Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-05-21
SEAL SLAUGHTER.
A Complication Not Pleasant to
Contemplate,
Which Involves the United States
Government.
Negotiations Between Blaine
and Salisbury
HAS BY NO MEANS PUT A STOP TO
POACHlNG.
A CANADIAN FLEET NOW EN ROUTE
TO BEHRING SEA.
A CANADIAN FLEET NOW EN ROUTE
TO BEHRING SEA.

IO BEhRING Sf.As
1t Comprises Over Sixty Sealing Vessels
and is Strong Enough to Resist the En-
tire British NaVy-Our Proposition tt
Great Britain Makes it Unlawful for the
Aleuts of Alaska to Kill Seals, Even foI
FOOd-The Government Violates the
Contract with the North American
Commercial cOmpany-What VIII the
Result of it All BE?
CINCINNATI, May 21.-The Enquirer
publishes the following special dated
New York, May 19:
Within a few days there has beer
much talk about the alleged connection
of Secretary Blaine's negotiations with
England over the seal question in Beh.
ring sea, and the contract of this gov
ernment with the North American Com
mercial company for catching seals. 1t
was alleged that the secretary's orders
were all dictated by the interest of the
company at the instance of S. B. -Ellzins,
who was said to be interested in the
concern.
Heard the Whole Story.
heard tonight the whole story of the
seal business from a gentleman associ-
ated as attorney in the affairs of the
company, and from this statement it ap-
pears that the secretarys negotiations
have crippled and damaged the company
to such an extent that it believes it has a
valid suit for damages against the gov
ernment, and Attorney General Miller
admits it is probable the government
will be liable under the certain con-
ditions.
Got the Worst of 1t.
The North American Commercial com
pany has for its principal stockholders D.
o. Mills and Lloyd Tavis, two enormous
ly wealthy Californians of opposite pol
itics. Mr. Mills is the father-in-law of
Whitelaw Reid, United States minister
to France. Two years ago, they secured,
in competition with number of other
companies, the right exclusively to take
seal life in the sealing grounds of the
United States, for which privilege they
pay $4,000 per year and a royalty of
30 62-1-2 per seal. Their predecessors
had been allowed to take 100,0 seals
every year for twenty years. They ex-
pected to be allowed to take not less
than 100000. Last year they only took
10000. The business has been very I'M
profitable but as the contract runs for
twenty years they had looked forward to
recouping themselves later.
Delay Helps the Poachers.
During the negotiations of Secretary
Behring sea matter there came point
when Mr.. Blaine suggested to Great
Britain convention for the preserva-
ton of seal life on the high seas. The
United States would preserve it ON the
island of Alaska. 1t was proposed that
no seals should be killed for the present
year. Two months passed away and no
answer had been returned. Meanwhile
a fleet of over sixty sealing vessels had
left Canadian ports for the sealing
grounds-a number so large that it
would require the entire British navy on
the high seas to apprehend them. They
were no sooner gone than Lord Sails
bury accepted Mr.. Blaine's proposition
in regard to keeping seal life
Another Complication.
Then came new complication. 1t
was discovered in Washington that un-
der our proposition the Aleuts of Alas
ka-our own people-must be prohibited
from killing seal even for food. They
have lived on seal meat, and would
starve without it. Secretary Blaine so
wrote Lord Salisbury, but up to the
present time has no reply from him.
In other words having seized the bad
foot put forward by this country, Lord
Salisbury held us by it and deliberately
snubbed us by neglecting Mr.. Blaine's
last note.
am able to give dates for a part of
this story. Lord Salisbury's reply to
Mr.. Blaine's proposition was received on
April %. The Canadian seal poachers
had sailed by April 10, so as to be on the
sealing grounds by June. There is, of
course, no way in which the English
government can fulfill its part of the
agreement with this government to pre-
serve seal life, since its proclamation
cannot reach the sixty seal poaching YES
sells which were shrewdly allowed to sail
away before the convention took place.
A serious Phase.
But there is another phase of the af-
fair which is serious enough. This gov
ernment has given notice to the North
American Commercial company that it
must not kill any seals this season, after
it had received an official order from the
secretary of the treasury, Mr.. Foster, to
take $4,000. The company received this
order on April 12, at time when no an
swer had been received from Salisbury,
and when it was thought no reply would
be made by him. The extreme limit of
time had been reached in which the COM
pany could get its steamer ready and
send its men to the islands, and so the
order was given. The company fitted out
a steamer at San Francisco at a cost of
nearly $1,000 for its expedition TO the
seal islands, and incurred other expenses
on a large scale.
II had been informed by Secretary
Window that he would sanction their
taking the number named, and Secre-
tary Fosters order was conclusive, but
the president ordered things differently,
and stood with Secretary Blaine in his
agreement with Lord Salisbury. BY his
direction the prohihitive order was made
early in this month. Secretary Foster
quietly submitted the case to the at
torney general who had not been con-
suited by either the president or Mr..
Blaine. and am told that Attorney
General Miller is of the opinion that the
North American Commercial company
has valid grounds for heavy suit for
damages against the government for
violation of its contract, and has a pro-
a. a -. 4.