New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-09-27
THE SEALING CONFERENCE.

Preferential duties. il was said, were granted
by Canada to Great Britain as free gift Moth
ing was asked nor expected in return. fet close
upon the heels Of that concession comes most
important request from Canada upon the Mother
Country, the granting Of which would presum-
ably be TO Canada's temporary advantage and
would certainly affect in no small measure the
International relations Of Great Britain. Whether
this really is as many will on its face judge It
TO be. n case of "Quid pro quo whether it is
In return for preferential duties, or on other
grounds, that Canada seeks 10 direct British
foreign policy in certain matters. is not. how
ever of radical importance. What IS important,
and not only important but most regrettable, is
that on any ground Canada should seek 10
restrain Great Britain from participating in an
international conference on sealing In Behring
Sea- That the reported effort of the Dominion
10 do so will prove successful is not yet TO be
believed.
Elsewhere in this mornings Tribune is printed
the text Of an important letter on the general
subject. signed by Mr.. Edward Wingfeld, hut
supposed 10 have been dictated by Mr. Joseph
Chamberlain. Ostensibly communication from
the British Colonial Office 10 the British For
eign Office II Is practically the reply Of the
British Government TO the much-taked-of letter
of Nav 10 from the American Secretary OF
State to the American Ambassador in London,
the full text of which has been recently pub
lished exclusively in The Tribune. The closing
paragraph OF this British document is most
pertinent 10 the present case. Her MaJestyS
Government" says Mr.. Wingfied-or Mr..
Chamberlain-"have never argued that the regu-
cations were perfect, but they have maintained
THAT before they can be revised in a scientific
manner accurate information must he
available -. . and soon rs that Is at
hand they Will be ready TO enter on dis
"cusslon of the question" That was. on July &c
last, the sum of the whole matter, from the
British Colonial Office point Of view. Evidently
the British Government thought that accurate
information" had now been obtained by Pro-
lessor Arcy Thompson, for two days later on
July o. Lord Salisbury wrote to the American
Ambassador that 'Her Majesty's Government
ARE willing to agree to meeting Of experts
nominated by Great Britain and Canada and
by the United States in October next" The
British Government therefore uneQuivocally
committed itself to participation In the proposed
conference.
Now, however, it Is declared-though happily
not yet on official authority-that Canada will
decline, and will, II possible, prevail upon
Great Britain to decline to enter such confer
cnce, for the sole reason that the United States
Government has invited Japan and Russia also,
AZ interested Powers to enter 1t. The Canadian
idea appears to be either that the question at
issue Is one that concerns the British Empire
and the United States alone, or that there would
be danger Of the British and Canadian repre-
sentatlves being outvoted in the conference by
those Of the other three Powers. Diminishing the
latter theory as imputing unworthy motives to
the Canadian Government, the former is an
swered by the perfectly obvious facts that
Japan ana Russia are Just as much interested
in the matter as Is the British Empire Itself,
and that any settlement, to be just and final,
should be participated in by all the interested
Powers. 1t would be unreasonable to expect
Japan and Russia to obey rules which they had