The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1891-01-10
THE BEHRING SEA.
The Correspondence on the Beh-
ring Sea Question.
Mr.. Blaine Insists Upon the CORRECTNESS
and Validity Of the Position Assumed
by the United States I'm Rela-
tion to the Matter.

| yesterday afternoon sent to Congress
the concluding correspondence between
the United States and Great Britain up
in the Behring Sea The correspond
ence embraces letter dated August 9,
1890, from Lord Salisbury to Sir Julian
Pauncefote, the British Minister here.
in reply to Secretary Blaine's letter of
last July maintaining that the United
States derived from Russia rights of
| jurisdiction over the waters of Behring
Sea to a distance of one hundred miles
from the coast. Lord Salisbury in his
letter contends in brief: That England
refused to admit any part of the
| Russian claim asserted by the ukase
of 1921 of maritime jurisdiction and ex-
| elusive right of fishing throughout the
whole extent of Behring Sea as far
north as Behring Straits; that the treat
les of ISIS between Great Britain and
Russia and the United States and Rus
sia were regarded on both sides as a re-
nunciation on the part of Russia of that
claim in its entirety, and that, though
Behring Straits were known and spe-
cially provided for. Behring Sea was
not known by that name at the time.
but was regarded as part of the Pa
ciic Ocean.
Lord Salisbury in support of this con-
tention land the United States at that
time took the same view of the Russian
claim quotes from the protest of John
| Quincy Adams in 1928, then Secretary
of State. to the Russian representative
here, in which he wrote: From the
tenor of the ukase, the pretensions of
the imperial government extend to an
exclusive territorial jurisdiction from
the 45th degree of north latitude on the
| Asiatic coast to the latitude of 81 de-
grees north on the Western coast of the
American continent; and they assume
the right of interiicting the navigation
and the fishery of all other nations to
the extent of one hundred miles from
| the whole of that coast. The United
States can admit no part of
these claims. Their right of naviga-
tion and of fishing is perfect, and has
been in constant exercise from the earl
lest times after the peace Of 1888
throughout the whole extent of the
Southern ocean, subject only to the
ordinary exceptions and exclusions of
the territorial Jurisdictions. which so
far as Russian rights are concerned, are
confined to certain islands north of the
55th degree of north latitude. and have
no existence on the continent of Amer
lea"
After quoting further from later cor
respondence on the same question.
Lord Salisbury denies that Great Brit
ain ever admitted, BY act or by suffer-
ance, the extraordinary claim of mari
time jurisdiction contained in the ukase
of 1921, and says: THE inclOsed copies
of correspondence extracted from arch
ives of this Office make it very difficult
to believe that Mr.. Blaine has not been
altogether led into error. IL re-
suits from them that not only
did Her Majesty's Government
formally protest against the ukase
| on its first issue as con-
trary to the acknowledged law of ma
tions, but that the Russian Government
gave a verbal assurance that the claim
of jurisdiction would not be exercised.
In the subsequent negotiations great
importance was attached to obtaining a
more formal disavowal of the claim in
the manner least hurtful to Russian
susceptibilities, but so as effectually to
preclude its revival. And this security
the British Government undoubtedly
considered that both they and the
United States had obtained by the con-
ventions of 1924 and 1sa5."
Lord Salisbury's letter concludes as
follows:
The answer. therefore, to the ques-
tions with which Mr.. Blaine concludes
his dispatch is that Her Majesty's Gov
ernment have always claimed the free
dem of navigation and fishing in the
waters of Behring Sea outside of the
usual territorial limits of one marine
league from the coast: that it is impOs-
sible to admit that public right to fish,
catch seals. or pursue any other lawful
occupation on the high seas can be held
to be abandoned by nation from the
mere fact that for certain number OF
years it has not suited the subjects
of that nation to exercise it. 1t
must be remembered that British
Columbia has come into existence
as colony at a comparatively recent
date, and that the first considerable in
flux of population, some thirty years
ago, was due to the discovery of gold
and did not tend to an immediate de-
velopment of the shipping interest. l
have to request that you will commu-
nicate copy of this dispatch, and Of its
Enclosures, to Mr.. Blaine. You will
state that Her Majesty's Government
have no desire whatever to refuse 70 the
United States any jurisdiction inBehring
Sea which was conceded by Great Brit
ain to Russia, and which properly &C.
crues to the present possessors Of
Alaska in virtue of treaties or the law of
nations; and that if the United States
Government. after examination Of the
evidence and arguments which ] have
produced. still differ from them. as to
the legality of the recent captures in
that sea. they are ready to agree that
the question. with the issues that de-
pend upon it. should be referred to inn
partial arbitration. You will in that
case be authorized to consider, in con-
cert with Mr.. Blaine, the method of
procedure to be followed"
Secretary Blaine in his response, ad-
dressed to Sir Julian Pauncefote on the
18th of December past, at the outset in
sists upon the correctness and validity
of the position which has been advo-
Gated by the Government Of the United
States in defense of American rights in
the Behring Sea. Legal and diplomatic
questions, he says. are often found after
prolonged discussion to depend on the
settlement Of single point Such, in
the Judgment of the President, is the
position in which the United States and
Great Britain find themselves in the
pending controversy touching the
true construction of the Russo
American and Anglo-Russian treat
les of 1924 and 1925. Great Britain,
Secretary Blaine. says coptends that
the phrase Pacific Ocean," as used IN
the treaties, was intended to include,
and does include, the body Of water
which is known as the Behring Sea
The United States contends that the
Behring Sea was not mentioned or even
referred to, in either treaty, and was