The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-12-09
BERING SEA PERIL
Senator Morgan's Violen
Tone of Hostility to
Great Britain.
SIR JULIAN PAUNcEFoTE SCORED
Further Negotiations to Sspple-
ment the Commissions Find
ings-The Lump Sum
Award.
SIR JULIAN PAUNcEFOTE SCORED
WASHINGTON

| ing to notice given proceeded to address
the Senate in support of the resolution
offered BY him referring to that part OF
the Presidents Message relating TO the
payment of the British Bering Sea claims
to the Committee on Foreign Relatlons,
with Instructions to examine into the a.s
question of liability to Great Brltaln
and report to the Senate by Dill or
Mr.. Morgan. contrary to his usual
custom of speaking extemp mpoTaneousl,y, ,s,
| lead his carefully prepares nelbsS TeIlarhis Sis
and force.
He said that recent events imposed up
Der of the tribunal of arbitration. which
sat in Paris in 1893. and as Chairman or
the Senate Committee on Eoredgin gif,o;s7,es hes
sent out through the American press by
the. British Government. touching ing the
attitude OF CongreIss as to%aru 5.rovey.Iv wEae He s
asserted that the question Whetner
negotiation respecting the. Llapllity OF
the seizure of sealing vessels in Bering
Sea under the orders of MI. Cleveland's
first administration should take plaee plass
under the treaty of February 70. l9o2,
was still an open question, and had not
been closed by the award of the tribunal
of arbitration. On the contrary. as he
tracts from the treaty and the award,
that tribunal expressly refused to make
liability or to declare that the seizure of
the vessels under Mr. Cleveland or
der. was Illegal: These questions. ne
tribunal to the further negotiations OF
the treaty powers as original questions.
Great Britain. however. eontendedi that that
aud decided this question of lisbility.
IF the President" said Mr.. Morgan in
his most impressive manner, had sent
to the Senate the diplomatic. agreement
made by him with Great Britain, in which
cornmittal to the British contention Is
sought to be apparently ayoided py
1;co h11t 10 in
out reserve or qualification, the vote OF
this body would have settled the attitude
of the country by accepting or reJestng
that agreement. If Congress should
thereafter appropriate the coveted lump
sum to satisfy the British demand, We
would at least have been free from the
acceptance of the humiliating attitude OF
accepting and endorsing falsenood as
the decision of the tribunal arbitration
and of paying citizens of the United
tates for criminal wrongs done to their
country. The reassertion by the Presi-
dent of the Justice and rightfulneSS OF
the demand of the British Government,
made with the insulting aGrogance OF an an
refusal at it's last. session to vote the
lump sum of $425. 600 to satisfy this de-
nand should be defended . upon the pr1n-
The tribunal of arbitration, he SAID, by
agreement of the treaty powers was DIS
charged from the duty of considering the
question of damages sustained by either
The only question before it was whether
fhe right to protect the Alaskan seals
belonged to the United States exclusively
or whether it was necessary that the pro-
lection of the seals should be accom-
plished under regulations in which the
two Governments would concur 1t was
the contention of the United states that
the separate and exclusive power to pro-
tect and preserve the seals of the Alaskan
herd existed in that Government, unaided
and unobstructed by the subjects or the
Government of Great Britain. This claim
of the United States was formulated in
five points involving questions, historical
and geographical, and mixed questions OF
-Four of these questions were decided
adversely to the United States by
In IN further support of the fact that
the award of the tribunal excluded, alb
solutely. all consld GRAFTON Of the question
twenty rit fishing vessels, Mr.. Morgan
quoted from the different official cores
pondence laid before the British Parlia-
said, had been circulated among news
papers in the United States by the 1.,.t' BrI. .
is ADaasor @ ts as g9dlreal p,rpoe ye Of
reaching the people, instead of the Con-
gress. II. order to get popular 2 p% Judg-
to escape from negotiation respecting
these claims that would expose her
want of Justice and would compel u. her
rested. ted
Commenting, with much severity upon
Sir Julian Pagneef0tes Son srly fe t.
ing alone accounted for the rejection
by Congress of the hump sum arrange
lieans, Populisits and farty-eight Demo
o. once { e more from the facts presented IN
the vessels for which damages were
claimed were either owned, either In
Mole or n part Il by s citizens zSnsfops Of the he
damages could be due to them from this
81 Replying er to Sir yulian's statement that
thets'' in applying the Germ rascally''
to the reasonable conduct of these citi-
a mistaken view of the British naviga-
ton laws Mr.. Morgan said
ut never occurred to me to examine
the British navigation laws. to ascertain
whether they justified our citizens in vio
lating the laws of the United States.
would as soon think of looking into the
ebrstian eorah nor deeaIogue. i Sir Julian Should
cite US to higher authority than the
British navigation laws for, the justif-
United States. What control has Great
Britain in Bering Sea through her navi-
cation laws more than the United States
has with her criminal statutes; and how
can British statutes in these waters have
force and sway to excuse crimes against
the United States committed by her own
He spoke of Mr. Clevelands' action in
his first term in ordering the seizure of
vessels found violating United States
laws in Bering Sea as "righteul: cour-
ageous and patriotic" He stated that the
Canadians and their brokers of the
criminal class in the United States de-
fed description, and that if that question
had been passed upon by Paris Tri-
buna1 the response would have been
one that the Canadian Government
would scarcely have quoted He mem
toned with regret that the statement
sent by the late Secretary Gresham to
tbe House of Representatives December
90 1884. in regard to the seizure. of Brit
ish sealing vessels in Bering Sea was
seriously Incorrect and misleading, and
ment that the Senate in the last Con-
gress had refused him leave to print q
detailed analysis of the claims presented
as "a paltry fling" the fact being that
one Senator (Mr. Cray of Delaware) for
some reason objected and he had not
to ask a. vote OF the Senate on that re-
guest Having now plenty of tirne,'' said
Mr. Morgan, L will now read the docu-
1rent.'' ard he proceeded to do so. IT
showed that the actual amount due. ex-
Guiding the claims of American citizens,
proposed by Mr.. Gresham. He renewed
his contention that the further negotis-
fiors in regard to these damages as pro-
vifled by the treaty could only be entered
upon by and with the consent of the
Senaise and gravely suggested that the
Senate should not be deprived Of It's con
stitutional power because It may suit the
present views of the President. He
closed by asking vote on his resolu-
ton.