St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-09-29
Russian Seizures Gratifying
Officials Connected With
Arbitration.
They Will Be OF Assistance
in Maintaining Our
Claims.
Ediet Issued by Alexander 1.
Establishing the Limits
Of Navigation.
Testimony Procured Showing
That the Seals Breed in
Rookeries.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2S.-Officials con
nected with the preparation of the case
for the United States before the Behrlng
sea arbitrators are not little gratifed
over the action OF the Russian authori-
ties in selzing English or Canadian seal
ers in Behring sea, recognizing that 1t
will be of material assistance in sustain
ing the claims of the United States,
which are derived from Russia through
the sale OF Alaska, before the board of
arbitration. However greatly it may
embarrass or annoy the Canadians,
there is no apprehension here that seri-
Gus complications between England and
Russia will ensue.
1t will be of interest in this connec-
ton at this time to briefly recall the
basis of the claims made by the United
States, and which are in question be.
fore the board of arbitration, and which,
also, according to an inspired dispatch
from Ottawa, the Canadian authorities
believe that Russia is lending her aid to
establish
Before That Body.
In September, 1891, Alexander |. sent
to the directing agent of Russia an edict
setting forth that, Conserving flom re-
ports submitted to us that the trade of
our subjects on the Aleutian islands
and on the northwest coast of America
appertaining to Russia is subject, be-
cause of secret and illicit traffic, to OPP
preston and impediments: and find
ing that the principal cause of these
difficulties is the want of rules eStab-
fishing the boundaries for navigation
along these coasts and the order of
naval communication, as we'll in these
places as on the whole of the eastern
coast of Siberia and the Kurila islands,
we have deemed it necessary to deter
mine these communications by specific
regulations, which are hereto attached
The rules proposed read as follows:
Section l. The pursuit of commerce,
whaling and fishing and of all other in
dustry on all islands, ports and CULTS,
including the whole of the northwest
coast of America, beginning from Behr-
ing strait to the tifty-tirSt degree of
northern latitude; also from
The Aleutian Islands
to the eastern coast of Siberia, as we'll
as along the Kurila islands from Behr-
ing strait to the south cape OF the ISL
and of Urup. viz, to As deg. 80 min.
northern latitude, are exclusively
granted to Russian subjects.
''Sec. 2. 1t is therefore prohibited to
all foreign vessels not only to land on
the coasts and islands belonging to Rus
STA, as stated above. but also to APP
proach them within less than hundeed
miles. TranSgreSSOrS' vessels are sub
ject to cOnfiScation, along with the whole
cargo"
Exceptions we're MAIDEN favor of YES
sells in distress and vessels of friendly
nations bound only on voyages of dis
covery. The edict was ordered pub
lished by the state on Sept. Is, 1921.
Then ensued long diplomatic CORE
spondence between Russia and the
United States, resulting in 1924 in the
ratification of treaty, by the terms of
which the two governments agreed the
United States should form no estab-
lishment on the northwest coast of
America north of 45 degrees so minutes
and Russia to form none south of that
point. For period of ten years vessels
of the two nations were
Given the Right
to visit the establishments of each to
trade and fish. Similar arrangements
were made between Russia and Eng
land.
At the end of the ten years Count
Nesselrode, Russian minister of foreign
affairs, refused to extend the period of
reciprocal right to fish and trade, and
thus matters stood until 1867, when
Alaska was conveyed under treaty by
Russia to the United States. By the
terms of that instrument ''hiS majesty,
the Emperor of all the Russias, agreed
to cede to the United States all the ter
ritOry and dominion now possessed by
Of
America and in the adjacent islands.
The concessions hereby made convey
all the rights, franchises and privileges
now belonging to Russia in the SAID ter
ritory or dominion and appurtenances
thereto"
BY the treaties of 1924 the United
States and England each acknowledged
RuSSia's right to exclusive jurisdiction
of the territory involved in the present
arbitration, and the United States
claims are founded upon RuSSia'S con-
veyance of it. The proceedings prelim-
mary to the meeting of the board of
arbitration are being forwarded, as is
possible by the terms of the treaty
under which the arbitration is to take
place. The original case prepared by
each party was delivered to the arbi-
traitors and to the agent party on the 18th
inst, and the counsel of
The Two Governments
have been in consultation upon the doc
uments furnished by their adversary in
the capitals of the two countries. They
are now engaged on preparing the coun-
ter cases, which, with the additional evil
dence to sustain the same, must be eX-
changed by the 7th of December, unless
an extension. which must be of sixty
days duration, is applied for by either
party within the next week. Although
there has been no official statement of
the fact, it is believed in official circles
that extension will be asked for, and
that the arbitrator will not meet in
Paris, where the session of the board is
to be held, until March next.
Additional testimony secured by Sec
rotary of State Foster, agent in charge
OF the case of the United States, which
was not available to the Behring sea
agents of the two countries at their
session i'll Washington last winter, goes
to sustain the contention made by the
United States that the pOaching in
Behring sea is responsible for the fall
ing off of the number of seals. A. Alex
ander, who visited the seals islands
this summer on the steamer Albatros S,
says:
The seals do not breed in the water.
as the Canadians assert. but in the
rookeries. as the American experts
claim. The pOacnerS are responsible
for the fearful falling off in the sealing.
The seals have migrated elsewhere ON
H. i / Il