The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1891-01-10
BEHRING SEA DISPUTE.
Correspondence Between Blaine and Sails
bury Submitted to Congress.

WASHINGTON. Jan. 5.-The President this
afternoon sent to Congress the concluding cor,
between the United States and
Great Britain, up to date, touching the fur
seal question in the Behring Sea. The cor
embraces a letter dated Aug. z,
1890, from Lord Salisbury to Sir Julian
Pauncefote, the British Minister here, IN
reply to Secretary Blaine's letter of last July
that the United States derived ed
from Russia, rights of jurisdiction over the
waters of Behring Sea to distance OF loo
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
exclusive right of fishing throughout the
whole extent of Behring Sea as far north as
Behring's Straits; that the treaties of 1873
between Great Britain and Russia, and the
United States and Russia, were regarded on
both sides as a remuneration on the part OF
Russia of that claim in its entirety, and that,
though Behring's Straits were known and
specifically provided for, Behring Sea was
not known by that name at the time, but was
regarded as part OF the Pacific Ocean
Lord Salisbury, in support of this conten-
ton, and the assertion that the United States
once took the same view OF this RUSSIAN
claim, quotes from the protest OF John Quincy
Adams in 1923, as Secretary OF State, to the
Russian representative, in which he wrote :
tFrom the tenor of the ukase the pretenslons
of the Imperial Government extend to an eX-
elusive territorial jurisdiction from the 45th
degree of north latitude, on the Aslatlc
coast, to the latitude of 81 degrees north on
the western coast of the American continent,
and assume the right of interdictlng the navl'
CATION and the fishery of all other nations to
the extent of 100 miles from the whole oil
that coast. The United States can admit
no part of these claims. Their right OF navl'
CATION and of fishing is perfect, and has been
in constant exercise from the earliest times
after the peace of 1888, throug bout the whole
extent of the Southern Ocean, subject only
to the ordinary exceptions and exclusions oil
the territorial jurisdictions, which, so tar a.
Russian rights are concerned, are confined tc
certain islands north of the htly-htth degree
of latitude, and have no existence on the
continent of America"
After quoting further from later CORE
spondence on the same question, Lord Sails
bury denies that Great Britain ever admitted
by act or by sufferauce the eXtraordlnar.
claim of maritime jurisdiction contained II
the ukase of 1921, and says: "The lncloset
copies of correspondence extracted from thu
archives of this office make it very difficult Il
believe that Mr.. Blaine has not been led mt
error. 1t results from them that not only dit
Her Maiesty's Government formally protes
against the ukase on its first issue, as contrar.
to the acknowledged law of nations, but tina
the Russian Government gave verbal assur
ance that the claim of jurisdiction would no
be exercised. In the subsequent negotiation
great importance was attached to obtaining
more formal iisavowal of the claim in tn
manner least hurtful to Russian susceptible
ties, but so as effectually to preclude 1t
revival. And this security the British Govern
ment undoubtedly considered that both the.
and the United States had obtained by thu
conventions of 1924 and 1926"
| Lord Salisbury's letter concludes as fol
| lows: The answer, therefore, TO the ques
tons with which Mr.. Blaine concludes his dis
patch is that Her Majesty's Government ha
always claimed the freedom of navigation an
| fishing in the waters of Behring's Sea outsid
the usual territorial limit of one marine leagu
| from the coast; that it is impossible to ADM
| that public right to fish, catch seals or pur
sue any other lawful occupation on the hlg
seas can be held to be abandoned by natlo
| from the mere fact that for a certain humble
| of years it has not suited the subjects of tina
nation to exercise it.
Secretary Blaine in his response, addresse
| to Sir Julian Pauncefote on Dec. II last, q
the outset insists upon the correctness an
validity of the position which has been advC
Gated by the Government of the United State
| in defense of American rights in the Behrin
| Sea. Legal and diplomatic questions, h
says, are often found after prolonged discussio
to depend on the settlement Of a single poin
Such, in the Judgment of the president, is tn
position in which the United States and Grea
Britain find themselves in the pending cor
troversy touching the true construction of th
Russo American and Anglo Russian treatie
of 1924 and 1925.
Great Britain, Secretary Blaine says, con
| tends that the phrase ''Pacifc Ocean" a
used in the treaties, was intended to include
and does include, the body of water which
now known as the Behring Sea. The Unite
States contends that the Behring Sea was ne
mentioned, or even referred to, in eitht
treaty, and was in no sense included in tn
phrase Pacific Ocean" IfGreat Britain ca
maintain her position that the Behring Sea, d
the time of the treaties with Russia in 49,
and 1925, was included in the Pacific Ocear
the Government of the United States has II
we'll grounded complaint against her. If, o
the other hand, this Government can prov
beyond all doubt that the Behring Sea, at tn
date of the treaties, was understood by Ii
three signatory powers to be separate bod
of water, and was not included in the phras
Pacific Ocean," then the American ca'
against Great Britain is complete and undo
niable.