The Portland daily press., 1891-11-12
The BehrIng Seal Controversy.

The Behrlng Seal Controversy.
The present proceedings before the
United States Supreme Court in regard to
the sealing vessels seized in BehriDg Sea,
may be termed merely side show to the
great diplomatic question involved. Per-
haps the most important thing brought out
Is the announcement that the diplomatic
question Is about to 60 to arbitration.
Thus after great amount of delay that
has been disastrous to the American seal
ing interests, and considerable diplomatic
wrangling that has been productive of
nothing but long letters, the circle has
been completed and the matter is again in
much the position 1t was in when Mr..
Bayard left the State Department. The
importance of the diplomatic question in
volved and the length of time this and SIM
liar controversies relating to Behring Sea
have been pending, suggest fuller expla-
nation, such as appeared In these columns
some time ago, of the question than is given
In the dispatches. In the seventy years of
diplomatic controversy over Russian rights
in Behring Sea and on the northwest coast
of America, the seal has had no prominence
until the last five years. 1t is only since
the United States has possessed the rook-
cries of st. Paul and st. George, that they
have become so valuable as to lead to in
ternational contentious; and 1t Is only
since the Canadian settlements have grown
up In British Columbia that there have
been mariners so situate as to organize ex-
peditions for "pelagic sealing" or the capt
ure Of seals In the water instead of on
their breeding grounds. 1t is the seal, now
wearing coat of increased value, that is
causing all this disturbance of the relations
offriendly nations. Gradually the 'pelagc
sealers" Of British Columbia have extend
ed their operations further northward, and
In 1886 we find an extensive business car
ried on by them In Behring Sea. Then
were the United States revenue cutters in
structed to seize these sealers irrespective
of their distance from land. Several
schooners were seized, among them the w.
p. Sayward, which was libelled in the
United States Court at Sitka, and on ac-
count of which the appeal is now pend
Ing in the United States Supreme Count.
to quash the proceedings of the Sitka Court
The English government protested against
the seizures. and Mr.. Bayard agreed that
no more seizures should be made pending
negotiations for settlement Of the diff
Guilty which should guarantee the preser-
vation of the supply of seals. Mr.. ,Bayard
did not In the negotiations contend that
the United States had derived from Russia
the right asserted by that country in 1921
of excluding foreign vessels to distance
OF 100 miles from the coasts. He merely
represented to England that the fur seal
industry was a valuable business which
save employment to many hunters in Alas
ka and 10000 laboring men and women in
London who were engaged in dressing the
skins. Therefore he thought that England
and other interested powers should togeth-
er arrange an equitable method of preserv-
ing the seals on the seas from the "pelagic
sealers." The right of the United States
to protect Its own rookeries was not in any
way compromised by this proposition
which related wholly to the protection Of
seals in the .seas beyond the three mil,
limit where, by international law. the higl
seas begin. Lord Salisbury received Mr.
Bayard's proposition favorably. and il
February, 1888, our Minister to Englan,
wrote Mr.. Bayard as follows:
Lord Salisbury assents to your prodositiop /
establish, by mutual arrangement between tn
governments interested, close tine for FIJI
seals, between April 18th and November 1st
hpftQlln hanrQaC nf tfxrAo a
the Behrlng se-~ He will also join the United
states goyei lmo 1t In any preventive measures
It may be thought best to adopt, by orders ISSUED
70 tne naval vessels 10 that region of the re
spective governments.
Meanwhile Mr.. Bayard went ahead and
Issued invitations to Russia and other pow.
ers that might be interested. But Canada
made some objections to the proposed form
OF settlement which caused Lord Salisbury
to delay and hesitate. The negotiations
were in this condition when the result Of
our presidential election put another Presi
dent into the White House and another
Secretary into the State Department.
Between Mr.. Blaine and Lord Salisbury
there had not been for some time the besl
OF feeling. In the Garfield administrator
Mr.. Blaine had INDUCED In a III
with the British foreign office which
had not been relished by leadins
Englishmen; and still later Mr.
Blaine, In his warm espousal of the cans,
OF the Irish agltators, had In the Portland
speech denounced the acts of Lord Sails
bury's government in Ireland as bruta
and oppressive. Even diplomatists hay,
human passions. although 1t is their bust
ness to conceal them, and when the Beb
ring Sea difficulty pressed to the from
again the two gentlemen squared off for
friendly settlement In way not who'll
suggestive Of concord. 1t began with
communication from the English statinl
that ithad been reported that United State
revenue cutters were seizlng British seal
ers on Behring Sea. The English wished
70 know II this was so, and added that IL II
was SO they hoped the United States would
promptly modify the instructions to tn,
revenue cutters. This was in August
1889 Mr.. Blaine sent back polite, but
eVasive reply. Finally in September h
told the English representatives that tn
United States government could not Civ
such assurance, and in January. 1890, b
sent to Lord Salisbury through Sir Julia
Pauncefote letter defending the right o
the United States cutters to seize the Cans
dian sealers on the waters of Behring Ses
Thus began the negotiations. Meanwhile
and at the time they were proceeding, th
English government continued asking fl
assurances that pending the negotiations n