The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-09-29

Arctic Ocean. At that part of it which
.osses 70 be called Behring Sea and
o,eumes the name of Pacific Ocean the
body of water is $500 miles wide with
n chain of islands running across it from
tho Russian to the American side But
these islands have great gaps of sea be-
tueen them 200 miles wide. The whole
body of Behring Sea is three times as
large as the Gulf of Mexico.
A number of years back, while Russis
owned Alaska. she set up the preposter-
Gus claim that Behring Sea was a mare
cIausum-that is, a sea belonging wholly
70 her. as the Chesapeake Bay belongs to
the United States. Great Britain and the
United States very positively denied her
claim. and forced her by treaty to To-
nounce il so far as they were concerned.
Alaska was purchased by this Govern
ment. and through an access OF folly on
the part of the people of the United
States. BENJAMIN Harrison was made
President of the United States. In order
that he might give a slight twist to the
British lions tail and thereby affect the
Irish vote of New York, the said Har-
rison revived against England the pre-
posterous claim that this Government had
forced Russia to abandon, and went reg
ularly into the business of Selling Ca
madam sealers in Behring Sea upon the
ground that it had been a closed sea
lya nd
is therefore still a closed sea. The coun-
try is familiar with what followed and
with the perilous proximity to war with
Great Britain into which he drove this
country. from which nothing saved the
people of both but the good sense and
cooluess of Lord Salisbury.
The country is familiar with the fact
that the controversy is now pending be-
fore board of international arbitrators,
and in due time the claims of Mr.. Harri-
son will be authoritatiyely pronounced
absurd and he and his abettors will be
made duly ridiculous.
But the laughable part of the whole
business comes in at the facts detailed
in the outset Of this article. Mr.. Harri
sons side partner. Russia, seeing this
Governments hands tied by Air. Harri-
sons claim that Behring Sea is closed
sea. concludes she will make Tie most
of The situation before the arbitration
board untics our bands, and she proceeds
to maraud and plu1dcr our shipping at
her pleasure in the name of a closed sea.
She says. very Russian like. IF Behring
Sea is. as Mr.. Harrison claims, closed
sea. it is a closed sea for Russias adj
vantage as much as for Americas adj
vantage, and while the arbitration board
is deliberating we will scoop up all the
unwary American vessels that happen
to come along under the Gelusive belief
that Russia is backing Harrison in his
claim of closed sea, and would, there
fore. never think of hurting American
commerce in the name Of closed sea"
The whole business is an insult to this
Government and an outrage TO the rights
of our citizens. but we fail to see just
how Mr.. Harrison can say anything
about it. If the American side is. as
he claims, closed sea, the Russian side
is also, equally, a closed sea, and his
Russian friend is not at all particular
about Selling at exactly the true dividing
line He makes liberal allowances in
his own behalf for errors of Congress
AID unlearned officers. On the whole,
Mr.. Harrison is in a pickle, and he NAV,
with great advantage TO himself, seclude
himself at prayer time, and mediate
thusly:
"Oh what a tangled web we weave.
When first we practice to deceive"