The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-01-28
THE SEAL; THE TROUBLES ABOUT HIM
CONTINUED FROM FIRST rAeE.l
ed as contraband; and that, in the exact
words of article 4:


The coast referred to is described in the
preceding article as the northwest coast"
which Mr. Blaine contends to be the coast
below Behring Sea, while Lord SALISBURY
contends that 1t means the whole coast from
Behring Straits southwark.
From 1874 to 1885. there was quiet between
the diplomatists of this country and Russia.
On that year, article expired, American
vessels we're informally notified that there.
after, In resOrtng to any point In the coast
where there was Russian establishment
they must obtain permission OF the RUSSIAN
commander in accordance with the. other
articles of the treaty, and diplomatic cor
respondence was begun between Washing.
ton and st. Petersburg for the renewal Oh
article 4. but the Russian American Fur
Company did not wish their government TO
extend the provisions Of the article, not be-
cause Of the fisheries of Behring Sea, for in
1885 less than 1000 seals were being taken on
the islands of st. Paul and st. George. there
were no "pelagic" sealers In those days and
the right Of Russia to exclude hunters from
the shores was as undoqbted as is our own.
But on the coast below Behring Sea, where
the principal Russian trading posts of Sitka
and New Archangel, were the valuable trad
ing grounds, with which American traders
might interfere. An American vessel, the
Loriot, was seized for remaining in one of
the Russians. Neither Behring Sea nor the
Russian 100,mile limit, If such was con-
ceived as continuing. was here involved.
The Russians remained obdurate and the
terms Of articles were not renewed. In the
course Of that correspondence we find the
American secretary of state writing to the
Russian Court that the United States never
intended to abandon the right aeknowled-
ged to belong to them under the law of ma
tions-t0 frequent any part OF the un0ccu-
pied coast Of North America for the purpose
Of fishing or trading with the natives" but
whether by "NUrth America" he means to
include Alaska entirely or only that part
south Of Behrlng Sea there Is nothing to
show. III he took Mr.. Blaine's view he must
have meant by North America" only the
strip Of coast below Behring Sea in the re-
gion OF Sitka.
Alaska comes to the front again In 1867,
when Mr.. Seward, the American secretary
of the state pays Russia S7,2OO,O0O in gold
and In return Russia cedes to the United
the continent of America with "all the
rights. rarchises, and privileges now be-
longing to Russia In the said territory OF
dominion, and appurtenances thereto"
Nothing was said In this treaty about Beh-
ring Sea the seals or the 100-mile claim of
the old ukase.
With the acquisition of Alaska came good
luck to the United States. Seal skin gar
ments became fashionable in Europe and
America. Under stringent regulations the
seals on st. Paul and St. George began to
multiply. The small settlements of British
sealing operations beyond their own coasts.
where the Indian hunters were the hrst to
spear the seal in the water. The Alaska
commercial company leased the seal Islands
and with the stipulation that they should not
kill enough to interfere with the perpetua-
tion Of the seal, paid enough for their lease
to return fair interest on the whole cost of
Alaska. The seals were not seriously dis
turbed by marauders. In 1872 information
was received that expeditions were fit
ting out In Australia and Victoria to hunt
seals In Behring Sea, and the collector of
San Francisco recommended that cutters be
sent to prevent them. Secretary Boutwell,
did not consider this expedient and in addi-
ti0n said.
1 do not see that the United States would have
the jurisdiction or power to drive of parties 60
ing up there tor that purpose, unless they MADE
Shore"
Nothing more was heard of the Austral-
lanS. But gradually the "pelagic sealerS"
Of British Columbia extended their opera
items further northward, and In 1886 we find
an extensive business carried on by them in
Behring Sea. Then were the United States
revenue cutters instructed to seize these seal
ers irrespective Of their distance from land.
Several schooners were seized, among them
the w. T. Sayward, which was libelled In
the United States Court at Sitka. and on ac-
count OF which the appeal has been now
made to the United State Supreme Court 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 me-
gotiations for settlement of the difficulty
which should guarantee the preservation 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 c0un-
try in 1891 of excluding foreign vessels to a
distance of 100 miles from the coasts He
merely represented to England that the fur
seal industry was valuable business which
gave 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 together
arrange an equitable method Of preserving
the seals on the seas from the "Pelagic seal
ers." The right of the United States to pro-
tect its own rookeries was not in any way
compromised by this proposition, which re-
lated wholly to the protection of seals Ia the
sea beyond the three mile limit where, by in
ternational law, the high seas begin. Lord
fav0rably, and In February. 1888, our Minis
ter to England wrote Mr.. Bayard as follows:
Lord Salisbury assents to your proposition to
establish, by mutual arrangement betweeen the
ssss fur seals
tween 16u degrees of longitude, east In the Beh
ring sea. BE will al,o Join the United states
Thought best to adopt, by orders issued to The ma
Val vessels in that region of the respective gov
ernments.
Meanwhile Mr.. Bayard went ahead and is
sued invitations to Russia and other powers
that might be interested. But Canada made
some objections to the proposed form Of set
Element which caused Lord Salisbury to de-
lay and hesitate. The negotiations were In
this condition when the result of our presl-
dental election put another President 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 best Of
feeling. In the Garfield administration Mr.
Blaine had INDUCED In tilt with the British
foreign Office which had not been relished by
leading Englishmen; and still later Mr..
Blaine, In his warm espousal of the cause of
the Irish agitators. had In the Portland
speech denounced the acts of Lord Sails
bury's government 10 Ireland as brutal and
oppressive; Even diplomatists have human
passions, although it Is their business to con-
ceal them, and when the Behring Sea diff
Guilty pressed to the front again the two gen
tlemen squared off for friendly settlement
a way not wholly suggestive of concord.
English stating that it had been reported
that United States revenue cutters were
Selling British sealer5 on Behring Sea. The
English wished to know If this was SO. and
added thas II 1t was so they hoped the Unit
ed States would promptly modify the in
instructions to the revenue cutters, This
was In August. 1889. Mr.. Blaine sent back
a polite note but took his own time about re-.
plying to the request that instructions to our
cutters be modified. Finally in September
he told the English representatives that the
United States government could not give
such assurances; and in January, 1890, he
sent to Lord Salisbury through Sir Julian
IauncetOte letter defending the right of
United States cutters to seize the Canadian
sealers on the waters of Behring Sea. Thus
began the negotiations. Meanwhile, and at
t1e time they were proceeding the English
continued asking for assurances
that pending the negotiations no Canadian
vessels should be seized. This assurance
was not given, and on the 18th Of June, 1880,
Sir Julian Pauncef0 formally transmitted
to Mr. Blaine the protest Of his government,
which, after reciting the Brisish grievance
declared that Her Brittan;c Majesty's gov
eminent must hold the government of the
United States responsible for the consequent
ces that may ensue from acts which are con
trary to the established principles Of inter-
national law"
The English said in effect, "You will send
your cutters after our sealers at your peril"
In the ridiculOusly feeble condition of the
United States navy. such language az this is