Los Angeles herald., 1892-03-22
PLAYING FOR TIME.
Salisbury's Dodge in the Ber-
ing Sea Matter.
The Nature Of His Latest Reply
Kept Secret.
1t Is Believed, However, to Be Very
Unsatisfact Ory.
A Very Objectionable Counter PROPOSE
tion Offered in Lieu Of the Modus
Vivendi-The Presidents
Programme.
Associated Press Dispatches.

Associated Press Dispatches.
WASHINGTON, March 2l.-The nature
of the reply OF Lord Salisbury to the last
note from the state department, relative
to the renewal OF the modus vivendi for
the conduct of the seal fisheries in Ber-
ing sea, is known to nobody in Washing
ton except the president, the British
minister and very few officials of the
department OF state. Even the Repub-
lcan members of tie senate committee
on foreign relations and the house COM
mittee on foreign affairs, usually in
formed promptly of any new phase in
the negotiations, are in ignorance of the
contents. The conclusion drawn by
some from the omission on the part OF
the administration to inform them
upon the subject, is that the note ia in
conclusive as to the main point in con-
troversy, namely the extent of the pro-
lection to be afforded seal life in Bering
sea. 1t is believed that if Sails sbury had
acceded to the request of the president
for the renewal OF the modus vivendi,
the fact would have been Immediately
communicated to the senate. The belief
of the senators is that he has made the
note a vehicle for the extension of his
argument that the thirty. mile limit of
the protected area will be sufficient to
meet all the necessities of the case.
ONLY A PLAY FOR TIME.
One senator declared emphatically:
"It is only play for time on the part
of the British government" His theory
is that the government will ultimately
consent to the renewal of the modus
vivendi, but will delay action so long
that the agreement will be made in
effective, through the departure for the
seal grounds of large number of Canad-
ian sealing vessels. This view finds
many adherents among the senators,
and it can be asserted safely that if this
policy should become clearly defined,
the senate will be unit in supporting
the administration in a most energetic
effort to enforce the laws on the statute
books relative to the protection OF the
rights of the United States in Bering sea.
INFORMATION STILL WITHHELD.
Later.-It is impossible to obtain any
official information concerning the note
received from Lord Salisbury yesterday
on the Bering sea question. One rumor
that has many believers is that LORD
Salisbury has answered the presidents
note insisting on the necessity of the
modus vivendi, with counter.proposi-
tion that in case one is agreed upon, the
United States agrees to indemnify
Canadian vessel owners for losses in
Cured thereby. The United States has
already rejected proposition of this
kind.
General Foster, representing the state
department in this matter, had two in
terviews with the president on the SUBJ
ject today, and the impression is general
that they considered the character OF the
reply to bo made to Salisbury.
1t is pretty we'll established that the
president is not disposed to recede from
the position already assumed in regard
to the preservation of the seal herd, and
will take steps to secure that end, with
or without the cooperation of the Brit
ish government.
BERING SEA PATROL.
1t is said at the navy department that
no orders have been issued looking to
the dispatching OF a naval fleet to Ber-
ing sea this season; that no action of
this kind will be taken until the policy
of the United States government has
been clearly defined, and until the de-
partment is informed that the revenue
vessels patrolling the sea are inadequate
for this service.
Semi-officially it is said that the de-
partment is preparing vessels for service
in the Northern Pacific ocean in the
event they are needed. These
are the Adams and Ranger now
being fitted out at Mare island, Cal.
Both will enter into commission. An
other vessel that will undoubtedly go to
Bering sea this spring is the Mohican,
now at Seattle. Other vessels, that can
be utilized in case it is deemed advisable
to strengthen the feet, are the Balti-
more, at San Francisco; the Charleston,
at San Diego; the Boston and York
town, en- route to San Francisco. These,
or portion of them, with the four reve-
nue. vessels, the Bear, Rush, Corwin and
Albatross, would constitute quite for
midable fleet.
NOTICE TO sEALERs.
OTTAWA, March 2l.--The following
notice to owners and masters of British
sealing vessels has been issued:
Notice is hereby given to all persons
having claims for loss or damage by
reason of expulsion from or warning
out of Bering sea, under the provisions
of the modus vivendi between her
majesty's government and that of the
United States of America during the
1891, that all claims must be lodged at
the Office of the collector of customs at
Victoria, B. c., within month from
the date of this notice; claims not filed
within the specified time will not be
considered.
(Signed) CHARLES III. TUPPER,
Minister of Marine and Fisheries.
The notice is dated March 28th, so the
sealers will have full month in which
to take action after the official notifca-
tion reaches British Columbia.
Arizona Sugar Company.