The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-04-08
AN EVASION OF OBLIGATION.
Senator's Question Eneland'S Good Faith
In the Behrlns Sea Award.
Mr.. MORGAN EXPLAINS THE SITUATION.
Sir. Hoar Thinks the President should be
Given Specific Instructions Aboutit.
Another Day Wasted In House.

| WASHINGTON, -. G.. April The
House bill to extend the time for the 81.
Louis q Birmingham Railroad Company
to build "A bridge across the Tennessee
river at Clifton Tenn. was passed with
a substitute
Mr. IlOar called the attention Of the
Senate 10 a cablegram in the morning
papers as TO seal fishing in Behring sea,
and the heading. ships not Receiving
Notice not Liable" and he asked Mr.
Morgan, chairman Of the Committee on
Foreign Relations for information on
the subject.
Mr. Hoar remarked that If that para
graph were a correct recital then any
sealing vessel which should sail before
the passage Of the British act of Parlla-
ment might easily evade the provisions
OF the award during this season. and
| probably hundreds Of thousands of seals
would be destroyed. il seemed TO him
that it was pure evasion Of the treaty
and law TO allow Canadian sealers to be
! protected by simply saying that they did
not know its provisions. IL seemed to
him that some prompt supplemental legis-
| lation was necessary by which the mat
ter could be taken into the hands OF the
! United states Government.
SENATOR NorGAN's rEARs.
Mr.. Morgan admitted that Mr.. Hoar
danger to the Alaska seal herds from the
attitude which appeared to have been
| taken by the British Government
| lie was informed by the newspapers
! (and he thought there was some official
information to the same effect I'm the
| State Department. that some forty or
more Canadian scalers Lad been out
| fitted from Vancouver or Victoria or Port
/ Townsend. and some American sealers
/ al u f.-
not operative or cffectual until after leg
islation by Congress and by the British
| Parliament. That view OF the subject
had never been admitted by the Ameri-
can arbitrato1s, nor did he understand
that it had ever been insisted upon by
more than one of the arbitrators COM
| posing the tribunal. The view taken by
the American arbitrators was, and had
been, that the award went into full ef-
! feet from the moment Of its delivery IN
! regard to the prohibition against pelaGic
hunting within certain defined areas.
The Interpretation which the two Gov
| ernments had given 10 that particular
| feature of the aWard-as TO It's obligatory
nature from the time OF its delvory-had
not, as yet. been perfected by an agree
ment between them. So that the United
States Government might have to take
its own view OF it. and might have 10
act on that view. Some two weeks ago
the precise language used in the dis
patch, or the substance OF II, unques-
tionably had been submitted to the state
Department by Sir Julian Pauncefote as
part of the general measure which ii was
proposed 10 introduce in the British Par
lament for the enforcement OF the award
on the part Of Great Britain. There were
some other featureg Of the measures
which were even more opposed Che used
that phrase, he said, with deliberatlon)
to the full and complete and free execu-
ton Of the award and treaty than those
which the Senator from Massachusetts,
has Just quoted, and those provisions in
that proposed measure of legislation had
been most distinctly and formally and
permanently and finally rejected by the
Secretary of State, and the British Gov
ernment had been so informed. About
the time that that information should
have reached here he had seen IN the
newspapers that the Government had
introduced a bin in Parliament for the
purpose OF carrying the award into ei-
feet. OF course he did not know nor did
he suppose that the state Department
knew all the provisions Of that bill, and
whether they coincdcd exactly with the
programme or the formulated bill Which
Sir Julian PaUncefote had submitted 10
the inspection of the Secretary Of state.
UoPrD 1T WAS a MsTAE
But within day or two after that,
perhaps after the bin had passed to its
second reading, that bill had been with
drawn by Sir Charles Russell. who had
been one Of the counsel before the tri-
bunal OF arbitration, and he (Morgan)
had inferred from the fact Of the bin
having been Withdrawn that the objec-
tions stated by the United States Govern
ment had prevailed and that 1t had been
Withdrawn so as TO be rem0delled on the
basis Of those objections.
lie still hoped that was the fact, and
that the dispatch which had just been
read referred TO the first proposition OF
legislation, and not TO the one which
would be IN answer 10 the act passed ny
Congress a few days ago.
1t became necessary now, Mr.. Morgan
continued. that the United States Govern
mcnt should define I'm q measure OF lesis-
lation what it's attitude was in regard to
the enforcement Of the award. That at
titudc had been represented correctly ana
fully in the act which had just passed
and which. he supposed. was now in the
hands of the President for consideration.
1t was q matter Of necessity, Of pro-
priety, and of duty that the Govern
ment of the United States should, with |
out any equivOcation, manifest it's pur-
pose to carry into effect In perfect good |
faith. and It's equal intent, of course, !
TO exact from Great Britain compliance |
I'm the same spirit, with the duties i'm
posed upon that Government by 1he |
awards.
After some further remarks Mr.. Nor |
gan said: 1.-The Government OF the |
United States will be found in fun prepa-
ration to see that all the advantages and |
benefits of this award shall be realized |
bv rs" IL may be. he added that we |
did not get in that award every prin- |
chile OF law decided IN our favor, which |
we had contended for. but we got, as |
believe. yes ! may say i am quite |
sure. we got all the necessary reguia- !
tions that are required for the protection |
of seal herd. So that we can go ON 10 |
realize from the Prbyloff group or |
Islands the whole advantages Of that |
seal herd which naturally belongs 10 US
Good faith requires Great Britain 10
insist as fairly, and fully and Literally
as we ourselves intend TO insist, on the /
full and perfect compliance Of those
awards.
MIR. HOAB WILL TAKE ACTION.
Mr. Hoar said that Mir. Morgan had
made very clear his understanding that
the djsnatch. which purported TO be an
of;cial statement Of the actual Ian
enaee of the bill proposed by the Gov
er,rnenf of Great Britain. allowed an ,
~. .i,a evasion OF obligations OF award
snr the nresent season and exposed the |
soal nronert!es and the interests Of the
Irnited States to great injury, If not TO
total destruction.