The Portland daily press., 1893-05-04
WE OWN s sEALs.
just As Australian Farmers Own Their
Sheep, Says Coudert.

PARIS, May 3.-At the meeting of the
| Behring Sea Tribunal of Arbitration to-
day Hon. John W. Foster, agent for the
United States, informed the Tribunal
that an authentic report of the speech
delivered by James c. Carter, of counsel
for the United States, would be presented
| this week.
F. r. Coudet, Esq.,, of counsel for the
United States, then spoke, giving an out
line of the arguments which he proposed
| to offer in support of Mr. Carter. The
defence of the sealing industry in Behring
| Sea by the United States was, Mr.. Coudert
declared, imperative, and an attack on
the Sealing industry was an attack ON the
| United States. The United States raised
the seals at the Pribylof Islands in the
same sense that Australia raised sheep,
and it was impossible that the nurture
and culture of the seal at the Pribylof
Islands could exist in common with
pelagic sealing. The seals at the Pribylof
Islands, continued Mr.. Coudert, were alb
solute property. just as cattle and sheep
were absolute property.
| Sir Charles Russell of counsel for Great
Britain here interposed with the remark,
| Certainly not.'
| Mr.. Coudert admitted that proof as to
ownership was impossible. Some propo-
sitions We're self-evident, although they
could not be demonstrated by proof.
However, when the seals were at the
islands they could be branded and their
ears clipped. The British commissioners
recognized that the seals were American
property when they said that the guard
was inefficient to protect the seals from
4 t-rof n Tvx fl,,+1 -. IL.
the United States to protect the seals
within certain limit was recognized
and it was absurd to say that the United
States was unable to protect the seals
outside of that limit. Seals, Mr.. Coudert
argued, were not fer@ natura. The
British argument was not helped by that
Latin term. Mr.. Coudert went on to de-
| scribe seal life. The seal, he said, was
not marine animal. 1t goes to sea only
to seek food. 1t possessed the animum
revertendi, and the title to the seal as
| absolute property was undeniable.
The attention of the members of the
court, of counsel and spectators is riveted
by MI. Coudert's remarkable f1uency of
| speech.
The Germans and the Army Bill.
BERLIN, May 3.-The members of the
Centre party had an uproarious meeting
today to consider the proposition sup
ported by Freiherr Won Huene as to the
| terms on which the Centre should sup
port the army bill in the Reichstag. The
meeting resulted in the rejection of
Freiherr Won Huene's proposition by an
enormous majority. Count Won Ballc-
strom thereupon resigned his place as
leader of the Centre, and Count Won
Preysing- g-Lichtenegg- Moos was elected
to succeed Ballestrom in the leadership.
1t was afterwards decided that the
members should vote according to their
individual convictions. In the Reichstag
today Chancellor Caprivi declared that
the government would endeavor by every
constitutional means to secure the pas
sage of the army bill. The German
army, he said, as at present constituted.
was not equal in quantity or quality to
any emergency that might arise. He re-
minded the members of the Reichstag
that the ablest diplomacy was not always
an efficient substitute for military
strength, and in support of this assertion
he cited the experience of Frederick the
Great.
Will Race the Nayahoe.
LONDON, May 3.-The yacht Sataniter
which will compete with the new Amer
can yacht Navahoe, was launched at
Southampton today. She is of three
hundred tons register and her lead keel
weighs eighty tons.
The Revolution Peters Out.
| HAVANA, May ga despatch from
Halquin says that all the rebels hvae sur
rendered themselves at Cuatro, Verdras.
The party consisted of only thirty men.
Lady Somerset Reelected.
| LONDON, May 3.-Lady Somerset was
today reelected President of the British
Women's Temperance Association by a
majority of 80. The minority thereupon
left the convention declaring the intro
duction of politics into the Association
work would split the organization and
ruin the temperance cause.
Col Harrington Rifle Inspector.