The morning call., 1895-02-26
WILL NOT PAY
TEE AWARDS.
CONGRESS REFUSES TO ABIDE BY
THE DECISION OF ARB
TRAITORS.
NO MONEY FOR THE SEALERS
SPECULATIVE DAMAGES FOR SEIZ
UREs DEEMED TO BE RATHER
UNJUST.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25.-The House non
concurred in the Senate amendments to
the Indian appropriation bill and it was
sent to conference. The House, in COM
mittee of the whole, resumed considera-
ton of the general deficiency bill.
The amendment to pay Great Britain
1926, 900, the amount of the awards made
by the Paris Boring Sea Tribunal against
the United States, precipitated quite a
long debate.
Breckenridge (Dem.) of Kentucky, in
charge of the bill, explained the details of
the Paris arbitration and the decision
against the justice and the legality of the
seizures the United States had made in the
Bering Sea. Great Britain, through Sir
Julian Pauncefote, had demanded $500, 900
and Secretary Gresham had agreed to
$425, 900. The Government, in fairness,
should accept the judgment and pay the
damages.
Cannon (R.) of Illinois said the fatal
defect in the Judgment of the Paris
tribunal was the fact that the citizenship
of the claimants had never been passed
upon. He called attention, moreover to
the fact that under the modus vivendi
agreed to in 1892 by Sir Charles Russell, rep
resenting the British Government, and e. J.
Phelps, representing the United States, all
claims for speculative damages had been
solemnly waived. In the Geneva award
all claims for speculative or constructive
damages, amounting to hundreds of mil
lions, had been ruled out on the ground
that they depended on contingencies too
uncertain. What made sauce for the goose
made sauce for the gander. Why should
we now allow speculative claims? Some
$25S, 900 of the present award was purely
speculative damages. Besides, he had
reason to believe that several of the owners
OF vessels were American citizens, and not
! British subjects AT most but $50, 900 could
be claimed. When Secretary Gresham
offered Sir Julian $425, 600 the British Gov
eminent, he said, jumped at it like a bass
at fly. He would never vote to carry out
the agreement made by Secretary Gresham.
Henderson (Rep.) OF Iowa, analysed the
statement of ex-Secretary Foster to the
effect that $4,000 represented the max
! imum damages that could Justly be
assessed against the United States and ten
of.the vessels seized were owned in whole
or in part by Americans and therefore
were excluded.
NhCO1Cd1J tlCcIu.D VI
man of the Foreign Affairs Committee,
favored the appropriation on the ground
that the United States must do one of two
things-pay this $425, 600 or submit the
question of assessment of damages to
commission. If the latter course was fol-
| lowed, it would cost the Government twice
$425, 900 before the matter was settled
Hit attacked the amendment vigorous
4 -
mony showed that $3.50, 900 was owned by
citizens of the United States. Boskawiz,
he claimed, owned almost all the feet and
had sent it out to Bearing Sea to lay the
foundation of scoundrely and fraudulent
claim. 1t looked to him, Hit said, as if
the State Department were making a
desperate struggle to maintain the parity
between claims and payments.
Breckenridge closed with declaration
that the Paris arbitration was an unfortun-
ate chapter in our diplomacy, and its re-
suit complete fasco. Yet we must keep
our faith and pay the award
| Cannon demanded a rollcall on the
amendment to pay the Boring Sea award
and it was lost-122 to 143.
The amendment to pay the employees of
the House and Senate and the individual
clerks to members an extra months salary
carried-143 to 108.
Henderson Cd of North Carolina pre-
septed the conference report on the Post
office bill. The only point in dispute be-
tween the two houses was the Senate
amendment to require railway mail-clerks
hereafter to be appointed to reside at one
of the terminals of the routes to which
| they are assigned. Without action the
House at $40 P. NJ. adjourned till IL o'clock
| fO-nnnrr0uu