The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-15

WASHINGTON. May 14.--There is more
trouble between President Harrison and
Eecretary Blaine. This time, az heretofore,
IL 10 Of the presidents making. II relates
to the scandal caused by Secretary Blaine's
course in protecting the North American
Commercial company in its enjoyment Of
the lease of the seal islands Of Alaska, when
all public considerations demand that
hunting the now nearly extinct seal should
cease for . season. Secretary Blaine 9 ao-
ton has not been taken without the knowl-
edge and consent OF his chief. but Presi-
dent Harrison has already demons trated
that he is only thin-skinnsd about wrong
doing which has been exposed and made
q stencil in the public nostrils. He is only
sorry when he has been found ont.
The scandal itself is diseraceful and dis
gushing. The facts are matters of record
and are absolutely indisputable. 1t is now
just 4 year since the lease Of the seal is stands
Of BehrinR Sea to the Alaska Comm roial
compan expired. The old Company was
one Of the many bidders for the new lease,
which it Was thought would insure =
monopoly of this enormously lucrative in
dustry for another twenty years. A syndi-
cate Of capitalists, however, was orga nized
against the old company, and under the
title Of the North American Comm ercial
compan secured the lease in the "a CO of
many protests entered with the secretary.
charging various irregularities in the award
of the monopoly. y
The new company is not without q figure
head. It ia j. Liebes, of San Francisco.
Mr.. Liebes has a legitimate reason for con-
Meeting himself with the company, for he
is the senior partner il the largest house
Mr.. Liebes is only = hgurehend. When the
secretary of the treasury desires to commu-
nlcato with Mr.. Liebes, he does not address
q letter to that gentleman in San Francisco,
but he sends it to the care Of D. q. Mills d
Co., Of New York City, and even the first
the zeal fisheries lease is kept, states posi-
lively that the lease was granted to D. 0.
Mills g. Go.
There is no question that Mills & Go. are
the financial hackers of the enterprise, and
had it not been for he excellent standing
of this firm, Nh. j. Liebes would have had
trouble in securing the contract. Not that
Mr.. Liebes il not financially responsible,
but it must DO understood that ID. O. Mills
i Co.. are not only responsible financially,
but are decidedly ''solid with the admins
tration," and there are reasons for this. MI.
Mills is the father-in-law of Whitelaw
Reid, who regards himself as Mr.. Blaine's
champion and spokesman, and who is will
ling to swallow the administration whole
in exchange for his present high honorable
position as minister to France.
But Mr.. Reds connection with Mr.. Mills
is not the only pull" which the North
American company has with Mr.. Blaine
Elkins is the all-round hustler WAC has
done moro for Mills. u Go. than anybody
else who has put u finger In the pie.
Mr.. Elkins' relations with Mr.. Blaine
could not be closer than they are. Not
only have they been intimate personal
and now are associated in an enterprise
which promises to be highly lucrative. Mr..
Blaine and Mr.. Elkins nave been fot some
time interested together in the development
of the mineral q of West Virginia
and incidentally in the projection OF rail
to a profitable market. Everybody ought
to know that Emmons Blaine, the secre-
tary's oldest son, is an officer in one Of MI,
Elkins' railroad companies, where he not
only works for his own living, but keeps a
watchful eye on his fathers interests.
Mr.. Elkins, it is said, is financially in
terested in the North American co MINER
DIAL company. He may or may not be; the
fact 10 immaterial. It is notorious, how
ever, and beyond diplomatic denial, that
Mr.. Elkins has brought to bear upon MI.
Blaine and President Harrison the strong
est influence which he is capable of bring
ing to prevent the adoption of a policy
which might result either in the arrange
ment of a close season for the seal fisher
les, or in a material reduction in tho num-
Der OF seal allowed to be killed annually
on the Pribylov islands.
When Mr.. Eikins wants to explain the
necessities of any situation to Mr.. Blaine
hA nona afrpiCht tn tina GanraforvSo ho,ea
where he is always confident of a cordial
reception, and tells Mr.. Blaine exactly what
he wants His relations with the secretary
are of such a friendly character that he can
do this, but when it comes to the president
it is different. Mr.. Elkins, however, is
very diplomatic; hS does not allow the fact
that President Harrison is cold, uns ympa-
thetic and lacking in enthusiasm to pre-
vent him from laying q matter before the
chief executive in the most effective man
ner. Mr.. Elkins realizes that tn ere are
other ways Of killing a cat than by choking
requests before the president in the light
consistent with the facts, Mr.. Elklns has
sought his young and enthusiastic friend,
Russell Harrison, whose sanguine temper
ament he thoroughly tested when the two
were running a ranch together in Montana.
Russell has done his best, and it is useless
Tor the president to make the p~reterge that
he has not ell along understood exactly
what has been going on. His fingers have
itched, not to put a stop to this scandalous
proceeding, but amply to checkmate and
disappoint Secretary Blaine and 50 retary
Blalne,s friends and admirers. For a long
time Prince Russeil's influence was DO
tent with his father. Now. however, it ap-
pears that the young man has been showed
aside and that the president proposes to
ask Secretary Blaine several embar RAISING
questions.
Mr.. Elkins is q man of resource s. He
realized, long before the general public
caught the idea, that the treasury depart
ment would be quite as potential as the do
psrtment OF state, SO far as the interests of
Mills IL Go. are concerned, and he has as
~sidxouslY cultivated secretary Foster ever
since he came into Office. Whether MIR.
ElEins has succeeded in convincing the
secretary that tho North American company
ou2ht to be literally dealt with cannot be
stated positively, but some one has induced
the seoret&ry. lii Npite of the demand for a
reduction IN the limit of the season catch,
to place the number of seal that may be
taken an the PCibyloy islands at 60, 900, a
jgure p c.s:L!y far II excess of the number
that can be captured from the ncw-deci-
mated herds Of these valuable fur bearing
amphlb,nn..
Eviltuily Tie operation of tho North
American Con3mereial company constitutes,
III 81. III tJHu's own ANNOUNCE. ga private