The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-21
Let the Fur Seals Go.

Here are q few facts and figures relating
to the fur seal business in Alaska that are
commended to the consideration of ON
gress. So many things ave happened since
the purchase of Alaska, thirty years ago, 1t
Is quite likely that some of the younger of
our Congressman have lost track Of matters
that greatly concern the people.
We paid for the territory acquired from
Russia in 1867 the sum of $ z 200, 900.
Great was the admiration of our fellow
citizens Then Secretary SEWARD. with nat
ural pride, made public the well-kept secret
Of his negotiations with the Russian Gov
eminent. After the first shock of surprise
had passed away, however, there was con-
siderable opposition to the scheme, and
certain Representatives in Congress, reviv-
ing the traditional jealousy of the Senate
which the House has always cherished In
the matter Of treaty making, proposed to
withhold the amount of purchase money
needed to bind the bargain unless the
House were allowed its say in a conclusion
of the whole business. But the treaty was
ratified. the money appropriated and paid,
and the Stars and Stripes were hoisted over
our Arctic province on the 9th of October,
1857. Long may they wavel
1t was not Immediately made known to
us hat the fur seal industry of Alaska was
one Of great value. The Russian.American
Company, regularly chartered under i'm.
perial usage, had had the monopoly of fur
seal hunting on the islands In Behring Sea /;
and not much attention was directed to
this source Of revenue when the expediency
of the purchase was discussed In the
United States. Fish, timber, coal, sundry
precious metals. n furs generally, were
named as the chief articles of Alaskan
product to be relied upon to meet the ex-
pectations OF people who demanded some
thing to pay at least a reasonable rate of
interest on the purchase money. 1t was
facetiously said of Secretary SEWARD, who
had high hopes of the benignant climate of
Alaska, that he promised bananas, pine
apples, and other semi-tropical fruit as a
part of the Alaskan harvest. This was an
cxaggeration of the ro%se-tinted prophecies
of the illustrious Secretary Of State.
In 1859 Gen. GEORGE II. THOMAS, then
commanding the military division of the
Pacific, visited the u~norganlzed territory.
He made a report on What he saw, and he
recommended that legislative measures be
adopted for the better protection Of the fur
seal herd, which was then variously esti.
mated to consist of 5000, 900 or 10000
900 Of animals. At that time The worlds
annual product Of skins of the fur-bearing
seal was 100000, of which the Alaska
islands furnished 1OO,O 600 skins. The an.
nual revenue to be derived from a judiciou6
regulation of the hunting grounds was esti
mated at 81, 200, 0OO.
When the Alaska Commercial Company
sought and obtained the exclusive right to
kill seals on the Pribylov islands OF
Behring Sea there was clamor among
those who affected great indignation over
the granting of monopoly rights to a private
corporation. Although other Governments
had controlled industrial monopolies, as o.
salt, n~itrates, pearl fisheries, mining o.
precious stones, and so on, 1t was a new
thing for our Government to deal with any
such exclusive privileges; and 1t was no
without embarrassment and popular out
cry that the lessees of the rookeries obtained
the right to take 100, 900 skins each year
for which they paid the Government a fixeC
royalty per skin.
But the plan appeared to work well. Thu