St. Paul daily globe., 1893-03-31
BEHRING SEA CASES.
States Senate and the British
Parliament
Uncle Sam Claims to Have Sue
ceeded 10 All the Rights Rus
Sia Claims.

WASHINGTON, March 30.-The cases
ana counter cases of the United States
and Great Britain, under the treaty to
arbitrate the Behring sea difficulties be-
tween the two countries, were stimuli
taneouSly sent to the United States
senate today and to the house of parla-
ment in London. Briefly stated, the
case of the United States is that all the
rights of Russia in respect to the seal
fisheries in Behring sea as to the
water boundary established by the
treaty of March so, 1867, between
that nation and the United States, and
all the power and authority possessed
and asserted by Russia to protect said
rights passed unimpaired to the United
States under that treaty. That the
United States have such property and
interest in the Alaska seal herd as to
justify the employment by that nation
upon the high seas of such means as
are reasonably necessary TO prevent the
destruction of such herd, and to secure
the possession and benefit OF same to
the United States, and that all the acts
and proceedings of the United States
done and had for the purpose of pro-
tecting such property and interest were
juStifiable and stand justified; and that
compensation should be made to the
United States by Great Britain by the
payment of the amount of the losses of
the United States or such other sum as
may be deemed to be Just.
The case of Great Britain, on the
other hand, is that Behring sea is an
open sea. in which all nations have the
right TO fish. That on the right to pur-
chase and acquisition of Alaska by the
United States in 1867. the United States
were fully aware and recognized that
the rights of other nations to navigate
and fish iD the nOn-territorial waters
adjacent to their newly acquired terri
tory existed in their full natural state,
unimpaircd and unlimited by any treaty
or bargain whatever. That from the
year 1867 down to the year 1856 the
United States, while they lawfully and
properly controlled and legislated for
the shores and territorial waters of the
newly acquired territorp, did not at
tempt to restrict or interfere with the
rights OF other nations to navigate and
fish in the nen-territorial waters of
Behring sea or other parts of the
Pacific ocean. That Great Britain
has throughout been fayorably
ulSpUOcu " llC duOpllOu VI SCuCl al
measures of control of the fur seal fish
cries, should these be found to be neces-
sary or desirable, with a view to the
protection of the fur seals, provided
that such measures be equitable and
framed on just grounds of common in
terest, and that the adhesion of other
powers be secured, as a guarantee of
this continued and impartial execution.
In the counter case the counsel for
Great Britain treat the property claims
brought up by the United States as If
relevant.
Both parties file claims for damages,
the United States for losses to its rev.
enue and Oh account OF the losses to the
Alaskan Commercial company, because
of the reduced number of skins taken,
owing te the diminutiOn OF the herd by
the pelagic sealing of British vessels,
and Great Britain on account of losses
TO the owners of the vessels seized by
the United States.