion. On the contrary, you expressed yourse
y as confident that Lord Salisbury would not a
d cept IL; that in your judgment the killing
s seals must be cut of absolutely on the land an
I
z on either unless stopped on both.
He Did Not Believe 1t.
b The narrative Of facts which ] have no
given absolutely necessary for clearly unde
e standing the position of this government
brings me to a further statement which I a
directed by the president TO submit The pre-
( ident refuses to believe that Lord Salisbury ca
( possibly maintain the position you have take
when his lordship is placed in full possession
= the facts which shall now submit to you som
3 what in detail When the privilege Of killi
seals on the islands Of Saint George and Sal
: Paul, in Behring sea- was leased to the Nor
= American company for certain sum per ski
= to be paid to the government, other duties
an onerous, costly and responsible charact
were imposed upon the company.
Secretary Blaine then describes at leng
these duties. which he sums up as follow
The Company's Duties.
In short then, the means Of living. the faci
ties for education, the care OF health, the
II ligious teaching, the training Of the young al
old in a community OF over 300 persons, are
-, imposed upon the company as its solemn du
y by specific articles Of the lease inclose yor
ID copy Of the census Of 1890 giving every name
the 800 persons, old and young, male and
male, who constitute the whole community
ST the Pribyloff islands
" The duties thus imposed upon the compa
must be discharged annually with punctudi
and exactness. The comfort, possibly the sa
-R ty, Of all these human beings, peculiarly he
less when left to themselves, is dependent up
the company under the lease, and the less
are paid therefor by the government in I
G sealsRins which the company receives for
?, service II the company shall, as you say Ia
n Salisbury requests, be deprived Of all privilt
Of taking seals, they certainly could not be co
PEELED to minister TO the wants OF these 80
habitants for an entire year If these island
, are to be left to charity the North AmeriC
. company is under no greater obligations to
tend il to them than are other citizens OF
United States. II evidently requires a consid
able sum of money to furnish all the suppl
named in the lease supplies which must be c
ried 1000 miles on specially chartered steam
- If the lessees are net to be allowed payment
any form for the amount necessary to supp
these 30 people on the islands then they
naturally decline 10 expend IL.
Human Life Much More Valuable.
No appropriation Of money has been paid
congress for the purpose and the presid
,ff cannot leave these worthy and innocent peo
:, | TO the hazard Of starvation even 70 secure
tltss. form of agreement with Lord Salisbury tou
ing seal life Seal life may be valuable, but
RI, first duty Of the government Of the Uni
al States in this matter is 70 protect human lif,
In this exigency the president instructs
!. to propose to Lord Salisbury that he coneed,
~ the North American company the right to q
a sufficient number OF seals, and no more Il
sufficient. to recompense them for their out
in taking care of the natives and that in
m. / phrase Of the president all commercial kill