The state herald. (Holyoke, Logan County, Colo.) 1887-1921, 1893-08-25
the sEARlNo SEA DECISION.
A Compromise Anrsrnesd which win
Protect the Seals nv Denies
Some Of Our Claims to

A Compromise Ansouneed which win
Protect the ssAlI bSt Denies
Some Of Our Claims to
Sarisdlction.
The decision Of tbs Bshring Sea tribunal
Of arbitration was handed down At ll:07
O'Clock Tuesday morning.
The nvo points Of article arc decided
against tho United States. close season Is
establiahsd TO begin May and TO continue
until July u. Tho close season shall be OBJ
servod both In The North Pacific ocean and In
Bshring Sea. protected zone 10 established
extending for sixty miles around the Islands.
PelAgIc sealing is allowed outside tho zone III
Behring Sea from AuguSt !. The Ssc q IRE
arms In sealing Is prohibited.
Tho decision was practically unanimous,
| though MessrG Harlan aud Morgan voted
against the decision dlsallowing American
control Of Behring Sea.
Baron dc Courcel addressed the arbitrator,
saying that he recognized the great value Of
arbitration ~ . Gauss Of peace between
nations. He expressed tho opinion that
every international arbitration rendered war
lcas probable, and said he looked forward to
tho time In the near future when It would be
the rulo and not the exception to settle inter
national differences In this way.
Senator John L. Morgan, one Of the Ameri-
can Arbitrators, and Lord Hammer, one Of the
arbitrator appointed by Great Britain, re-
piled TO Baron de Courcel saying that they
reciprocated the sentiments expressed BY
htm, and they recognized tho Hospitality ex-
tended BY France TO the arbitrator.
The session terminated amid mutual con-
gratulations and expresslous Of good feeling.
John w. Foster, American sgent to the
Behring arbitration, says that under the de-
cision Of the tribunal no pclAgic sealing can
now be carried on between May and July 81.
After that time such sealing may DO prose-
cutsd In Behring Sea with spears at distance
Of sixty miles from the Islands. This decision
limits pelagic sealing to narrow bounds.
Mr.. Foster said that he thought the restric-
lions might render the pclagic scaling un-
profitable. The provisions for close season
will proven, pelagic sealing during three Of
the four months when II can be said to be
very profitable. 1t leaves the right to hunt
seals In the North Pacific from January 10
Nay. The weather during threc-fourths OF
that period Is very unfavorablc IND the
catches then made are always small. II also
leaves the right TO hunt seals In parts u
Behrlng Sea after July which means for d
period Of about twenty-five days after the ex-
piration Of which rough weather conipels the
hunters to leave. During these twenty-five
days the hunters can neither como within
sixty miles Of the Pribylon Islands, nor use
any weapon except spears Though the In
dams arc permitted to hunt seals along the
coast from canoes the catch made by them is
always very small.
Mr.. Foster added: "Truc, the United
States have not obtained all they commended,
since they demanded the total prohibition OF
pclagic sealing, but the regulations now
made are much better than those Mr. Blaine
vainly offered TO Lord Salisbury In 1890 Us a
settlement. Mr.. Blaine then proposed as the
sole restriction Of pelagc sealing to prohibit
1t within sixty miles of Pribylon Islands
The present settlement Is also more advan-
tageous than the one proposed by Mr.. Bayard
In 1888, as he asked no protection for the
seals during May and June. 1t has since been
found that the operations of the pelaglc
hunters were most destructive TO pregnant
seals during these two months"