Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-03-14
WIMAN ON SEALS.
The Eminent Economist View
of the Subject.

Why the English Premier Refuses to
Agree to Modns VivendI This Year
Some Politics in the Casa Chance
for Trouble on the Atlantic Also
Canada's Position as to Reciprocity
Abolition of the Bonding Privilege of
no Use Retaliation.
CHICAGO, March l4-Erastus Wiman,
the well-known political economist and
financier, head of the X. G. Dun Mercan-
tile agency, is visiting friends in Chicago.
He was seen Saturday evening and spoke
Interestingly on the Behring sea troubles.
Mr. Wiman said that he regarded Lord
Salisbury as a diplomat of the highest
order. "The English premier's refusal of
the mOdus vivendi for the coming season."
continued Mr.. Wiman "was no doubt de-
signed to have its effect on the arbitrat-
ors, to whom the matter is to be referred
in that he wishes to maintain the British
view of an open sea. This view a CON-
tinued modus vivendi might impair. 1t
is morally certain that the English gov
eminent will not yield this point.
Campaign Thunder Badly Needed.
at is under tremendous pressure now
being Tory in complexion and strengthened
by the recent elections, is in a mood to in
sist that Canadian sealers be protected
and given equal rights with Americans on
the high seas. Besides, the coming con-
test in England between the Tories and
Gladstone and the Liberals makes it in
cumbent that a diversion of some kind be
created to insure Tory success at the polls.
Nothing will so fire the British heart with
enthusiasm as anything calculated to
maintain the fiction that Britannia rules
the waves, and under such circumstances
it is not improbable that a vigorous for
eign policy will prevail during the coming
summer, in which the peace of the world
may he threatened.
Trouble Also on the Atlantic.
"Actual hostilities are doubtful, but
many war has sprung from less serious
causes and il is a fact that party eXigen-
cies have caused one-haf of England's
wars. While serious results may thus
impend ON the Pacific, there promises to
be trouble on the Atlantic also For the
last four years a mOdus vivendi has been
granted the United States blythe Canadian
parliament in regard to the extremely
valuable fisheries i'll the Gulf of St. Law
renee, by which, by the payment of merely
nominal tonnage duties, American vessels
have enjoyed all the hospitality denied
them by the treaty of 1878. This conces-
sion was made by Canada for the avowed
purpose of getting reciprocity treaty at
Washington for the natural products of
both countries.
No Reciprocity No Modus.
"This treaty has recently been denied by
Blaine in the strongest terms, and now
there is no hope whatever of better trade
relations with Canada unless that coun-
try is ready to discriminate against Great
Britain 10y the free admission of manufac-
lures from the United States. Therefore
the present modUs vivendi on the Atlantic
is not likely to be renewed, and the United
States government having by its frequent
payment to Canada Of tonnage duties tao
lilly admitted the correctness of Canada's
position on the Interpretation of the terms
of the treaty of 1915 has placed itself in
an extremely unfortunate position.