New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-26

land is not hOnored by the declarations oi nv,
leading counsel at Paris She is Represented
as a cynic among nations she s'ahuS peiOr'
n High Court of Arbitration. itself the cmDodi-
inent Of the best civilization. bl'IntLy deci'i'"S
that morality and progress are not the JuuscS
to whom nations must appeal IN their re'i''oiis
TO one another: that there Is ~ principe vi
Justice beyond those that might has procll'lheu
and no standard of conduct except those "hich
can be tested by precedent
TO the claim that the seal are our property
because they breed on our land live there the
greater part of every year ana leave only TO
return in the course of 4 few months, sir
Charles replies that they are ours when we
have actual possession OF them ana his Whch
he can get at them. To the argument 'hat
they ought to be ours because we only are IN
n position to care for them. to protect their
lives. to promote their growth and at the same
time to supply the demands OF the world for
their ilins without particle OF waste, sir
Charles replies that the waste is Il matter OF
no consequence. that he does not believe our
word wien we claim to have regard for the
welfare of the seal, that he considers us insin-
cepe and selfish and that whether OF not his
method of taking the seal sacrifices five lives
for every one that avails him in business
way, it is 10 function of ours TO set up aS a
protector Of wild animals. TO the argument
that most of the seal taken in the water are
females, out in search of food for their young,
that they have just been delivered and are
then again pregnant, so that in their death
three lives are lost. that this kind of slaughter
will inevitably exterminate the race and is
essentially immoral Sir Charles inquiries, with
a sneer, who taught us that it was immoral,
who gave us such refined notions of morality,
and where is the law that says it is wrong to
kin seal because it Us a pregnant female !?
TO the claim that we owe il to mankind TO
save these interesting and useful animals, that
we owe it to ourselves 10 protect a valuable
property which Nature puts wholly within our
control for the greater part of the year, and
that we owe it TO the seal 10 save them from
q form of slaughter which is cruel and un-
justihable Sir Charles replies that the seas
are free and that nothing can justify the inter
ference by one nation with the vessels OF M
other, except the consent of all nations and
to the claim that the necessity for that consent
having once arisen implies the possibility Of
its arising again and furnishes a precedent for
an act which thereby becomes legal if molal-
ity approves it and the facts vindicatc the
claim of its necessity. Sir Charles replies that
the law is as it is written. that it is not elastic
and that it must be read and applied IT, the
letter.
Whatever be the result at Paris. Americans
may feel content that cir position is a cred-
liable one that in order to justify the conduct
of their Government it is not necessary for
their counsel to argue against right and prog
ress. They are proud to have Mr.. Carers
arguments stigmatizod as ethical" Is a lect
uIe in metaphysics" a, visionary and all
that, and it is TO be hoped that aS often As the
United States may find occasion to appear be
fore an international tribunal. il may be with
cause the vindication of which will be. As in
the present instance the yndicaton also OF
good morals, good sense and justice.