Omaha daily bee., 1895-11-23
nnITIsH AssrRANCE.
4 study OF Hinh Grade Nerve Dis-
played In the Herring Sen Claims.

CINCINNATI Enquirer,
| There could not be q finer study on the
subject OF British assurance than is to be
| found In the Berlng sea claims. now under
| consideration between the United States and
| the British government, represented re-
! spectiyely by Secretary OF State Olney and
the British ambassador, Sir Julian Paunce-
| fote. Sir Julian will be coached by two
members of the Canadian cabinet who are
thoroughly familiar with the desires OF
| Canadian Sealcre. whose vessels were seized
by the United States revenue cutters.
Ii will be remembered that the seizures
were made by the United States upon the
claim that they were committing depre-
dations in American waters, or upon Ameri-
can rights Of ownership in the seals. The
Paris tribunal decided against the United
States claim to such ownership. and that
therefore the Canadian sealers were en-
titled to damages for the seizures.
The question now TO be determined is
what damages were sustained by the seal
erc. The sealers claim over 81 600 900. Our
compliant administration was persuaded by
Sir Julian Pauncefote to propose to the last
congress the payment of SiI2,00O in fun
settlement of these claims. Senator Morgaa
who was a member of the Paris tribunal,
stoutly resisted in the allowance of this ex-
travagant sum. In the debate in the house
representative Hit. who has made himself
entirely familiar with all the testimony. de-
clared that $4,000 would be enough to pay
stated that the British claimants themselves
placed the amount of their real losses at
Sl65OOO up to that time But they want to
be pad for the value OF the seals which
they might have caught If they had not
been seized This ESTIMATED catch" was at
that time S377,O00. making the total of their
claims S5i2, 600. This amount has grown
until, as above stated, II is understood to
reach over S1,0OO,00O. Great Britain ap-
pears to have made herself the agent of
American owners, who. in violation Of the
laws of their own country. were engaged in
catching seals in the Bering sea. These
domestic law breakers transferred their ves-
sells to Canadians who thereby became British
claimants. All such claims will, of course,
be repudiated by this government, as will
also the so-called estimate catch.'
The attempt TO grab over 81 900 where
$50 600 would be fair settlement. prop
erly represents the British idea of the ease
with which Uncle Sam can be plucked.
The Paris tribunal heard no evidence and
expressed no opinion to the damages sus-
tanned by these British sealers. The liber
ality of our State department in asking
congress to pay $425,O00 was at once seized
upon by the British authorities a fixed
obligation, Notwithstanding the refusal BY
congress to tolerate any such folly. They
have gone 30 far as to accuse this govern
ment of bad faith in refusing to pay this
imaginary amount, which seems to have
been arrived at by a combination of good
nature and guess work. The rebulie admins
tered to the administration by the last con-
gress on this subject VII teach the British
ambassador that it will be a waste of time
for his friends of the Canadian cabinet to
enter into any estimate to what seals
might have b en- caught but what were not
caught. as for them to make any attempt to
transform American poachers into British
claimants, in older that they may draw
money from our treasury as reward for
violating the laws of their own country.