St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-12-10
BERIuG SEA GALE.
SENATOR MORGAN ON BRITAIN's
lIINFAMOUS CONSPIRACY1
AGAINST Us.
INDISCREET PAUNCEF0TE.
HIS UNJUST AND INSULTING
COMMENTS ON THE ACTION
OF SENATORS.
THEY SHOULD BE RESENTED.
Instructions in the Foreign Rela-
tiOns to Investigate Claims
of England.
|NDISCREET PAUNCEFOTE.
THEY SHOULD BE RESENTED.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9.-The feat
ure of the senate today was speech
by Senator Morgan, of Alabama,
chairman of the committee on for
eign relations and a member of the
Paris Bering sea tribunal, on reso-
luton offered by him last week in
structing the foreign relations COM
nittee to investigate the question OF
the liability of the United States for
the seizures of British ships in Be-
ring sea in 1890. Mr.. Morgan took
the position in the last congress that
the settlement of these claims by the
payment of a lump sum of $425,O 900,
as recommended by the president,
was neither 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 correspond
ence with Lord Kimberly. That cor
respondence 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. His resolu-
ton, which was as follows, was
unanimously adopted at the conclu-
sion of his speech
Resolved, That the message of the
president received by the senate on
Feb. 49, 1895, and his message read in
the senate today (meaning Dec. b, re-
lating to the payment by the United
States of the claims of Great Britain
arising out of the Bering sea contro-
versy, be referred to the committee on
foreign relations, with instructions
that said committee examine into the
question of such liability to Great Brit
ain and the amount thereof, if any, and
of any liability on the part of Great
Britain, or Canada, arising out of said
controversy, and that said committee
shall have authority to report by bill
or otherwise.
Senator Morgan said he felt 1t In
cumbent upon himself to reply to GER
tain 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 Britain contended, how
ever, that the liability was decided as
a necessary inference, and President
Cleveland, proceeding on that as
sumption, had, through the state de-
partment, agreed to pay $425, 900 in dis
charge of this alleged liability of the
United States. But that agreement
could not be carried out without the
ratification of congress.
UNJUST AND OFFENSIVE.
The findings of the tribunal rested
entirely on the trea ty-making power
of the two governments, and the Uni
ted States and Great Britain were
bound to carry out the regulations de-
cided on for the protection of the
seals, as much of those regulations
had been incorporated in treaty, but
neither government was bound fur
ther. AT most the award of the arbi-
traitors would only furnish a remote
argument for the claim of Great Brit
ain to damages for seizures. He
would be loyal to the finding of the
tribunal, he said, but Great Britain
conveniently sought to over-state
them. Through negotiation the state
department agreed to pay $425,OOO for
damages and President Cleveland
recommended that that sum be appro-
priated. Congress refused to make
the appropriation. AT this point Mr..
Morgan turned his attention to Sir
Julian Pauncefote, the British ambas-
sador, and his "doleful plants" to
Lord Kimberly. Mr.. Morgan was
scornful and sarcastic.
docs he not know?" the senator
asked, 'that no executory agreement
iS, hinGinc until m tif1aI h1yo
He quoted from Sir Julian's report
to Lord Kimberly that Republicans,
Popul!sts and forty-four Democrats
had voted against the appropriation
and his comment attributed the action
of the house to the necessity of party
eXpediency." Mr.. Morgan declared
contemptuously that it was getting to
be the fashion abroad to attribute
everything that did not please them
to the Influence of party politics."
He characterized Sir Julian's COM
ments as unjust and "offensive" in
the case of the house.
"But, not content with these reflec-
tions on the house." said Mr.. Morgan,
che refers to senators by name In a
gratuitous, insulting manner. He does
this under the cover of the British
flag"
MISTAKEN NOTIONS.
After quoting Sir Julian's comments
ON his (Morgan's) Characterization of
some of the alleged British claimants
as "recalcitrant and rascally Amer
icans," he declared that the British
ambassadors structures were based
on the mistaken notion that the Brit
ish navigation laws should cover vio-
lations of United States statutes.
Names against the decalogues could
not, he said, be found in the Koran.
He denounced the action of the Amer
lean marauders in Bering sea, who
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 gov
ernment, but he emphatically assert
ed that he had no right to give his
criticism to the American papers in a
pamphlet, and thus forestall reply.
Mr.. Morgan was exceedingly ironical
in his reference to the indiscriminate
nature of the claims England had
bundled together and asked us to set
tie for a lump sum-" The PROPOSE
ton to pay lump sum-" he said,
ought to be too revolving to lie on the
Christian stomach of the English am
bassador. The correspondence laid
before the house, Mr.. Morgan said,
demonstrated that there was no ne
gotiation over the alleged claims, and
evidently little investigation. Eng
land had simply jumped at the lump
sum- proposition made by Secretary
Gresham for the settlement of claims
that had neither justice nor morality
beyond the assertion sst up but pal