The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-03-10
THE RERINn srA MATTER

Diplomatic circles were startled last week
by the announcement that Lord Salisbury
had informed our Government that the
British Government would not consent to
renewal Of the mOdus rireRdi of last year,
which prohibits all sealing in Boring
Sea, except for a limited catch to sup
port the inhabitants of the Pibyloff Islands.
lie would only consent to stop sealing in a
zone of 80 miles around the islands, and limit
the catch there to 10000 seals. This is re-
garded as utterly insufficient, as most OF the
damage is done to the seals beyond that
limit. Inside of the limits it would be
practically impossible to enforce the prohibit
tion owing TO the dense fogs which hang
around the islands during the sealing season
One prominent official denounced the propo-
sitiOn as wholly unfair, arrogant, and even
insulting to this country" The President
regarded the situation as so grave that he
cut short his visit TO Virginia Beach and
hurried back to Washington.
Notwithstanding the Boring Sea was
closed last year and was patroled by naval
vessels of Great Britain and the United
States, the catch of the poachers within its
waters aggregated nearly 10000 seals, and 1T
is this fact that inspires the officials of this
Government to the belief that the opening
of the sea TO the extent proposed by Lord
Salisbury, with so many more poachers at
work, would inevitably result in the total
destruction of the industry before next Fall,
possibly before the questions at issue could
even be submitted to arbitration.
A Cabinet meeting will be held early this
week to decide the line of policy to be fol-
lowed. The meeting may decide 10 submit
the whole matter TO Congress, and ask for
instructions. Pending this it is agreed that
the Presidents duty is plain. The law pro-
yides that he must protect the fisheries, and
he has no other course until Congress de-
Cides otherwise 1t is believed that he will
at once order our whole naval force on the
Pacific to Boring Sea, with positive
instructions TO stop all sealing what
ever, excepting the limited catch pro-
vided for the support of the islanders. We
have now available for that purpose the
San Francisco, Baltimore, Charleston, Mohi-
\ can, Adams, Thetis Ranger, Boston, York
town, Pensacola, Iroquois, PiHta, Bear, Rush,
and Corwin. The decision of the Supreme
Court in the Sayward case aflirms, in effect,
our right to police control of the entire sea, as
I the Sayward was seized 20 miles from shore
Several explanations are offered for Sails
bury's unexpected act, the two most plausi-
Die being that il is a bit Of electiOneering,
aud that it il intended to placate Canada
and help the Tory party there, which is now
in sore distress. In England the Tory
party, of which Salisbury is at the head, is
in trouble. The present Parliament has
oeeu Conllhueu LOT nearly us leRdi
/ limit OF seven years, in the hope that
! Gladstone would die, or some other event
would occur which gould give the Tories
an opportunity TO appeal to the country
with hopes of success. 1t has been disap-
pointed, aud now that it has 10 go to the
country, Salisbury may have decided that a
disagreement with this country will raise
a war feeling which will carry his party
/ through