The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-12-10
ChErEL1Nn nENnrNcED.


 Senator Morgan scores Iis Attempt to Ig-
 moro the Senate Behrlng sea Figures
 Amo, mt Due S06,I0s, Instead of Sis5,-
 OOO.
 Washington, Dee, 9,--In the senate to-day Senator Gallery of Louisiana took the cath of office for his new term, beginning on March last
 A joint resolution granting to the state of Pennsylvania and the superior court thereof, permission to use for five years the United States court house at Scranton, Pa, and Wnliamsport, Pa, paying $500 for the whole term for each) was reported by MT Pugh, dema of Alabama, from the judiciary committee and was passed This is the first bill passed at the present session.
 MT. Cullom, rep, of Illinois, gave mo- tice that he would address the senate tomorrow on the subject of the Mon- roe doctrine.
 MT. Berry, dem, of Arkansas, intro duced hu to form the Indian Terri tory in the Territory of Indiauolo, and gave notice that he would hereafter ad- dress the senate on the subject,
 Senator Morgan, according to notice given, proceeded to address the senate in support of the resolution offered by him, referring to that part of the presi- dents message relating to the payment of the British Behring Sea claims, to the committee on foreign relations, with ;,,s iyI. tion of liability of Great Britain, and to report to the senate by bill or other wise.
 MT. Morgan, contrary to his usual custom of speaking extemporaneously read his carefully prepared remarks from printed slips with much empha- sis and force
 He said that recent events imposed upon him the duty as a senator, a member of the tribunal of arbitration which sat in Paris in 1893, and as chair man of the senate committee on for eign relations to reply to certain criti- cisms sent out through the American press by the British government, touch- ing the attitude of congress toward what is called the Behring Sea contro- versy
 He asserted that the question whether a negotiation respecting the liability of
 the United States to Great Britain for the seizure of sealing vessels in Behr- ing Sea under the orders of Mr Cleve- lands first administration should take place under the treaty of February 29, 1892, was still an open question, and hol ,op hy- r1 of the tribunal of arbitration On the contrary, as he proceeded to demon- strate by copious extracts from the treaty and the award that tribunal ex- pressly refused to make any decision of the question of such liability or to declare that the seizure of the vessels under MT Cleveland's order was Illegal | These questions, he said, were dis 1 tinctly remanded by that tribunal to the further negotiations of the treaty powers as original questions Great | Britain however, contended that the tribunal of arbitration considered and decided this question of liability If the president" said MT. Morgans had sent to the senate the diplomatic | agreement made by him with Great 1 Britain in which commttal to the | British contention is sought to be ap- l parently avoided by a compromise, but | is in fact admitted without reserve or | qualification, the vote of this body 1 would have settled the attitude Of the country by accepting or rejecting that | agreement, If congress should thereaf- | ter appropriate the coveted Hump sum" l to satisfy the British demand, we would at least have been free from the ac- | ceptance of the humiltating attitude of accepting and indorsing a falsehood as the decision of the tribunal arbitration and of paying citizens of the United States for criminal wrongs done to their country
 'The reassertion by the president of the justice and rightfulness of the de- mand of the British government. made with the insulting arrogance of an ul- | timatun, requires of congress that its refusal at it's last session to vote the | lump sum of $425,000 to satisfy this de- mand should be defended upon the | principles and facts that justified that vote
 For reasons of the gravest charac- | lti, tilc oeldle lldS SpeCldl uuty to | perform on this occasion, in the asser- | tion of it's rightful and undeniable con-
 stitutional power of passing upon and
 accepting or rejecting all diplomatic
 agreements with foreign governments l that the president may make. '1t is a wise and indispensable pro-
 vision of the organic law that the pres l ident cannot act alone, or with any other b5dy except the senate in any
 way to bind the United States in an ex- | ecutory covenant with foreign power | I Will never consent, whatev may be 1 his opinion of or relations to the senate
 Or senators, that the president shall
 ccnfine the consideration of such mat l ters to the legislative powers of the 1 senate or congress, thereby ignoring
 the treaty-naking powers of this body, "The tribunal of arbitration" he said, | "by agreement of the treaty powers, | was discharged from the duty of con
 sidering the question of damage sus- l tained by either. The only question l before it was whether the right to pro- 1 feet the Alaskan seals belonged to the | United States exclusively, or whether it
 was necessary that the protection of l the seals should be accomplished under
 regulations in which the two govern
 ments would concur
 l Of was tho contention of -1aa JTbitnJ