St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-03-11
Untried New Naval Vessels
May Yet Have a Chance
to Burn Powder.
No Disposition in Any Quar-
ter to Knuckle to Sails
bury's Needs.
President Harrison Awaiting
q Reply to Mr.. Wharton's
Last Note.

6el HSD6TleS HeSOlIdtlOuS, Hdu d lOlIS
conference at the navy department this
afternoon with Secretary Tracy and
Commodore Ramsay, chief of the bu-
reau of navigation. The conference, it
is thought. related to consideration of
the course to be pursued by the navy in
enforcing the contention of this govern
ment that the pelagic sealing in Behr-
ing sea should be wholly suspended
pending the settlement by arbitration
of the controversy between the United
States and Great Britain.
If Great Britain declines the presl-
dents proposition for a renewal of the
moduS vivendi, this government will
no doubt send all the available vessels
al its command to Behring sea soon
enough, if possible. to control its ap-
proaches and prevent the entrance of
all sealing vessels, American, as well as
others. The naval vessels that can be
used for this service are the Charleston,
Baltimore and Ranger, at San Fran
cisco; the Mohican, now on her way 10
Port orchard, WASH, with the NipSic
in tow, and the Yorktown and Boston,
now Ell route to San Francisco from
| Callao. The revenue cutters Bear,
| Rush and Corwin, now fitting out at
| San Francisco for their annual cruise to
| the seal islands, will also assist in the
work Of policing the restricted waters.
sCan England's Bluff
This was very quiet day about the
| state department. The Behring sea
matter was, of course, subject OF dis
| cussion among officials and attaches, but
! there was nothing new i'll the matter.
| In official circles. departmental and
! congressional, there Was expressed a
| desire. in sporting parlance, to call
| England's bluff" the opinion held being
| generally in agreement with that eX-
| pressed in Mr.. Phelps letter to Secre-
| tary Bayard, viz:
There need be no fear but that resolute
| stand on this subject will at once put an end
| to the mischief complained of. 1t is not TO
be reasonably expected that Great Britain
| will either encourage or sustain her colonies
| in conduct which she herself comedies to be
wrong, and which is detrimental to her own
| interests as well as ours.
| 1t is said the president is content with
| the situation as far as it has developed,
| and is satisfied that he will be Loyalty
| supported by congress and the people
| in maintaining the rights of the United
| States. The officials appreciate the polit-
| ical exigency that doubtless impels
| Lord Salisbury to take the position
| implied by his refusal to extend the
modus vivendi. An approaching gen
| eral election in Great Britain and Lord
| Salisbury's natural desire to win are
| sufficient to explain that, but 1t is be-
| leved that not even that consideration
| will be sufficient to lead the government
| to enter into a contest with the United
| Phelps says, they cOncede to be wrong
| and indefensibe.
Seals Easily Identified.
Inquiry at the capitol revealed the
| fact that in its present shape and under
present conditions the treaty will
| hardly be ratified. Said one senator:
81 am in favor of calling England's
| bluff. She won't fight, and | am not in
| favor of asking her 10 arbitrate as TO a
| right claimed by us which she has been
and is persistently violating. There is
| no excuse for any one not knowing to
what country the seals in the North
| Pacific and Behring sea belong. The
seals on the Russian side, living iii
warmer water, have thinner fur than
those of the rookeTies on the Amer
| lean shores, and are worth III per
cent less Any one who Kills a
seal. even in midocean. knows to what
country it belongs. They can be identi-
fed lust as easily as a fleet of boats
carving the United States flag, and
there would be just as much sense In
proposition to arbitrate our rights to
protect those boats from destruction as
there is in the proposition to arbltrate
those seals"
DiIigent INQUIRY at the various exec
70
question ELECTS the fact that the preSi
dent will take no further action in re-
gard to the Behring sea matter until he
shall have received reply from Lord
Salisbury to Mr.. Wharton'S note of the
8th inst, insisting on renewal of the
modus vivendi of last year as an essen
tial condition to the settlement OF the
arbitration controversy.
Goodwin Smiths Views.
An English Canadian view of the
situation of some interest was given to-
night by Goodwin Smith, formerly pro-
fessor of history of Oxford university,
Rpgland, now a resident of Toronto,
Canada Speaking informally of the
situation arising out of the Behring sea
controversy he was remarkably frank.
He said the policy stated to have been
enunciated by Senator Frye in
executive session, and put into shape
by the Morgan bill to exclude
Canadian goods from free trans
it in bond across the terri
tory of the United States, if vigorously
enforced, would bring Canada to terms
inside of three weeks and would dis
pose of all this sealing business in short
order. Great Britain had no interest in
the continuation of the destruction of
seal. On the contrary all her interests
ran the other way, as she had the prep
aratiOn of all the SealSklns, and the
sudden cessation of that industry would
throw 5000 men out of employment in
London alone.
New England railroads, he said, now
that the Grand Trunk had practically
terminus in New York, were largely in
terested in keeping up the bonding
privilege, and Minnesota and other
States north of Chicago found the short
line thus made practicable of immense
advantage to them. Therefore he
doubted if any serious attempt to carry
out the retaliation policysuggestedWou
really be made. There was too much
politics involved IN the situation for the
administration to sanction a policy of
retaliation which would hurt any state.
In further conversation Mr.. Smith ex-
pressed a reasonable fear that foolish
talk on both sides might develop a
lingo which it would be hard to sup
press.
Tories Growing Desperate.
LONDON, March 10.-The news from