Morning journal and courier., 1892-03-25

The chair-The chair will cheerfully d,
the request.
There was no objection and the vote W,
recapitulated.
Messrs. Meyer and Huff, who were Nc
in record, demanded that their votes /
recorded sfirmatively. The vote the
stood, yeas $50, nays 148. The result ws
loudly applauded by the anti siiverites.
The chair stated that the question wa
then on the motion to lay upon the tabl
the pending bill.
The house adjourned at 1895 without az
ton, which kills the free coinage bill flo
the time being.
LORD sALIsBURY's REPLY.
He Sill Refuses to Recede From HI
Former Posftion-The Full Core
sPondence Laid Before the Senate
The President Still firm in His De
mands.
WASHINGTON, March 4-At the conclu
sion of to-dsy's executive session of tn,
senate, which lasted four hours, the CORE
spondence read yesterday relative to Behr
ing sea was made public. In the first com
munication, dated March 10 and addressed
to Acting Secretary Wharton, Sir Julian
Pauncefote, the British minister. says:
con receipt Of your note of the 9Th inst
Immediately telegraphed to the Marquis
of Salisbury the substance of its contents
in accordance with the request you ex
pressed and 1 have now the honor to in
form you have this day received reply
from his lordship by telegram to the fol
lowing effect:
Lord Salisbury again points out tina,
the information in the possession of her
majesty's government does not lead them
to believe that another years suspension
of sealing is necessary to prevent an un.
due diminution of the seal herd. His
lordship, however, proceeds to observe
that beyond this question it is considered
by your government that they have the
right to be protected from the loss which
they may incur from free sealing being
claim to Boring sea being up
held by the arbitrators. He states
that her majesty's government do not dis
pute that after the ratification of the con-
vention there will be some foundation for
this contention, but he adds that the pro-
hibition of all sealing as a remedy has this
defect, that the British sealers excluded
from Behring sea would have an undoubted
ground of complaint If the British claim
should be upheld by the arbitrators.
Moreover there ia no security that the
arbitration will be concluded before the
sealing season of 1898. Thus an arbltrs-
ton between Great Britain, the United
States and Portugal, which has already
Serious damage would be caused to the
industry by suspension of sealing for
long period. In view of all the above
considerations it appears to her majesty's
government that 1t would be more equita-
BILE to provide that sealing in Behring sea
shall continue on the condition that the
owners of every sealing vessel shall give
security for satisfying any damages which
the arbitrators may adjudge. 1 shall be
glad to learn that the above suggestions
meet with the concurrence of your govern
ment."
In his reply, dated March 90, Mr.. Whar-
ton says: 81 am directed by the presi-
dent to say that your note has had his
immediate attention in view of what he
deems to be the extreme urgency and
gravity of the matter under discussion.
The urgency grows out of the fact that
much further protraction of this discus
sion will make any modus that may be
agreed upon Intellectual to protect the in
terests OF the United States and will give
to Canadian sealers practical immunity bv
reason of the impnssibility of communi-
eating to them the agreed restrictions.
''1t is known that the sealers have hasten
ed their departure to escape notice of
possible modus and that every day almost
adds to the fleet that must now be over
hauled at sea. Already forty-seven Cana
dian vessels have cleared for the sealing
ground as against thirty-one at the same
time last year and are engaged in following
up and destroying the seal herds. These
vessels will, If not stopped and turned back
AZ tho irtn tho Pab
pursue to the very shores OF the islands
the slaughter of the mother seals seeking
the accustomed rookeries to be delivered
Of their young. This crime against ma
ture. This government expects to show,
# the arbitration proceeds, that female
seals constitute the larger per cent of the
catch of the pelsgic seals"
Mr.. Wharton says in view of this seri-
ous and confident contention of this
government it is as surprising as it is dissp-
pointing that his lordship should assume
hat another years suspension of 'tsuch"
sealing is not necessary to prevent an I'M
1ue diminution of the seal herds. If her
government, he remarks, so little
respects the claims and contentious of this
government as to be unwilling to forbear
or single season to disregard them, the
president cannot understand why Lord
Salisbury should have proposed and agreed
% give to those claims the dignity and
'tanding which a reference to a
high court of arbitration implies.
Mr.. Wharton, continuing. said if her
najesty's government proceeds during the
ealing season upon the basis of its conten-
ion as to the rights of the Canadian seal
'rs no choice is left to this government
nut to proceed upon the basis of it's con-
ention that pelagic sealing in the Behring
ea is an infraction of its jurisdiction and
rights. Herein, in the opinion
# the president consists the gravity of the
present situation, and he is not willing to
,e found in any degree responsible for the
esult that may follow the insistence by
'ither government during this season upon
he extreme rights claimed by it. In his
opinion it would discredit in the
yes of the world if the paltry profits
should be allowed to thwart or even dis
urb the honorable and friendly adjust
nent of their differences SO nearly con-
,luded; but if his lordship shall adhere to
lis refusal to units with us in prompt and
Effective measures to stop pelagic sealing
md shall insist upon free sealing for Brit
sh subjects the question as it affects this
government is no longer one of pecuniary
oss or gain, but of honor and respect. Mr..
Wharton declares that this government
cannot consent that, with indemnity or
without, the contested rights of British
subjects to catch seals in the Behring sea
'hall be exercised pending the arbitra alton.
The president finds it difficult to believe
that Lord Salisbury is serious in proposing
that this government shall take sepa-
rate bonds from the owners of about 100
Canadian sailing vessels to indemnify it
for the injury they may inflict upon our
jurisdiction or property, and must de-
cline to discuss that suggestion. We
should doubtless, says Mr.. Wharton, have
to pursue and capture upon the sea many
Of the owners of those vessels to secure the
bonds suggested, and rs the condition is to
be that the obligors shall pay ''any dam
ages which the arbitrators may adjudge,"
while the treaty gives the arbitrator no
power to adjudge any damages the trans
action would be without risk to the
obligators and OF no avail to us. This
cannot consent to what it believes to be
Its rights destroyed or impaired pending
by an agreed tribunal, how
ever adequate the security. AS to his
lordship's suggestion that Canadian seal
ers may have some claim for compensation
if Great Britain shall restrain pelagic
sealing, Mr.. Wharton states that
the president is unable to see how the sub
jects of either power can by any rule of
law or equity support any claim against
their respective governments growing out
of such necessary trade restraints as the
governments may lawfully impose to pro-
mote the larger conditions of the public
good and international peace. The sug