The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-12-17
RELIEF BILLS PASSED BY BOTH
THE HOUSE AND THE
SENATE.
PELAGIC SEALING STOPPED.
THE PROTEST OF JOHN
SON.
MIR. woLCOTT IS STILL sANGUINE.
Senate Promised n Report From the
BfmetaIlic Commission After
the Christmas Holidays.

today passed bill appropriating $175,-
GOO for the relief of the people who are
In the Yukon river country and also
the bill passed by the senate yesterday
to prohibit pelagic sealing by Ameri-
can citizens. The former bill encoun-
tered practically no opposition. AS
passed the sum carried by 1t Is to be
expended under the direction Of the
secretary Of war for the purchase,
transportation and distribution of SUBJ
sistence stores. 1t provides that these
subsistence stores may be sold at
prices fixed by the secretary of war or
donated where the people are unable to
pay for them. 1t empowers him to
purchase RENDERS and employ drivers,
not citizens of the United States, and
afterward dispose Of the reindeer.
The bill to prohibit pelagic sealing
was warmly antagonized by Mr.. John
son, Of North Dakota, Mr.. Loud, of
California, Mr.. Henderson and others,
and in the course of the debate there
was some exceedingly caustic critl-
cisms of the course of our Boring sea
negotiations past and present.
Mr.. Johnson Rep., N. d., made
vigorous speech of an hour in opposi-
ton to the bill. He argued that the
effect of this bill and the negotiations
now being conducted would be the boil
STEERING up of two great British indus
tries, one in the Boring sea and the
other in London. The present herd was
not worth protecting. The purpose was
to build up a new herd. tie declared
that Canada would only be willing to
join with us in prohibiting pelagic
sealing on condition that we should
allow her to write our tariff laws.
Mr.. Johnson said we had been hui
inflated and shamed by the complete
surrender of our rights and honor at
the Paris tribunal. He was particular
ly sarcastic in his references to Hon.
John w. Foster, who he termed ''The
Great Surrenderer."
So great was his reputation in this
line, he said, that China had paid him
100000 for surrendering to Japan. He
created much amusement by enumer-
ating some of the expenses of the Paris
tribunal, and said he did not marvel
that the experts who had already made
so much out of the government should
desire to keep up an agitation which
permitted them to draw big salaries
and rove over the world at the expense
Of the government.
WOLVES OF THE SEA.
Mr.. Johnson, as another phase of the
question: described the destruction of
the food fish by the seals. The recent
increase in the catch at the fisheries
on the Pacific coast and Alaska he at
tributed to the diminution of the seal
e HoI
been completely exterminated, he said
we would not be sending relief to the
miners in Alaska. Each seal required
ten pounds of fish a day. The coast of
Alaska would become the great cod
fishery in the world if these enemies
of the fish were destroyed.
Mr.. Hepburn (Rep., Io) expressed the
opinion that we had the power at any
time to compel Canada to adjust this
whole question as to the seals. Pelagic
sealing was rot worth more than $780,.
600 per aEnum. The bonding privilege
granted to Canadian roads, over which
we had absolute control, was worth
twenty times as much to Canada as
the right of pelagic sealing. He ad-
vocated retaliation as the weapon to
be used to bring Canada to terms, and
said he could not understand why it
had not already been employed.
Mr. Loud (Rep., CALI, in opposition
to the BILL argued that, If our citizens
were to be bound, it was advisable that
they should be bound jointly with the
subjects of Great Britain. A treaty
would bind the citizens Of both pend
ing negotiations
Mr. Hit, chairman Of the foreign
affairs committee, answered some Of
the criticisms which had been ad-
V9nced The admitted evil of the pres
ent system, he said, was pelagic seal
ing, which evil resulted in the killing
of $1,000 seals annually. And yet the
gentleman from North Dakota (Mr.
Johnson) proposed to meet this evil
of a partial slaughter by an absolute
slaughter Of the entire herd. Was this
a human proposition from a govern
ment which was urging humanity on
other nations? Mr. Hit referred to
the barbarity of the practice of killing
the defenseless seal pups.
This brought a query from Mr.. Liv
ingston Dem. Ga.) 'As chairman Of
the foreign affairs committee, you have
in your possession a resolution re-
pie of Cuba What do you intend do
ing about that? Are not the Cubans
as much entitled to your care as the
seal pups?"
Mr.. Hit turned the question by say
ing it was not asked with a view to
getting a serious answer
After further debate, the bill was
passed, yeas, 14S; nays, 49,
An hour was spent on the legislative,
executive and judicial appropriation
bill without accomplishing anything
The bankruptcy bill was reported by
the judiciary committee, and an ex-
oR IN oh, La