Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-23
ORGANIZE
First Meeting Of the Conferees on
the Seals.
EI-SEC'Y FOSTER MADE CHAIRMAN
Members Presented to the Presi-
dent.
ADJOURNED UNTIL MONDAY

ADJOURNED UNTIL MONDAY
The first of the international fur seal
conferences convened at II o'clock this
morning in the diplomatic room of the State
Department and organized by the selection
| of Mr.. John w. Foster as chairman and
| Mr.. G. A. Clarke as secretary. Mr.. Clarke
/ has for two years past acted as assistant
| to DR.. David S. Jordan, president of Stan
| ford University, in his Investigations of
| seal life in Bering sea. Without other
| business the conference adjourned to meet
Monday at 10 am.
After the adjournment the delegates were
accompanied by Secretary Sherman to the
Executive Mansion and formally presented
| to the President. The usual courteSies
were exchanged. 1t is said there was no
| special significance in the remarks made
| by the President or any of the delegates.
The following is official list of the
delegates to the present conference and
their residences:
Russia--Mr. Pierre Botkine. shoreham;
NJ. &c .Routkowsky, 1880 Phelps place; NJ
| de Wollant, charge d'affaires, 1929 l street
Japan-Mr. Shire Fuj!ta, Arlington; Prof
| Kakicni Mitsukuri. Arlington.
United States-Mr. JOAN w. Foster, 1405
l street northwest; Mr.. Charles Hamlin,
Cosmos Club; President David S. Jordan
Shoreham.
No arrangements lave yet been made for
| the separate seal conference between rep
resentatives of England Canada and the
United States. 1t is understood that the
English ard Canadian delegates are now
| on their way to this city.
Editor Stead's View.
An English view of the situation, decided
| ly at variance with that held by the Brit
ish authorities, is presented in the current
number of the Review of Reviews, edited
| by Mr.. w. T. Stead. He was in the United
i States last summer, and the controversy
| over the seals engaged his attention. After
| speaking of the strained relations between
the United States and Canada because Of
tariff enactmentS, Mr.. Stead says:
The Trouble About the Seals.
The immediate difficulty ahead between
| the dominion and the republic has arisen
over the fur seals. At the present moment
British subjects-chief1y, If not exclusively,
Canadianc-have some fifty-six ships en-
gagged in cate hing the fur seal on the high
| seas IN accordance with the regulations
| laid down by the international tribunal at
| Paris to which the seal question was re-
| ferred for arbitration. The American gov
ernment, rightly or wrongly. has convinced
Itself that unless deep-sea sealing be
! stopped there will soon be no ais left to
catch, and the only surviving herd of fur
seals will disappear from the planet. The
Canadians reply that the Paris tribunal
permitted deep-sea sealing under rules
which they have observed and will continue
t. observe, and that they object to give up
their vested right in the fur seal merely to
humor the prejudices of the American gov
ernment There is to be conference held
tnis month at Washington between the
| Americans and Canadians. with the Brit
1Sh assisting, to consider whether or not
the American government is right in te-
h1 he te
danger of destruction as to necessilata an
alteration of the regulations laid down at
Paris before the time specified for their re-
| vision. The Canadians are strongly in ia
Vor OF standing on their vested rights
while the Americans are not less deter
mined to secure the alteration of the sys-
tenn which, in their opinion, will lead 10
the determination of the seal
American Trump Card,
Il had an opportunity of discussing this
matter during brief visit which l paid to
Washington last month, and from what
there learned l am disposed to believe that
| the attitude of obstinate resistance to auv
modification of the regulations will have
to be abandoned The position of the
American government, SO far as l UNDER
| stand it. is this. Rightly or wrongly 1hev
believe that In half dozen years at The
outside the present system of killing s,als
en- the high seas which is permitted by the
minaton of the herd. They have. there
fore, fully made up their minds to take a
very extreme course, Which would un-
uoubtedly terminate oil future difficulty
about the SEAL and permanently remove
the question from the category of subjects
troubling the peace of cabinets. Every seal
in Berins sea resorts to the Prbylofr Is
lands every year for the purpose Of breed
ing. When they are the islands th;av
are absolutely at the disposal of the United
States government; 1t is only when they
wander away into the high seas that oth, p
| nations have ii right to kill them. If these
other nations do not consent, whether far
money payment or Otherwise. to waive
their vested interest in peIagic sealing. the
United States government will order the
entire destruction of the herd next season
They admit it is an odious task but thev
maintain 1t Is a choice between the lesser
of two evils. If the status quo continues
| the seals will all be dead in six years and
during these six years there will be fric-
| tion and irritation and endless worry be-
tween Washington and London If the
seals are to die. they had better die quick.
and save all future botheration. OF course
| this line can be taken by the America n
government, and, wnat is more I fear il
will be taken unless something can be done
and that right quickly. There are 1aany
reasons why we should use our influence in
orcer TO induce the Canadians to come to
an amtcable settlement in this matter The
i chief profit that Is made out of fur seals
| Is made by those who dress them, an in
uuStIy WHICH Is Utmost exclusively carried
on in London. If the seal is exterminared
| we stand to lose much more than the
Americans.
Save the Seals.
''It is no answer to this argument to saw
| that the American government Is mistaken
as to the certainty of the determination
| of the seal. Experts will battle over this
| question at this months conference. but
| the fact remains that nothing that we
| can say will convince the American govern
ment that the seal herd is not dwindline ar
| a rate which forebodes its extinction at
| such an early date as to afford them moral
| justification for putting the seals to the
! knife next year. When a man or a nation
| Is in a position to act upon his preiudices
| to your detriment, no matter how mistaken
| those prejudices may be. 1t is no use merely
| denouncing him. What you have to do is
| to honor him, Il only to protect your own
| interests. The case is much stronger when
| you have not only your material interest ar
| stake. but the further interest of harmo-
| NOUS relations with your neighbor, Ger
| tainly the tone Of the dispatches published
| in the Blue Book. signed by Mr. Sherman
| on the one side, and on behalf of Mr.
| Chamberlain on the other are not such Al,
| any friend Of Anglo American reunion co :,