The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-12-09

| tTlendS OF CQod4 ppeaIeQ TO De Dlt
shy of the bold suggestion OF Cuban
| independence, probably for the reason
that, the first proposition having passed
| the senate, * affords the means Of more
| direct action, and through fear that the
congressional recognition OF Cuba's in
| dependence might lead to complications
| with Spain which the other move would
avoid.
TO PROHIBIT PELAGIC SEALING
Bills introduced In the House and Senate
at the Same Time.
Washington, Dec. S-The senate COM
mittee on foreign relations today au-
thorized a favorable report upon Dill
prohibiting peiagic sealing by the peo-
pie of the United States. The biH is a
| joint production of the state and treas
ury departments and dts passage is
! asked upon the ground that with SUCH
a law upon the statute books of this
country the administration wild be IN
| better position than at present to ask
that other governments prohibit pebagic
sealing. The DILL received the affirma-
tive votes of all the senators present,
but its provisions were discussed at con-
siderable length.
The bill was reported to the senate
later in the day. The first section Of II
/ 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 a vessel of the United States snail
! kill. capture or hunt at any time or
/ in any manner whatever any fur seal
| in the waters of the Pacific ocear nortn
| of the 35th degree Of north latitude and
including Bering sea and the Sea Oh
| Okhotsk.'
| The bill also prohibits any citizen OF
the United States from equipping. using
or employing or furnishing SUPPLIES to
| any vessel engaged in killing or hunting
| fur seals, and declares that no United
States vessel shall be employed in this
work.
TIE penalty for violating the proposed
! law is Imprisonment for not more than
| six months or a fine OF not less tnan
| 5000 or more tslans2, 900, or both, and
| the forfeiture of vessels so engaged.
The fourth section OF the bill Is as
1 follows:
"If any vessel Of the United States
| shall be found within the waters TO
| which this act applies, having on board
fur seal skins or bodies of seals or ap-
| paratus or implement suitable for kill
| ing or taking seals, it shall be presumed
/ that sufoh vessel was used or employed
| in the killing of seals. or that sald ap-
/ paratus Or implements were used In Vlo-
| lation Of this act until the contrary -
! proved to the satisfaction of the court
| The United States courts in Alaska,
| California, Oregon and Washington are
given jurisdiction over cases arising un-
] der the act.
1t is especially provided that the act
, is not to interfere with the privileges
/ of coast InfianS nor with the taking
| of seals on the Pribyloff islands.
Officers of the navy and the revenue
cutter service are empowered to search
suspected vessels. The importation OF
seal skins, by any person, taken con-
| trary 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
! a similar bill in the house.
I This measure supplements the diplo-
matte negotiati tions. which have been 60
! ing on fer some time between the United
| States, Great Britain Russia and Japan
| Throughout the negotiations, the repre-
| sentatives 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 ciizens o carry on
J his destruction. When the American
commissioners urged that pelagic seal
ing was contrary to the dictates Of hu-
manity, they were invariably 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 tnree-mile limit surrounding
the Pribyloff islands This was never
intended, but has come about through
a supreme court decision respecting the
| Paris award. The law reads that citi-
zens OF the United States shall not take
seals ''in the waters Of Alaska"
1t was supposed that this was univer-
sal prohibition to our citizens. But, the
Paris court of arbitration held that the
United States has no property in rhe
seals outside of the tIlree-mile limit Of
the Prfhyloff islands. In constituting this
the supreme court held that as the
United States had no property outside
of the three-mile limit, the law prohibit
| ing the destruction OF seals in the
I -Tr -, a
lagic sealing on the high seas.
In consequence, poaching by Arneri-
can vessels was in effect legalized and
quite number Of American vessels have
been sealing in Bering sea, although the
| government has been seeking 10 snow
that this sealing vas unjustifaiole.
1t is expected also that this step by
the United States viii have salutary
| effect on the negotia lions now IN prog
ress with Great Britain and Canada.
Mr.. Hitt will call the bill up at the
| meeting OF the committee on foreign
| affairs tomorrow, and the purpose is 10
have it reported and passed with the
least delay possible
Albany, y. Y, Dec. s.-Captain D.
! Marvin Goodrich OF Harvard, Captain
| Frederick D. Colson o. Cornell and Cap
| tain Wayne Whitney OF Yale. represent
| ing the boating interests of those COL
leges. arrived here today and wezst into
conference al the Hotel Kenmore. The
| greatest secrecy was observed and II
was announced that the result OF their
deliberations would noi be made public
until the conference had reported back
TO their colleges