Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-04-05
LOADED FOR SEALS.
The Legal Notables Now As.
sembled at Paris.
RUSSELL OPENS WITH A DEMAND,

which Is Conceded With Due Notice That
the Concession will Not BE Repeated
Several Preliminary Motions Made, One
of Which Phelps Discusses at Length
The Home Rule Issue in Belfast-Bal-
four Received With Loud Acclaim-A
Great Demonstration.
PARIS, April Sat I:4O yesterday morn
ing the Anglo American arbitration court
met and entered upon the real business
that called it together. There was no de-
lay in the proceedings; both parties to the
arbitration were "loadedr-for seals pre-
sumably and Sir Richard Web
ster opened the engagement by
putting in an interlocutory question con-
corning the right of England to adduce a
series of fresh arguments subsequent to
the presentation of the memorandum in
which both sides set forth their views Mr.
Carter on behalf of the American commits
sion. opposed the desire of the English
counsel.
Sir Charles Russell, acting on behalf
of the British government. asked that
the report be presented which was furnish
ed to the American government by Sir
Henry Elliott in October, 1890. Sir Richard
' Il
port is, according to the petitioners. only
known to the pu olic by newspaper extracts
from it. 1t is claimed that the United States
has always kept back the contents because
the document is capable of being inter
preted against them.
Phelps Makes a Concession
Russell based his demand on article
of the arbitration treaty, which gives the
for the production of all documents likely
to be useful in the deliberations Phelps
denied that the report was referred to in the
American case. He said that il was sim
ply referred to in the counter case, to
which article of the treaty did not refer.
Phelps further denied that it was admissi-
BILE in law that one party should have the
power to force an adversary to produce any
document simply because the adversary
desired to use it in evidence.
The refusal of the United States to pro-
duce the document was not due to any de-
sire to suppress the report, but to the fact
that it YVES applied for too late for the
American government to prepare its an
swer to the arguments that might posi-
bly, be based upon it. Nevertheless he
would produce the report, as he did not
wish TO engender the suspicion of desire
to suppress e.idence, but after this conces-
sion he would decline to produce any
further evidence.
Russell Sticks to This Point.
Russell briefly contended that the report
was referred to in the appendix, and the
appendix was referred to in the case suffi-
GENTLY TO invoke article 4 of the treaty.
The court then took recess After the
recess Carter, for the United States, sub
m:tted for consideration a motion that the
tribunal dismiss from the arbitration so
much of England's demands as relate TO
America and is contained in chapter 10,
page 3l5, of the British counter case, refer
ring to the expenditure for supreme court
The motion contemplated
also the dismissal of the clause concerning
pelagic sealers.
Phelps moved the rejection of the report
of the Behring sea commission put in evil
dence at the first meeting of the arbitrat-
ors. His arguments in support of this |
motion were mostly technical and were |
based upon voluminous correspondence |
between the United States and British |
His address was still I'M |
finished when the commission adjourned |
for the day.