The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-06-27
IT WANTS ITS CONTRACT TO BE- KEPT
Claims the Right to Catch $4,000
Fur Seals in the Behring
e Fisheries
And Hold the United States has No
Right to Shut it Out From
Its Contract.
The North American Commercial Conn
pany sets Forth its Grievance.

The North American Commercial Com
pany sets Forth its Grievance.
WASHINGTON. June 10. The North
American Commercial company, through
its attorney. has filed "a protest with
Acting Secretary Spaulding of the treas
ury department in which it %recitcs that
it has the right to take fur seals from the
islands of st. Pau and st. George for IA
period of thirty years from May |, 1890.
and that it has and will continue to per
form the stipulations of its lease. The
company states that it was assured
the quota of GO.UOO sealskins
during 1880 and upon such assurance
submitted its bid at three times the
amount paid by the former lessee. Upon
the acceptance of the lease the company
made a large outlay in buildings and
provisions and arranged for transporting
10000 scalskins to San Francisco. The
company says it was compelled to cease
taking seals on the 10th day of July
IItIl NV Sttllll- ~ 'Nlpi''
and only one-third Of its quota of skins
had been obtained and the company was
further prohibited from taking any adj
ditional number during said year. On
this account the company has substained
a loss of 100000.
The company further represents that
at the time it was compelled to stop tax
ing seals at said islands it earnestly pro-
tested against such action by the United
States. and has continued to protest.
and now again submits this its formal
protest against the action of the United
States in preventing it from taking its
quota of scalskins it had the right to take
by law and by the terms Of said con
tract. 1t submits that it is just y en-
titled to receive from the United States
such sun as will compensate it for the
loss it has sustained ON recount of the
action Of the United States as aforesaid
and gives notice to the secretary of the
treasury that it will claim to be reim-
bursed by the United States To the full
amount of the loss it may sustain by
reason of its being prohibited by the
United States from taking its full quota
of sixty thousand of scalskins during
the year 1881.
The company further represents that
in providing for the maintenance and ed
ucation of the the inhabitants of the
Islands of st. Paul and st. George, it
has expended the sum of of SlJO,OU for
which it has not been REIN
bursed. The company respectfully invites
the attention of the secretary of the
treasury to the fact that the islands of
st. Paul and St. George in Alaska be
long to and are in the undisputed pos
session Of the United States; that the
right of this government to dispose Of
fur seals born on said islands has never
been questioned. This being SO the said
company assumes that the right of the
United States or its lessee to take fur
seals on said islands within our unqucs-
toned jurisdiction is beyond dispute and
not a subject to question or Of inter
ference by England or any other foreign
state. The right of this government to
take fur seals on its own territory is not
n of the questions to be submitted to
arbitration and has no relation to the
contention between the two countries.
In that dispute Great Britain affirms
and the United Nta'es denies the right of
English and Canadian poachers to
slaughter fur seals in our part of Behr
ing sea and this company respectfully in
sists that the agreement between the
two governments set forth in the presi-
dents proclamation in SO far as it pro
hibits said company from taking
its lawful quota of sealskins
is in cOntravention of the vested rights
of this company and subjects it to great
loss. If it is assumed. as England has
asserted and this government has denied,
that the eastern portion OF Behrlng sea
is not in the marine territory OF the
United States. but is high seas" the
company respectfully submits that it is
not competent for Great Britain and the
United States alone or for any other two
governments To- determine who shall he
permitted to navigate these waters or to
prohibit fishing or taking seals on the
high seas. and the company respectfully
points out to the honorable secretary of
the treasury that its rights have been
overlooked by said agreement between
the governments in that it deprives the
lessee from taking seals which it is au-
thOrizcd to take by law and 10y its con
tract with the United States, thereby in
i~iicting a severe loss upon said company
in order to obtain the consent of England
to arbitrate the question as to the right
of Canadian poachers to destroy the fur
seal industry by pelagic sealing.