The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-31
FOSTERS FUR SEAL FAILURE.
PROF. II. w. ELLIOTTS SCoRCHING
EPIsTLE MADE PUBLIC.

1t Was Sent 10 Assistant Secretary OF
Stnte DRy-It Asserts That Secrc-
tarS Shermnn's Letter of May 10 to
Premier Salisbury Lays the state
Department open 10 a Crushing
Reply - MIR. Foster Declared In
capable of Handling the Question
For the United states.
Cleveland, o., July SO.-Prof. Henry w.
Elliott of the Smithsonian Institute to-
night gave out the complete text of mis-
recent sensational letter 10 Judge Day,
assistant secretary of state regarding the
seal fisheries. 1t Is as follows:
Lakewood, o., Near Cleveland, July ls
Hon. w. r. Day, Assistant Secretary OF
State, Washington Dear Sir-In the
Morning Recorder of this city appears
the text of letter to Lord Salisbury dat
ed May 10, 1897, and signed by Hon. John
Sherman Secretary Of State. on the fur
seal question This letter is prefaced by
an account of the great embarrassment
which its publication has caused the
President and the statement that 1t has
been held up for several days at the re
quest of John W. Foster who now fears
the effect on his own work few weeks
earlier.
'Inasmuch as l have closer personal
knowledge of this present question than
any other man living. and vastly none
extended and inasmueh as l am the au-
thor of the modussvivendl of 1898, which
is the only credible step taken by our gov
ernment toward settling this seal dispute
since it began in 1880, up to date. desire
to say that after careful perusal of the
letter of May 10, above cited, the President
has reason to feel greatly embarrassed be-
cause it lays the state department open
to a crushing reply from the Canadian
office and you will be in the same mortify-
ing fix that Secretary Blaine found him
self in in 1890 when the Canadians simply
crushed his contra bonos mores letter by
the data which they promptly furnished in
rebuttal.
Inexperienced and ignorant men should
not write such letters dealing with data
about which they know no more than so
many parrots.
John w. Foster is utterly ignorant OF
the truth in regard to the salient features
of this seal question on the islands; that
letter of May 10 is like all other prepara-
tions from his hand on this subject-full
of gross errors. His dullness In making
up the American case in 1929 cost us
that shameful and humiliating defeat
which we met at Paris In 1898. Had he
been bright and quick-witted. he never
would have met with such disaster.
Taking this common place man up now
% At r,f 4
all over his anatomy and putting him in
charge Of your sealing question will only
thrust you deeper into the mlre than he
and your predecessors have been placed
before by the bright men over the line at
Ottawa. I am moved 10 write you on this
point because a senator OF the United
States recently said 10 me that Mr. Foster
had assured the president that the infor-
nation which gave the British in 1890
caused the defeat Of the American case at
Paris In 1893. The nneanness and untruth
OF this charge will be quickly seen by your
turning TO my report Of Nov. IT, 1890,
which contains this information. Mr. Fos-
ter and his stupid associati tions tried TO
suppress this report, because 1t contained
the proof of my authorship OF the modus
vlvendi of 1S9i-93 which he meanly stole
from me--plagiarized, In fact--but he was
unable to suppress a. And now that he
comes forward again to figure In this
question, I intend that he shall be re-
Quired at the proper time and before the
proper tribunal TO give a full account OF
his wretched record as the agent Of the
United States before the Bering sea tri-
bunal at Paris in 1893. This whole sealing
business, from the day the trouble began
in 1S9O-91 up to date has not been in the
hands of a competent man for one mo-
ment. 1T has been and is now the sport
of the Canadians and the languid con-
tempt of the British queens counsel is all
that 1t receives when It comes UP there.
VERY truly yours,
Henry w. Elliott"