Morning journal and courier., 1892-04-19
THE nIODUS VIVENDI.

In is Sent to the Senate Under the Seal of Secrecy-Discussed in Execu- tive Session-Referred 10 the Conn mittee on Foreign Relations.
 WASHINGTON, April 1S.-The modus vii vendi for the protection of the Boring sea seal fisheries during the pendency of the arbitration which has been a subject of negotiations between Secretary Blaine and the British minister was brought to the capitol about 1 o'clock this afternoon. For some reason not now apparent it was under the injunction of secrecy and there fore was not laid before the senate in open session. MT. Sherman, however, was noti- fed by the president of the nature of the communication and as soon as he could do 80 he moved that the senate go into e1ecu- tive session. Accordingly the people were cleared out of the galleries, the doors were closed and then the seals were broken and the modus was read to the senate.
 It appeared from the reading of the document that MT. Blaine and the British minister have been spending the time since March %, last when the British government consented to renew the modus, in trying to phrase the conditions relative to dam ages SO as to secure advantages for their respective governments. Indeed, it ap pears that all the hesitation and reluctance exhibited by Great Britain was assumed with the purpose of obliging this govern ment to accept terms for the adjustment of damages that would ensure Great Britain against heavy loss in the event of a decision adverse to her and on the other hand would promise the assessment of such a sum of money against the United States as would go far toward healing the soreness still felt by British diplomats at the formidable judgment ren dered against them by the Geneva arbitra- ton. Secretary Blaine has been endeavor- ing to bring the statement of liabilities of the two parties back to the basis laid down in MT. Wharton's note of July 23, while the British government has sought to escape the direct responsibility for the unwarrantable killing of seals and for anything more than the difference between the 7,500 skins which the lessees took and the 100, ,000 skins they might have taken had the modus vivendi of last year not been enforced. The agreement just reached is said to be a fair mean between the ex .treme propositions. Itappears that it will, unlike the first modus. require the approv- al of the senate, as the last document pro- poses a permanent settlement of damages and provides for the means of adjusting the claims. The discussion to-day was generally in the same line that has char acterized the preceding debate, and some senators called attention to what they re- garded as imperfections in the documents. It was finally referred to the committee on foreign relations.
 THE AGREEMENT SIGNED.
 WAsHINGToN, April 18--An agreement between the United States and Great Britain for modus vivendi in relation to the fur seal fishery in Behring sea for the present season was signed this morning by Sir Julian Pauncefote, the British min ister, representing the government of England, and by James G. Blaine, secretary of state, representing the government of the United States. The president this afternoon trans mitted it to the senate. The modus is in the form of supplemental convention to the treaty of arbitration recently ratified. In general, it may be said that the docu- ment is a renewal of the agreement of | 1890, with the addition of a clause provid- | ing for the settlement of damages sus- tained by the Canadian sealers through | the interruption of their business in case
 the arbitration goes against the United | States.