The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-08
A SHARP EYE ON JOHN BULL.
Fears That The Old Gentleman May
Try to Scoop in a Few Seals.

ate to Report That Ships Not Re
ceiving Notice Are Not Liable to
Seizure, and Points Out How the
Fact Gould Be Taken Advantage OF.
Morgan Explains the Situation as he
Understands 1t.
Washington, April THE House bill
to extend the time for the St Louis and
Birmingham Railroad Company to build
bridge across the Tennessee river at
Clifton, Tenn, was passed with a substi-
tute.
Mr.. Hoar rep, called the attention Of
the Senate to a cablegram in the morning
papers as to seal fishing in Bering sea,
and with the heading "Ships Not Receiv-
ing Notice Not Liable" and he asked Mr..
Morgan, chairman of the committee on
foreign relations, for Information on the
subject
MIR. Hoar remarked that II that par
agraph were gcorrect recital, then any
sealing vessel which should sail before
the passage of the British act of
parliament might easily evade the provis-
ions of the award during this season and
probably hundreds of thousands of seals
would be destroyed. 1t seemed to
him that it was pure evasion of the
treaty and the award 10 allow Canadian
sealers 10 be protected by simply saying
that they did not know that the British
act had actually passed, or did not know
its provisions. 1t seemed TO him that
some prompt supplemental legislation was
necessary by which the matter could be
taken into the hands OF the United States
government.
MORGAN EXPLAINS,
Mr. Morgan admitted that Mr.. Hoar
was quite right in his estimate of the
danger to the Alaska seal herds, from the
attitude which appeared to have been
taken by the British government, He
was informed by the newspapers land he
thought there was some official informa-
tion to the same effect IN the state de-
partment) that some forty or more
Canadian sealers had outfitted from Van
couver or Victoria or Port Townsend;
and some American sealers also-uuder
the idea that the award was not
operative or effectual until after
legislation by congress and by the
British parliament That view of the
subject had never been admitted by the
American arbitrators; nor did he under
stand that it had ever been insisted upon
by more than one of the arbitrators
composing the tribunal. The view taken
by the American arbitrator was, and
had been, that the award went into full
effect from the moment OF its delivery, In
regard to the prohibition against pelagic
hunting within certain defined areas
The Interpretation which the two
governments had given TO that par
ticular feature Of the awards, as to its
obligatory nature from the time of its
delivery. had not, as yet, been perfected
by an agreement between them. So that
the United States government might have
to take its own view Of 1it, and
might have TO act on that view.
THE BRITISH BILL
Some two weeks ago the precise Ian
guage used in the dispatch, or the sub
stance Of it, unquestionably had been sub
mitted to the state department by Sir
Julian Pauncefote, as part of the general
measure which 1t was proposed TO intro
duce in the British parliament for
the enforcement of the award on
the part of Great Britain. There
were some other features of
the measures which were even more OPP
posed-he used that phrase, he said. with
deliberation-to full and complete and
| free execution Of the award and the
treaty, than those which the senator
from Massachusetts, had 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 government
had been so informed. About the
time that that Information should
have reached London, he had
| seen in the newspapers that the govern
ment had introduced bill in parliament
for the purpose Of carrying the award
into effect OF course, he did not know,
nor did he suppose that the state depart
ment knew, all tho provisions OF that bill,
and whether they conceded exactly with
the programme or formulated bill which
! Sir Julian PauncefOJe had submitted TO
the inspection Of the Secretary of State.
But within day or two after that
| perhaps after the bill had passed TO its
second reading-that bill had
been Withdrawn by Sir Charles
Russell, who had been one of the
counsel before the tribunal Of arbitra-
ton and he (Mr. Morgap) had inferred,
from the fact Of the bill having been with
drawn, that the objections stated by the
United States government had prevailed,
and that it had been Withdrawn so as TO
! be remodeled on the basis Of those obIec-
tions. He still hoped that that was the
fact; and that the dispatch which had
Just been read referred TO the first prop
osition of legislation, and not to the one
which would be In answer to the act
passed by congress few days ago.
OUR ATTITUDE.
It became necessary, now, Mr. Morgan
continued that the United States govern
ment should define in measure of legis-
lation what its attitude was in regard to
the enforcement of the award. That at
titude had been reported consequently
and fully in the act which had Just passed,
and which, he supposed was now in the
| hands of the President for consideration.
1t was a matter Of necessity, Of propriety,
and Of duty that the government of the
/ United States should, withoutanyrequivo
cation, manifest in It's legislation its full
intent and purpose TO carry into effect the
! award in perfect good faith, and its equal
intent, Of course, TO exact from Great
! Britain a compliance, in the same spirit,
with the duties imposed upon that gov
| eminent by the award.
After some further remarks Mr.. Nor
gan said: THE government of the
/ United States win be found in full
/ preparation to see that all the advantages
and benefits Of this award shall be real
! lied by US. II may be added that we did
| not get, in that award, every principle Of
! law decided In our favor, which we had
| contended for; but we got, as / believe
! yes, may say / am quite sure we GOT
| all the necessary regulations that
/ are requisite for the protection
/ OF the seal herds. So that we can 20 on
/ TO realize at the Pribylof group of islands
i the whole Of the advantages of those seal