The Wichita daily eagle., 1891-09-21
The RERlNG SEA pIspurE.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19.-Assistant Seq
| retary Wharton of the state department
and Commissioners Mendenhall and Me
lain, who were sent to Bering sea to ex-
anime aud report concerning the condition
of the seals and fisheries there, called on
| President Harrison on Thursday after
noon and declared that a stop must be put
to the practice of killing seals in the open
sea for several years if it was desired to
perpetuate this species of fur bearing ami
mails. Incidentally the commissioners re
| ferred to the fact that they had accompan-
| led Special Treasury Agent Williams and
! his assistant on their journeys of explora-
| tion and found that their views were iden
| tical regarding the future course to be
pursued in perpetuating the seals OF the
Pribyloff islands,
Agent Williams is now at his home in
Ohio engaged in the preparation OF his re-
port on the subject, and the commissioners
assured the president before leaving the
White House that they would formulate a
similar document as speedily as possible.
Special Agent Williams of the treasury
department has made a special report on
this branch of the seal question to the
treasury department and his report was
yesterday forwarded to the state depart
ment with the request that its contents be
laid before the British minister for trans
mission to the foreign office in London.
The contents of Agent Williams report
can not be accurately ascertained, but it is
understood that he makes the admission
that the North American commercial COM
pany has exceeded the limit of its catch of
$500 skins fixed by the modus vivendi |
The matter is regarded here as quite i'm |
portant and may lead to the modus vivendi |
being declared imperative.
LONDON, Sept. 19.-Commenting upon |
two articles on the Bering sealing question |
published in its columns, the Times calls |
ha 81 nl Ocfa Il
says: '"Their action is arbitrary and high |
handed. Their arguments. as far as they |
can be put into Ineligible shape, are |
worthy of the most rigid school of British |
game preserves. The seal is wild animal,
and there will never be any danger of its
determination by hunting on the high |
seas. The danger comes from excessive
slaughter when the animals are perfectly
helpless IL the Americans choose, by in
discriminate slaughter, to destry their
own industry, We are helpless, but they
cannot be allowed to monopoliZe the seals
by claiming property in the high seas and
their contents. If they will show a reason
able spirit of compromise,,,it will be good
thing to come to an arrangement, not for a
close season, which is inappropriate to the
conditions of the case, but for a closure
during the breeding season of an area Of
perhaps twenty miles around the breeding
grounds"
One Times correspondent describes the
sealing industry throughout and combats
the report of American experts in regard
to the extinction of the seal He says all
masters in the sealing feet, when inter-
viewed say that there was no diminution
in number, but the seals were harder to
catch by being more wary. After the end
OF May hardly any COW seals with young
were taken, proving that their capture
from hoaIs is not calculated to retard
natural increase. Correspondents suggest
4 close time for an area OF twenty miles ,
from the end of May TO the lst OF Decem- :
ber, as the mother seals feed within that ]
radius during breeding time. The cores
pondent thinks that the question how ,
many should be killed on the island shou d
be decided by commission OF practical !
men