The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-07-21
Placing the Responsibility.

An ingenious attempt Is made by the
Toronto Globe to confuse American
public opinion in the matter of the
Berng seal fisheries dispute. 1t first
charges that the whole position of the
American state department in this con-
troversy has been dictated by the
North American Commercial company,
q New York corporation which controls
practically a monopoly of the Ameri-
can seal trade, and which has, 1t al
leges, from time to time had influen-
tial friends at court; and then II adds:
The whole matter seems one that Am
orleans should scrutinize very closely.
They have no particular reason for back
ing UP these exigent spectators with the
might of the commonwealth. If any right
of an American citizen were attacked
they would be bound to defend it with ey
cry means at their command. But such
is not the case. The facts are the other
way. The natural right of United States
as well as of Canadian citizens to pursue
the wild beasts of the ocean or the high
seas is abrogated altogether, or greatly
restricted, ostensibly in the interest OF
the preservation of tho seal herds, but
really in the interests of n wealthy cor
poration which eppears to be on excellent
terms with the authorities of the foreign
department of the United States govern
ment Any American who is in doubt
about the rights and wrongs of this ques-
tion can perhaps get more detached
view of 1t by supposing that these islands
belonged TO Canada, and that for the pur-
pose of giving a Canadian company a
monopoly of the seal fur business it was
proposed to SO circumscribe the natural
right Of American citizens to pursue the
pf MI oo1S 70
practically exclude them from participa-
tion In 1t. Would Americans gracefully
accede to such a proposition?
Laying aside for a moment the To-
ronto papers insinuations respecting
the motives of our government in CALL
ing a halt on pelagic or deep-sea seal
ing, there is a chance for an argument
in it's assertion of the natural right"
of any nation to pursue the wild beasts
of the ocean on the high seas when by
such pursuit, unwisely prolonged, the
rights of other nations are, along with
its own, threatened with extinguish-
ment. The case as regards the seals
amounts to this: By the greed of Brit
ish poachers the seal tribe is well-nigh
extinguished. The other nations that
fish for seal and own islands where
the seals breed-namely, Russia, Japan
and the United States-are willing to
join in an agreement looking to the
suspension of the slaughter for a
time, so that the herds may replenish.
England alone refuses. Not Cnly does
she refuse but she intimates that her
G M
indirectly it threatens destruction of
| our property. Upon her will therefore
| rest the odium for such destruction
should it ensue; and the warrant for
forcible stoppage of the unneighborly
and porcine work is enough to impel
any but pacific power to measures
of sternness.
That the North American CONNER
cial company is anxious to have it's
| property protected as well in Bering
sea as in Broadway street, New York,
| would hardly deserve to be regarded
unnatural. That the American govern
ment exists among other things for the
purpose of protecting the property of
it's citizens is another proposition
which should not impress our Toronto
contemporary as discreditable. We
do not see that the fundamental issue
is affected one iota whether one CON-
pany or a dozen companies. own the
American fishing rights. In either case
it is the duty of the authorities at
Washington to uphold those rights
by argument and negotiation so long as
these forces shall suffice, and failing
them, by such additional force as the
situation may seem to them to require
1t is lucky from one standpoint tha'
the Klondike gold territory is within
British boundaries. 1t saves US boun
dairy war.