The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-09
ro STOP PELAGIC SEALING.
Features of Bills Introduced I'm the
Senate and House.

WASHINGTON, Dec. S.-The Senate com- /,
mittee on foreign relations to-day reported
a bill prohibiting pelagic sealing by the peo-
pie of the United States. The bill is another
production of the State and Treasury De-
partments, and it's passage is asked on the
ground that with such law on the statute
books of this country the administration
will be in better position than at present to-
ask that other governments prohibit pelaglc
sealing The first section reads:
''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 shall XII, capture & OF
ever any fur seal in the waters Of the Pa
cifc ocean north of the thirty-fifth degree
Of north latitude, and including Bering sea
and the Sea of Okhotsk.'
The bill also prohibits any citizen OF the
United States from equipping, using or en-
ploying or furnishing supplies to any vessel
engaged in killing hunting fur seals, ana
declares that no United States vessel shall
be employed in this work. The penalty for
violating the proposed law is imprisonment
for not more than six months or a fine OF
not less than 5000, nor moretthan $1,000, or
both, and the forfeiture of vessels so en-
gagged. The fourth section of the bill ic an
follows:
IF any vessel of the United States shall
be found within the waters to which this
act applies having on board fur sealskns
or bodies of seals, apparatus or imple-
ments suitable for killing or taking seals.
ii shall be presumed that such vessel was
used or employed in the killing of said seals
or that said apparatus or implements were
used In violation of this act until the con-
trary is proved to the satisfaction Of the
court"
The United States courts in Alaska, Cali
fornia, Oregon and Washington are given
Jurisdiction arising under the ao
1t is especially provided that the act is not
to interfere with the privileges of coast IN
dians, 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
sealsixins by any person, taken contrary TO
this law, is prohibited, and all such skins so
imported are to be seized and destroyed.
Representative Hit, Sf Illinois, chairman
of the committee or foreign affairs of the
House, introduced a similar 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. Through
out the negotiations the representatives OF
Great Britain contended that an effort was
being made to have British citizens stop
peiagic sealing while at the same time the
United states permitted its own citizens to
carry on this destruction. When the Arneri-
can commissioners urged that pelagic seal
ing was contrary TO the dictates Of human
ity. they We're invariably met with the an
swer that this inhumanity was sanctioned
by the laws Of the United States. The State
department QtolitS u ONtINOiht TINS th3cC~
ton The law, il stands, permits citizens
of the United States 10 take seats outside
of the three-mile limit surrounding the
Pribyloff islands. This was never inteuded
but has come about through a Supreme
Court decision respecting the Paris award.
The law reads that citizens of the United
States shall not take seals in the waters
of Alaska" Ii was supposed that this was
a universal prohibition 10 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 Priby-
lon islands, In constituting this, the Suprsme