Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-12-16
BEGINNING AT HOME.
a Bill to Prohibit Pelagic Sealing
by Americans.
Take the Beam from Thine Own Eye"-Ths
ScripturaI Rule to be Observed That We
May be More Consistent in Prohibit
ing Others-AnomaIOus Position.

| WASHINGTON, Dec. 9.-The senate
committee on foreign relations author
lied favorable report upon bill pro-
hibiting pelagic sealing by the people
| of the United States. The bill is joint
production of the state and treasury
departments, and its passage Is
asked upon the ground that with
such a law upon the statue books of
this country the administration will
be in better position than at present
to ask that other governments prohibit
pelagic sealing. The bill received the
affirmative votes of all the senators
present, but its provisions were dis
cussed at considerable length.
The bill was reported to the senate
later in the day. The first section of
it is as follows:
That no citizen of the United States.
nor person owing duty or obedience to
the laws or treaties of the United
States, nor any person belonging to or
on board of vessel of the United
| States. shall kill, capture or hunt, at
any time or in any manner whatever,
any fur seal in the waters of the Pa
cific ocean north OF the thirty-ffth de-
gree of north latitude, and including
Behring sea and the Sea of Okhotsk.
The bill also prohibits any citizen of
the United States from equipping, US
ing or employing or furnishing sup
plies to any vessel engaged in killing
! or hunting fur seals, aud declares that
no United States vessel shall be en-
ployed in this work.
The penalty for violating the pro-
posed law is Imprisonment for not
| more than six months or a fine of not
| less than $500 nor more than So, 600 or
both and the forfeiture of vessels so
engaged.
The fourth section of the bill is as
follows:
If any vessel of the United States
shall be found within the waters to
which this act applies, having on board
fur sealskins or bodies of seals or APP
paratus or implements suitable for
killing or taking seals. it shall be pre-
sumed that such vessel was used or en-
ployed in the killing of said seals or
that said apparatus or implements
were used in violation of this act until
the contrary is proved to the satisfac-
ton of the court"
The United States courts in Alaska,
California, Oregon and Washington are
given jurisdiction over cases arising
under this act.
1t is especially provided that the act
is not to interfere with the privileges
of coast Indians nor with the taking of
seals on the Pribylotf islands.
Officers of the navy and the revenue
cutter service are empowered to search
suspected vessels. The Importation of
sealskins by any person taken contrary
to this law is prohibited, and all such
skins so imported are to be seized and
destroyed.
Representative Hit, of Illinois,
chairman of the committee on foreign
affairs of the house, introduced SINH.
lar bill in the house.
This measure supplements the diplo-
matte negotiations WHICH have been
going on for some time between the
United States, Great Britain, Russia
and Japan. Throughout the negotia-
tions the represen tatives of Great
Britain contended that an effort was
being made to have British citizens
stop pelagic sealing while at
the same time the United States
permitted its own citizens to
carry on this destruction. When the
American commissioners urged that
pelagic sealing was contrary to the
dictates of humanity, they were in
variably met with the answer that this
inhumanity was sanctioned by the
laws of the United States. The state
department desires to overcome this
objection.
The law as it stands permits citizens
of the United States to take seals out
side of the three-mile limit surround
ing the Pribyloff islands. This was
never intended, but has come about
through a supreme court decision re-
speeding the Paris award. The law
reads that citizens of the United States
shall not take seals lin the waters of
| Alaska"
It was supposed that this was a uni
versal prohibition to our citizens. But
the Paris court of arbitration held that
the United States had no property in
the seals outside of the three mile
limit of the Pribyloff islands. In con.
STRUNG this, the supreme court held
that as the United States had nc
property outside of the three-mile
limit the law prohibiting the destruc-
ton of seals ''in the waters of Alaska
did not apply to pelagic sealing on the
high seas. In consequence poaching
by American vessels was in effect legal
lied and quite number of American
. vessels have been sealing in Behring
sea, although the government has been
seeking to show that this sealing was
unjustifable.
1t is expected also that this step by
the United States will have a salutary
effect on the negotiations now in prog
ress with Great Britain and Canada.
Mr.. Hit will call the bill up at the
meeting of the committee on foreign
affairs to-day, and the purpose is to
have it reported and passed with the
least delay possible.