The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-20
BAIRD'S LOBSTER SALAD.
a DISa FAILS TO AGREE WITH
LORD SALISBURY.

Ee Takes Several Untensole Pos!iions
and Is Each Time Compelled 70 Beat
a Retreat-He Gains Power Whic b
He Denied in the Bering Sea Case
ST. JoEx's. y. F., March f2-In the case
Of James Baird against Capt Sir BALDWIN
walker. q verdict wzs yesterday rendered
for the plaintiff Tbs csse has excited
great interest. both hare and in Crest
Britain, and has been the cause Of much
Diplomatic correD1uience between the
Newfoundland authorizes aud the British
foreign oaica. Capt. Walker is commander
Of the corvette Emerald, attached 70 the
British North American squadron, and,
while performing his duties, which included,
- some extent, prevention Of encrosch-
meuts on the French shore by British
subjects. be, in June last
said and closed lobster factory II ST.
Georges Bay. owned ard operated By Mr..
Baird who is 3 British subject, on the
ground that be Was e1Croacblng upon TIE
treaty rights Of the French Mr.. Baird
Instituted proceedings against Capt
Walker for wrongfuliy seiziug his property.
When the suit was first brought, Capt.
Walker hintsd g. compromise. but Mr..
Baird was Fighting for principle and was
defermined to vlndicste his rights IS New
foundla1der In court
HAD ENGLAND OF The ZIP.
Tie only proposition 70 which he would
listen was that the government OF Great
Britain would acknowledge that be could
pursue the lobster canning industry when
and where he pleased AS a matter
could make no such acknowledgment,
being restrained from SO doing by the
-aodas riusndi in force between Great
Britain and Franco The crown then set up
q plea that Capt Walkers acts as q naval
officer under orders were privileged. This
vas he'd 70 be q preposterous claim, and
the government recedsd from its position,
and then asserted that he was acting under
the treaty Of Versailles.
TIE LAW NOT IN FORCE.
Sir James Winter, counsel for Baird,
showed that the act Of Parliament which
made this treaty binding upon British sub
jec.s had been Inadvertently repealed.
Much diplomatic correspondence followed
This discovery. the home government seek
ing 70 obtain the passage Of an act by the
Newfoundland government which would
have tire same effect as the repealed act, as
the existence Of such a law would have en-
abled the British government TO make q
good defense against Mr.. Bsird's suit But
land legislature declined to pass such an
act, the British government was in
the position Of having restrained q British
subject from pursuing on British soil a
legitimate calling. Consequently the de-
fsnse was compelled TO retire from this posi-
ton also, and was forced 20 90 into court
with the sole answer TO Mr.. Baird's COM
plant that the B1Odus rirendi had been
lawfully arranged a0d and lawfully en-
forced
A POINT FOB BLAINE
The point Of interest in the case 10
Americans was that Lord Salisbury. by the
only defense he could make 70 this suit,
practically asserted that he had the right to
restrain the Newfoundlandsrs from pur-
suing business on British soil. while he de-
MED to the United States government, in
the Boring sea negotiations, that he could
restrain the Canadians from pursuing on
the high seas an occupation identically sim
liar in its legal aspects. How the court
looked upon the prime minister's claim is
evidenced by the verdict