The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-12-10


the United States-Sir Julian
"UnbecomingIy Careless" to Say
the Least-VenezueIn in the House
WASHINGTON, Dec. 9.-The feature
of the senate today was a speech by
Senator Morgan of Alabama, chairman
of the committee on foreign relations,
and a member of the Paris Behring
sea tribunal, upon a resolution offered
by him last week, instructing the for
eign relations committee to investigate
the question of the liability of the Uni
ted States for the seizure Of British
ships in Behring sea in 1890. Mr.. Nor
gan took the position in the last Con-
greSS that the settlement of these
claims by the payment of a lump sum
of $425,000, as recommended by the
president, was not wise nor proper.
His remarks on that occasion were the
subject Of some sarcastic comment
from the British ambassador here, in
the latter's official correspondence with
Lord Kimberly. That correspondence
was printed recently from the British
blue book, and most of Mr.. Morgan's
speech today was devoted to paying
his respects to Sir Julian Pauncefote.
The Resolution.
His resolution, which was as follows,
was unanimously adopted at the con-
clusion of his speech:
Resolved, That the message of the
president received by the senate on
February Is, 1895, and his message re-
ceived IN the senate today meaning
December 3 relating to the payment
by the United States of the claims of
Great Britain arising out of the Ben
ring sea controversy, be referred to
the committee on foreign relations.
with instructions that said committee
examine into the question of such LA
bility to Great Britain and the amount
thereof, if any, and of any liability
on the part of Great Britain or Canada
arising out of the said controversy,
and that said committee shall have
authority to report by bill or other
wise"
He Talks Back.
He said he felt it incumbent upon
himself to reply to certain published
comments made upon his course in the
senate by the British premier and the
British ambassador. He declared that
the Paris tribunal did not attempt to
determine the question of the liability
of the United States for seizures or the
amount of such liability. Great Brit
ain contended, however, that the La
bility was decided as a necessary in
ference and President Cleveland, pro-
ceeding on this assumption, had.
through the state department, agreed
to pay $425, 900 in discharge of this al
legged liability of the United States.
But that agreement could not be car
ried out without the ratification of
Congress.
The findings of the tribunal rested
entirely upon the treaty making power
Of the two governments, and the Uni
ted States and Great Britain were
bound to carry out the regulations de-
cided upon for the protection of the
seals as much as if those regulations
had been incorporated in a treaty. But
neither government was bound further.
At most the award of the arbitration
would only furnish a remote argument
for the claim of Great Britain to dam
ages for seizures.
Would Be Loyal.
He would be loyal to the findings Of
the tribunal, he said, but Great Britain
conveniently sought to overstate them
Through negotiations the state de-
partment agreed to pay $425,000 for
damages, and President Cleveland
recommended that the sum be appro-
priated Congress refused to make the
appropriation.
At this point Mr.. Morgan turned his
attention to Sir Julian Paucefote, the
British ambassador, and his "doleful
plants" to Lord Kimberly. Mr.. Nor
gan was scornful and sarcastic.
Does he not know" the senator
asked. chat no executory agreement is
binding until ratified by Congress?"
He quoted from Sir Julian's report
to Lord Kimberly that Republicans and
Populists and forty-four Democrats
had voted against the appropriation,
and his comment attributing the &C
ton of the House to the necessity of
party expediency. Mr.. Morgan de-
clared that it was getting to be the
that did not please them to the Gin
fuence of party politics." He char
acterized Sir Julian's comments as
unjust and Offensive" in the case
of the House.
Merely a Roast.
But not content with these reflec-
tons on the House." said Mr.. Morgan,
she refers to senators by name in a
gratuitous and insulting manner. He
does this under cover of the British
flag"
After quoting Sir Julian's comment
ON his (Morgan's) Characterization of
some of the alleged British claimants
as "recalcitrant and rascally Ameri-
cans" he declared that the British am
bassador's structures were based on
the mistaken notion that the British
navigation laws should cover viola
tions of United States statutes.
Crimes against the decalogue could
not, he said, be found in the Koran
He denounced the action of the Amer
lean marauders in the Boring sea wlO
had placed themselves under the pro-
lection of the British flag as guilty of
surreptitious piracy. He did not OBJ
ject to the English ambassador criti-
cising his course, either as senator or
as a member of the Paris tribunal, in
his private communications to his
government, but he emphatically Pre-
tested that he had no right to give his
criticism to the American papers in a
pamphlet and thus forestall reply
Exceedingly Ironical.
Mr.. Morgan was exceedingly ironical
in his reference to the indiscriminate