The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-01-06

miles wide Is to-day author zed by the
Australian law. The President viii ask the
government of Great Britain to agree to a
distance Of twenty marine leag les, within
which no ship shall hover around the islands
Of st. Paul and ST George from May 10 TO
Oct. Is Of each year. This will prove an
effective mode OF preserving the seal
fisheries for the use of the civ
ilized world-a mode which, in
view of Great Britail's assumption
consistly decline. Great Britain prescribed
eight leagues at st. Helena, but obvious
necessities in Behring sea will, on the has
of this precedent, justify twenty leagues for
the protection Of American seal fisheries"
DESTRUCTION OF THE SEALS.
Secretary Blaine describes the destructive
effects upon seal life of UNRESTRICTED seal
ing, and saws: Great Britain has been in
formed, advised, warned over and over
again, of the evil effects that would fiow
from her course of action; but, against
testimony that amounts to demon
stration, she has preferred to
abide by personal tepr esentations
from Ottawa, and by the reports of COM
missioners who examined nothing and
heard nothing, except testimony OF those
engaged in a business against which the
United States has earnestly protested. She
may possibly be convinced Of the damage
if she will send an intelligent commissioner
to Bribyloff Is.ands.n
LITTLE SARCASM.
Respecting the British proposition looking
tn arbitration, the SO rotary says: "In the
| Judgment of the President nothing of i'm
porIa ce would be settled by proving that
Great Britain conceded no jurisdiction to
Russia over the seal fisheries of Behring sea.
1t might as well be proved that Russia con-
coded no jurisdiction to England over the
river Thames. By d ing nothing in each
case everything is conceded. In neither
case is anything asked of the other. Con
cession as used here means simply acquies-
ence in the rightfulness of title, and that is
the only form of concession which Russia
asked OF Great Britain or which Great
| Britain gave to Russia.
ARBITRATION NOT WANTED.
"The second offer of Lord Sails
| bury. to abitrate, amounts simply
any country has the right to ex-
| tend its jurisdiction more than one ma
rine league from shore. No one disputes
that, as arule, but the question is whether
there may not be exceptions VIII Sc
enforcement does not interfere with
| those highways of commerce which
| necessities and the usage of the world have
marked out. Great Britain, when she de-
sired an exception, did not stop to consider
or regard the Inconvenience to which the
commercial world might be subjected. Her
exception placed an obstacle in
the highway between the two
continents. The United States
| in protecting the seal fisheries will not IN
terfere with single sail of commerce on
any sea of the globe. $3.50
ut will mean something tangible, in the
| Presidents opinion, if Great Britain will
conse & to arbitrate the real questions which
have been under discussion between the two
governments for the last four years.
NOT CLOSED SEA.
"The repeated assertions that the govern
ment of the United States demands that
Behring sea be pronoua need a mare cLGuSunl,
are without foundation. The government
uas never claimed it and never desired it.
It expressly dlsavows it. AT the same time
the United States does not lack abundant
authority, according to the al,lest opponents
| of international law, for holding small
section of Behring sea for the protection
of our SEALS Controlling comparatively
restl icted area of water for that one
specific purpose is by no means equivalent
to declaring the sea or any part thereof a
mare cLdusum. Nor is it by any means SO
serious an obstruction as Great Britain
seeks to make in the South At antic, nor so
groundless an interference with the COM
mon law of the sea as is maintained by
British authority to-day in the Indian
ocean. The President does not however,
desire the long Dostponem snt which an ex-
animation of the legal authorities from Ill
plan to Phtllimore and Kent would involve.
A QUOTATION FROM MINISTER PHELPS.
He finds his own views well expressed
by Mr.. Phelps, eur late minister to Eng
land, when, after failing TO secure a just
arrangement - it'll Great Britain touching
the seal fisheries, he wrote the following in
his closing communication to his own gov
ernwent Sept. IL, 1888: Much learning
has been expended upon discussion of the
abstract question of the right of q
mare cLduSWnl. do not conceive it to be
applicable to the present case Here is a
valuable fishero and large, aud, ii properly
managed, permanent industry, the property
of the nations on whose shores it is carried
on. 1t is proposed by the olony of a foreign
nation, in defiance of the joint remon-
STRANGE of all countries interested,
to destroy this business by in
discriminate slaughter and extermina-
ton of the animals in question in the
open neighborlng sea during the period of
CESSATION, when common dictates of human
ity ought to protect them, were there no
interest at all involved. And it is sug'
gested that we are prevented from defend
lug ourselves az iinst such depredati ms
because the sea at a certain distance from
the coast is free. The same line of argu-
ment would take under its protection
piracy and slave trade when prosecuted
in the open sea. or would justify one nation
in destroying the commerce of another by
placing dangerous o6structions and derelicts
in the open sea near its coas 8.
THINGS THAT CANNOT BE ALLOWED.
"'There are many things that cannot be
allowed to be done on the open sea with
impunitY, and against which every sea is q
mare cldusurI, and the right of self-de. ense
as to person and property g.
walls there as fully as elsewhere.
II fish upon the Canadian coasts
could be destroyed by scattering poison in
the open sea adjacent with some small
profit TO those engaged in fishing, could the
Canadians, upon just principles of iuterna-
tional law, be held defen eless in such a
case9 Yet that process would be no more
destructive, inhuman and wanton than
this.
"'If presidents are wanting for defense
so necessary and so proper, it is because
presidents for such course of conduct are
likewise unknown. The best international
law has risen from precedents that have
been established when just the occasion for
them arose. undeterred by discussion of abb
stract and inadequate rules
A FOREIGN OFFICE STATEMENT.
LONDON, Jan. 5.-The foreign Office this
evening has issued the following communi-
cation to the press in regard to the Behring