Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-03-30
TREATY RATIFIED.
The Senate Acts on the Behr-
ing Sea Agreement.
NOT A SINGLE NEGATIVE VOTE CAST


President Replies to SaIisbury's Note
Accepting His Proposals, and the Re-
public Is Peace"-Tariff Debate in the
House-Stewart Proposes to Bring the
Silver Question Up in the Senate-An
Estimate of the Vote Tbere-OmciaI
Notes.
WASHINGTON, March 30.-The treaty or
convention providing for arbitration in
the settlement of the differences between
Great Britain and the United States over
the jurisdiction of Behring sea was rati-
fed by the senate yesterday afternoon by
a unanimous vote. The secret session
which resulted in the ratification was at
tended by seventy-two senators. There
was some general discussion concerning
the perfection of the treaty and Sherman
announced that the propositions made by
some senators at prev .ous sessions that the
arbitration proceedings should be con-
Quoted in English had met with favora-
BILE response from Lord Salisbury. The
treaty did not stipulate the language in
which the proceedings shall be conducted
After Sherman made this statement the
treaty was amended so that English
should be the language used in the con
duct of the proceedings
Gave the Arbiters More Time.
There was also some discussion over
article IL OF the treaty, which provides
that ''the decision of the tribunal shall, if
possible be made within three months
from the close of the argument on both
sides" Several senators thought the
time allowed the arbtrators for decision
should be longer, and as there was no OBJ
lection to this the time was extended to
four months After a discussion over
these points and some others of minor i'm
portance the treaty was ratifixi without
further change (by an aye and nay vote)
and resolutions informing the president of
its ratification and removing the injunc-
tion of secrecy from the vote were adopted.
Senators Who Didn't Vote.
The vote was unanimous as to the sena-
tors present. Those absent were: Aldrich,
Blodgett, Brice, Casey, Chiffon, Colquitt,
Davis, Faulkner, Harris, Hill, Irby, Jones
of Arkansas, Jones of Nevada Manderson,
Morrill,, Stanford-total, 16.
Amendment to the Treaty.
Yesterday Sir Julian Pauncefote sent to
the president draft of the amendment
which Lord Salisbury would like to have
made to the arbitra ton treaty in order to
make it perfectly acceptable to his govern
ment. 1t is in effect the same as proposed
in Salisbury last dispatch, providing that,
should the arbitrators decide the Canadian
poachers had right to the seal catch
which some of them are now making they
may proceed for damages against this gov
ernment on account of having been kept
out of their work during the present season
by virtue of a renewal of the modus vi
vendi. The president is said to be willing
to have the amendment adopted.
Harrison's Reply to Salisbury.
President Harrison was in very happy
mood at the meeting of the cabinet yester-
day He prepared letter in reply to the
last communication of the British premier
which he read to the cabinet and which
met with unanimous approval. Blaine
was present at the meeting and expressed
his admiration for the letter. 1t
was transmitted to Sir Julian
ing and by him promptly put on
the wires for the information of Lord Sails
| bury. The president expressed his will
| ingness to accept an agreement for an ad-
justment of damages, according as the ar
bitrators may decide for or against the
United States. He suggests to Lord Sails
bury, however, that two closed seasons
| will make the price of sealskins very high
| during the next winter, and that this may
| be an element in determining the measure
| of damages on one side or the other.