New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-01
EXTERMINATION OF SEALS.
IMPORTANT CORRESPONDENCE on THE
SUBJECT COMES TO LIGHT.
THE PUBLIC PRINTER HAD BEEN HOLDING 1T
BACK FOR OVER \ MONTH-FAILURE OF THE
ADMINISTRATION TO CARRY OFT THE

PLANS or THE PARIS Tribunal"
my TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrBUNEl
Washington March Authorization is at hana
which more strongly emphasizes the fact that
the Administration has been unpardonaoly s'uP'u
and negligent in conducting Behring Sea affairs
since the Paris award was drawn up; ana Una.
the interests of this country in the seal herd
have suffered as the result Of the cupable IN
efficiency of Secretaries Gresham and carlisle
and not as has been announced by those OIL
cials on account Of acts Of omission or cohti''S-
sion on the part of the Tribunal OF Arbitration
Proof OF this statement Is To be iound III 'he
Behrng Sea correspondence sent by the iTesi-
dent to Congress during the closing days oi 'he
session. and now finally issued from the Govern
ment Printing Office. after long delay which Is
remarkable under the circumstances. The CORE
en,ndeuce was received oy the Senate on Feb
r,ary If and sent to the Public Printer the
same dav. without an opportunity for a perusal
of its contents by Senators. In reply 10 IN
o,,iries If members OF the Senate Committee
toward the close Of the session. the Pubic
Printer said that the document was held back
TO permit of certain charts ana maps belhs
prepared fci insertion. The document as pun
lished contains no charts or maps, nor any i'i-
orcrcc f. them. and several members of the
Senate Committee VINO are sun III W "7''"b''''
ar. much annoyed at what they regard as need
less deception in the case. Further evidence
against the Administration is the emphatic state
mcnt of one Of the American members oil 'He
Tribunal. Senator Morgan, who makes il clear
that the state and Treasury departments anu
not the Tribunal. are to blame for the enormous
pclagic catch of seals last summer.
The weakness of the state Department in dip.o-
,,ffh Juliau DaunCriOt"
relating to Behring Sea matters and the result
ing humiliation and disadvantages To- this cour-
trv have frequently been referred to In these
disuatches Special attention has been directed
II Secretary Gresham's Lross bunder In seeking
,o bind the United States to the payment 10 the
subjects of Great Britain Of Il lump sum oi Si-''-
600 In satisfaction OF claims for alleged damages
for the seizure az English vessels In Behr!nS
Sea II now remains II be shown that dement's
which accrued to and obligations which were I'M
posed upon the United states with respect To the
preservation Of the seals, as consequence 81
the decree Of the Tribunal Of ArHitration' are not
understood or have been deliberately ien"ren oy
Mossrs Gresham and Carlisle; mat the pe'agie
catch Of seals. as result Of this stupl'HE OF III
Giffcrence. was greater las year than over DO"
fore. owing to tho fact that in preparing me
regulations governing seal-hunting the "oSt I'M
,,f,,an, rnolIrooents Of the award were lost
sight 4. and that there arc ~ present prospects
that these two novccs IN diplomacy will az
knowledge their mistakes and take the neces-
sary steps to reciify them and secure III" ineili-
gent and faithful execution 81 the provisions oil
the award
It will be clear t. any on" who larry ''hSid''A
the facts tina, in the Bchring Sea matter. as IN
Hawaiian affairs. the ever-ready disposition -
thr present head Of tho stat" Department u"
throw di..r.dt upon the acts % the Harrison
Administrator prohab played no small part III
the casc It ia also apparent that me oiandish-
mcnts Of Nj Greshams friend. pear -"
Julian" were effectual In obtaining IN Cana
dian ponchers the practcni notification %; mos"
provisions u the Paris award which sought L"
protect the seals from determination. Podc h"fs
c,ptured last summer III the North Pacih'
Ocean including Rchring Sea $4,000 seals. a
pelagic catch unprecedented in the history o.
scaling or this number. about 1000 wcr" taken
either in Bchring Sea or on the American side ~
tho North Pacific only T. 0Oo were killed On Ia"
Pribyloff Islands by the North American Com
ucrc,al COMPANY lesseps under contract with
the Government Tho catch on the Commander
Islands was about $4,000.
Information to this effect is t. he found In II
recon, communication from the Secretary of the
Treasury 10 the President. The balance una'-
counted for In the enumeration. about "'oVo Is
believed TO consist largely II seals taken on 'h'
Japan and Russian coasts. and shipped IN Lon
don. Undoubtedly. however. II includes the sk''S
~ many seals that were with the American herd.
ub,cb should properlv be added to the pclagic
catch That this total Number Of seals was actu-
ally killed and sold in London Is established
bcvond doubt From tables prepared oy the
Treasury Department u is seen that there mas
been a steady Increase IN the number OF the
American herd Killed at sea, as wei as steady
decrease in the number which could he taken on
the Pribylon Islands by the contract lessees
until the climax was reached last season A.
though authority was given by the Government
,o the North American Commercial Company to
capture 10000 seals last summer on the isiah"S'
nrovided the condition Of the herd would war
rant only IL 900 could De taken In view 81 the
alarming decrease. When it IS considered that
AT least thrcc-fourths Of the seal eaten were
females heavy with young and that probably at
l.aet baf as many more were killed and lost.
while all Of the island catch were carefully Sc
lcctcd males some conception may be had OF the
disastrous results of pclagic sealing.
An examination Of statistics furnished by the
Treasury Department to Congress shortly be-
fore adjournment reveals the fact that only
thirtv-seven Of the nnety-fivc vessels employed
i'm pelagc sealing entered Behrng Sea; yet III
four or five weeks these thirty-seven vessels
killed In that sea over 1000 more seals than were
taken BY the ninety live vessels on the American
side Of the Pacific exclusive of Behring sea, IN
four months. from January TO Apri inclusive
Twelve thousand dead pups were founi by the
Treasury agents last fall on the Pripyio1 ls'ahds
which died Of starvation, their mothers having
been killed at II is apparent from these
facts and figures that the extinction OF the seal
herd is but a question Of very short time I'M
,oss marc effective regulations are adopted to
nrevent the slaughter. In a recent communica-
finn addressed to Sir Julian PauLcefote Secre-
tary Gresham said:
rho startling increase In the pe,agic slaughter OF
,,oth tho American and Asatc herds has convinced
md fesupctfullX SuDmtteI. can