The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-14
Mn. ELLIOTT ON TIE sEAGs.
A Startling E1hibit or the Net Results or
the Paris Arbitration.

hrJlcieS OF tne benrlnR sea 1rlDunhl To protect
and savethe Alaskan fur-seal herd from destruc-
ton, / take pleasure In being able to submit the
following:
IL is not necessary 20 recite all the steps taken
between 1887 and 1901 which led to the ercc-
tion Of the Behring Sea Tribunal, which sat in
Paris during the spring and summer OF 1859. or
TO detail the findings and award of that court;
II Is enough for me t. say that Immediately
after the regulations ordered by that tribunal
were published in August, 1893, | observed that
our agents. Messrs. Foster. Phelps, Carter, Cou-
dert, and others associated with the case. all,
each and every one, were out in printed inter.
views declaring that while we had lost all the
legal grounds of our contention. yet we had
nevertheless secured the main object Of our de-
sire: that we had secured such regulations from
the tribunal as were necessary To- break ny and
drive out that pelagic fleet of sealrrS which was
destroying the tur-scai herds of Alaska.
| was, surprised at this sad want OF better
knowledge on this question bN Our protested eN-
perts and agents, and in many papers Of August,
1909. you will find my declaration, then made
TO their reporters, who called on me at my home
~, Cleveland, that these REGULATIONS of the Paris
tribunal, when put into operation, would prove
a Hat failure In 1894; that when the returns of
the pelagic catch for that year were made up the
figures would show the largest. ever taken.
the record OF the London sales-authcntic and
beyond question. because each and every skin
is ticketed and recorded In the salesrooms:
is9a-S5 senoonsrs secured 29.lia seaiskins.
| loVa-OB schOuntrs secured SS,Oll kCalskina.
call this the Canadian feet" because these
vessels all clear and enter at Victoria, Il. G.,
though ! believe that n g0odly amount of Amcri-
American feet, which clears and enters at san
Francisco, the only other port than Victoria on
the northwest coast and California where these
vessels discharge cargo. Is very small, only i've
or six vessels, and their catch is as follows:
is92-t5oo skins.
i~sSa-eGIV skins.
Thus it will be seen that the catch for. 1894
taken from the Alaskan herd under the license
Of the articles of protection ordered by the Paris
tribunal Is In round numbers 10000 skins.
i hssa. $4,000 skins in 1893 and $4,000 skin'i in
These facts declare that the new regulations
90 90 not secure that prptection and conservation
by our agents, and they furthermore announce
clearly to every inteilieent mind the swift
elimination OF this life from the land and waters
Of Alsska-the earth. for that matter; and in
this connection permit me To- point out the
award IN 80 TAR as the preservation OF this In
dustry Is concerned:
BY the terms of these articles, in brief, the pc-
laxic sealer Is permitted 10 hunt fur seals in the
open waters OF the North Pacific Ocean and
to the lst OF May; then, until the LIST OF August
following. he is absolutely prohibited from pur-
those waters; then from the LIST OF August until
the end OF the year he is again at liberty to
he !! + never Dus 10 n epprosc I'm nearer ar nn ib anu si VI 'r miics;
from the Pribylov group Of seal islands, aud also
in said waters OF Behring Sea.
AT the time these articles of the Paris award
were published immense stress was. laid upon
the fact that firearms were prohibited in Behrin.
see by our agents, who declared that, this pro-
hibition would discourage and break up tho
strangely ignorant of the truth. In the matter,
at least the lawyers were, end they had nobody
anything about the life and habits of the seals
who could teach them better. This was their
The very fact that these hunters cannot law
fnliy use firearms while hunting around that
chief and overwhelming danger to which these
seals are now subjected. Instead OF being an
plays into his hands. and in this way: ~
Had that fleet of ffty-nine Canadian vessels,
been permitted TO use their shotguns and rifles
IN Beliring Sea last August and September they
up such a fnisiIads on srtIRr the t nad 1e"s sroSSnd se pf
the seals MS To have deferred and driven back u
very large number OF these animals" that shell
ter and peace which the siNty-milr zone affords;
but unfortunately the choice feeding grounds Of
the fur seal are all the way from so To TO
Islands, and unless these animals are alarmed
while feeding there they will never stop going
out there from, and returning to, the islands
until the last one Is taken.
Therefore you will obsci We. rs these scn!crs
are compelled To- use spears, they are not ainrm-
ing the seals; that each aud every seal taken
by the spear gives no alarm whatever To its
IL silently secured-it cannot escape; and IL not
struck when the spear is launched al II that an
imal is never wounded or sensibly disturbed
Also. there should be carefully kept in mind
Bchring Sea by the tpcarmen was last August
and September, II will lie nearly doubled next
i feIsd" w ptS@ skiile Sa'y native nfs, 81 spe snss meet ne wsS T Sg,r
they will have u full crew Of native hunters 10
every vessel-they will have the entire strength
Of the Alcutian and Kodiak sea otter hunters Mt
their COmmand in this fleet of 1895, and they
will come out, of those waters OF BehrinG sea
catch that will be as far beyond the record OF
this year as this years count exceeds that OF
1893.
In the face OF this years work and that prom
ised for next season, does any sensible man sec
speedy destruction! And all this under the
license OF that Paris tribunal.
Now, there is another way OF looking at this
question, aud il is one that is entirely natural
and honest. In 1870 ! carefully surveyed tho
Islands. l found that in spite OF the destruction
wrought on them, there were still lett some 6O0,-
rUokeries, against 100000 females and 81 1000
adult bulls which recorded, rs existing there in
sj2-t4, and that OF the bachelor or killeble
,ound In 1880, viz, some 100000 OF all ages
i 'bsas one 2n1r year nall. up to ns I'VE, t STt fully 1000 q
pups or yearlings, and oflittle or no commercial
Since 1890 there has been but little change up
o date in these numbers except for the worse. {
The killing on land was stopped in 1890 at 20 |
800; in 1898, 1900; and in spite Of ali this {
est and that u permit was given To the lcssees I
.S0i only secured l6,030 young male seals fit
or market. Next year they cannot possibly get 2
lalf that number. I
How is II, then, that these pelaSic hunters get ,
large numbers ] answer, they get the fe- !
males, which we cannot kill on land, tor our law I
prevents their molestatiOn even. .
Therefore,, as matters stand to-day. YOU will ]
observe our people are placed. with regard To- this !
ur-seRl question, in a remarkably silly and un- !
air position, and one which they will not rest {
II AS soon as they understand il. !
Here We are In possession Of some 500. 900 fe- !
male seals and some 10000 to 10000 small J
male seals and "A few thousand old bull seals ON ]
he seal Islands of Alaska. That female seal !
lie represents "A cash value to-day OF at least L
Y, 100000 Under the Paris articles we have
ust lost over S5OO,O0O Of that value in 1884.
SeNt year these Canadian hunters will take a
ul million dollars worth OF il. and 80 on year
.fter year, until the whole life is exhausted in g
I've or six more seasons, we never TO have. ia the Q
Meanwhile, a single cent of this value returned :
@ us; and still worse and more of IL. we. during "
u the time OF this steady loss of our principal y
sl7 900, 900, TO be- placed, as we are to-day, in
he miserable shape OF paying a large sum a
nnually out OF our public treasury To 20 guard d
{ that our own people cannot touch "a female a
cal on the islands, while this alien fleet Is =