The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-05-03
A VERY soRRY 1rARCE.


the jobbing of the seal fisheries to
monopoly, to the curt rejection of Sec
rotary Sherman's recent request fer
reopening Of the seal-preserving oues-
preservation of the seals, and the sor-
riest figure cut in the play is that OF
this country. From the time when the
so-called poachers interfered with the
profits of the company to whom mo-
nopoly of sealing had been given. and
Secretary Blaine put forth his aston
ishing claim making the whole of B@r-
ing sea mare clausum, down to TINS
rejection of the request of the secre-
tary for a rehearing, there has been
nothing but humiliation and merited
rebuff for the United States.
If the seals are eXterminated, the
United States senate will have added
one more specification to the iadict-
ment for degeneracy and uselessness.
After the rejection of the absurd claim
that seals are mere domestic animals
running at large, pasturing on the
waters of the Pacific, as cattle feed On
the great ranges of the West, and that
no one had any more right to kill them
there than would any one have the
right to kill the range cattle, an ar
rangement was finally entered into be-
tween Great Britain and this country
TO iAi, IN, hn c,1o n
the seals on the sea or ocean. But,
while our claim to exclusive right was
being insisted on, there had been num-
erous captures of vessels of Canadians
and a confiscation of their catch Of
skins and, in some cases, of the YES
sells. This was absolutely without war
rant and the final arrangement pro-
vided for the payment Of the dam
ages caused, adjudged to be $425,O00.
When the treaty was submitted to the
senate for ratification, the irrepressible
jingoes, with old Morgan at their head,
tailed after by the whole anti-Cleve-
land gang, anxious then, as later in the
matter of the arbitration treaty, to do
anything to annoy and defeat the adj
ministration, denounced the provision
for paying the damages as coward
ly surrender to Englands outrageous
claim for damages, and defeated the
treaty.
The case then stood this way. We
had taken property Of English subjects
without a shadow of right, had submit
ted the whole case, involving the claim
of right and the amount Of damage
If the case went against us, to an i'm
partial tribunal; judgment had been
entered against us. and we refused to
pay the judgment There the case
rested during the remainder Of Mr..
Cleveland's term. Meanwhile the par
ty that loves "a vigorous foreign FOL
icy" came in with the seal question on
its hands, and the season Tor catching
opening with no provision against Pc
lagic sealing President Mckinley ar-e
points another commission, consisting
of ex-Assistant Secretary Han1lin and
International Negotiator Foster, to see
if something could not Oe done to in
duce Great Britain to help stop the
poaching. Secretary Sherman writes
a note to Salisbury, Touched in de-
cided terms" it is said, demanding that
the Paris award be set aside and
new trial had. And London cable
now informs us that the request is de-
MED on the ground Of expense. If Sails
bury would drop the language Of diplo-
macy and reply in decided terms" he
would no doubt have Informed Secre-
tary Sherman that when the United
States paid the judgment rendered it
would be ample time to consider fur
Their measures for protecting the seals,
but until that was done Great Britain
would not interfere with the nnaues-
tionable right of her Canadian subjects
to catch seals wherever they could find
them, so they were not on the Priby-
loft islands, or within three marine
leagues Of land. And we are inclined
to think that the English premier is
right.