St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-03-25
Saifbury,s Weakness.

| That in view of this serious and con-
| tident contention of this government
his lordship should assume that an
| other years suspension OF such sealing
| is not necessary "to prevent all undue
| diminution of the seal herds" and
| should insist that pending an arbitra-
! ton it shall go on, precisely as 1t no
| arbitration had been agreed upon, is as
surprising as it is disappointing. III her
majesty's government so little respects
| the claims and contentious of this gov
| eminent as to be unwilling to fOrbear
| for single season to disregard them,
| the president cannot understand why
! Lord Salisbury should have proposed
and agreed to give to those claims the
dignity and standing which reference
to high court of arbitration implies.
From the moment an arbitration was
agreed upon, neither party was at lib
erty to disregard the contentious of the
other. 1t must be assumed that the
sincere purpose of the two governments
was to promote peace and good will, but
If, pending the arbitration, either deals
with the subject of it solely upon the
basis of its own contention and in utter
| disregard of the claims of the other,
this friendly end is not only not at
| tanned, but new sense of injury and
injustice is added, even if it should be
lOuIu DCSSlUlc 10 pIOCGeu Will dIl dI
tratlOn under such conditions.
For it must not he forgotten that. if
her majeSty's government proceeds dur
| ing this sealing season upon the basis
of It's contention as to the rights of the
/ Canadian SealerS, no choice is left to
this government but to proceed upon
| the basis of its confident contention
! that peagic sealing in the Behring sea
| is an infractiOn of its jurisdiction and
property rights. His lOrdship will
hardly fail to see this. Herein, in the
opinion of the president, consists the
gravity of the present situation, and he
is not willing to be found in any degree
| responsible for the results that may
follow the insistence by either govern
1 ment during this season upon
/ The Extreme Rights
claimed by it. i'll his opinion it would
discredit in the eyes of the world the
/ two great movements involved if the
4 paltry profits of a single season should
] be allowed to thWart or even to disturb
/ the honorable and friendly adjustment
! of their differences, which is so nearly
/ concluded; but if his lordship shall adj
] here to his refusal to unite with us in
/ prompt and effective measures to stop
/ pelagic sealing and shall insist upon
free sealing for British subjects, the
| question, as it affects this government,
| is no longer one of pecuniary loss or
! gain, but one of honor and self-respect.
| This government, notwithstanding
| the fact that its right to take seals upon
| the PribylOff islands is undiSputed and
| wholly nninvolved in the arbitration.
| has proposed to take no profit from the
| island catch, but to limit the taking of
| seals to the necessities of the natives of
| those islands: and it cannot consent
1 that, with indemnity or without, the
| contested rights-ef British subjects to
catch seals in the Behring sea shall be
| exercised pending the arbitration.
The president finds it difficult to be-
| lieve that Lord Salisbury is serious in
| proposing that this government shall
| take separate bonds from the owners of
| about 100 Canadian sealing vessels to
| indemnify it for the injury they may
| severally inflict upon our jurisdiction or
| property, and must decline to discuss
| suggestion which only his respect for
| Lord Salisbury and his belief that his
| lordship has a due appreciation of the
| gravity of this discussion, enable him to
| treat with seriousness. We should
| doubtless have to
! Pursue and Capture
upon the sea many of the owners of
| those vessels to secure the bonds Sug-
| gested, and as the condition is to be
| that, the obligofs shall pay 'any dam
| ages which the arbitrators may adj
| Judge" while the treaty gives the arbi-
traitors noipowcr to aadjudge any dam
ages the transaction would be without
/ risk to the ODigOrS and OF no value to
/ us. This government cannot consent
! to have what it believes to be its rights
! destroyed or impaired pending their de-
I faVt tJnI, hHTn oa,6 triI no
| ever adequate the security offered.
| The reference in my last note to the
! inconsistency of her majesty'S govern
| ment in denying responsibility for the
| acts of the Canadian SealerS was not in
| tended to suggest Willingness on our
! part under any circumstances to see our
| property converted into claim for
| damages, and particularly as such
| claim cannot now be heard or deter
! mined by the arbitratOrs without
reformation of the treaty. for his lord
| ship must remember that while he now
| offers what he mistakenly calls security
| for satisfying any damages which the
| afbitrators may adjudge," he has
! already carried his point in the treaty
| that the arbitrator shall have no juris-
diction to award any damages.
Compensation Claims.
AS W HIS lOlNSHlp D ouSSCSIlOH Illut
Canadian spalerS may have some claim
for compensation if Great Britain snail :
restrain pelagic sealing, the president
| directs ME to say that he is not able TO
see how the citizen or subject of either
of the treaty powers can by any rule of
J law or equity support any claim against
their res pective governments growing
out of such necessary trade restraints as
the government may lawfully impose to
promote the larger conditions of the
public good and international peace.
The suggestion that the conclusions
of the board of arbitration may not be
reached and announced in time to gov
ern the conduct of the parties
during tie season Of 1898 is, the presi-
dent thinks, fully provided against
by the treaty itself. If the present
treaty is promptly ratified and eX-
changed our mutual interest would be
All absolute guaranty against delay.
The president has found no obstacle in
the way Of such a contamination, eX-
cept the belief now unfortunately
prevalent here that the refusal of Great
Britain to agree to the preservation of
the status quo OF the property during
the arbitration, and her insistence that
pelagic sealing shall go Oh, to the in
jury, If not destruction. of our rights,
largely defeats the object of the treaty.
Least We Can Accept.
The president directs me to say, in
conclusion, that the modus of last year
is the least that this government can
accept. In reason the restraints, after
a treaty of arbitration, should be more
absolute, not less. He does not desire
to protract this discussion, and having
now in the most friendly spirit sub
mitted the considerations which sup
port the just demand of this govern
ment, that the property which is the
subject of an agreed arbitration shall
not be subject to a spoliation ending
the arbitration, he expresses the hope
that Lord Salisbury will give prompt
aud friendly assent to renew the modus.
The president will hear with regret
that her majesty's government contin-
ues to assert right to deal with this
c,1I,i of r,t.onicaIu q g If M nrouicinn had