The San Francisco call., 1897-12-09
Congress to Prevent
PelagiC Sealing by
Americans.
WILL IMPOSE HEAVY
PENALTIES.
Legislation Designed to Hasten
an Agreement With
England.
WOULD REMOVE A GREAT
OBSTACLE.
Heretofore the Law Has Sanctioned
the Killing of Female Fur
Bearers.
Special Dispatch to THE CALI:

WASHINGTON, Dec. S-The Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations to-day
authorized favorable report upon q bill
prohibiting peiagic sealing by the people
of the United States. The bill is Joint
production of the State and the Treasury
departments, and its passage is asked
upon the ground that with such a law
upon the statute books the administra-
ton will be in a better position than at
present TO ask that other Governments
prohibit pelagic sealing. The bill
received the affirmative votes of all the
Senators present. but its provisions were
discussed at considerable length.
The blI was reported 10 the Senate later
in the day. The first section of it is as
follows:
That no citizen of the United States, and no
person owing duty or obedience to the laws
! and treaties of the United States, nor any per-
son belonging to or n board OF a vessel of the
United States, shall kill, capture or hunt al
any time, or III any manner whatever any fur
seal in the waters OF the Pacific Ocean north
OF the thirty-tifth 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
employing or furnishing supplies 10 any
vessel engaged In killing or hunting fur
seals, ana declares that no United States
vessel shall be employees in this work
The penalty for violating the proposed
law Is imprisOn ment for not more than six
months or a fine of not less than 5000 nor
more than $1,000, or both, and the forfeiture
of vessels so engaged.
The fourth section OF the bill Is as io-
lows:
II any vessel of the United States shall be
found within the waters to which thiS act ap-
plies having on board fur-seal skins or bodies
OF seals or apparatus or implements suitable
ior killing or taking seals, II shall be pre-
sumed that such vessels were killing seals.
The United States courts in Alaska.
California, Oregon and Washington are
given jurisdiction over cases arising under
The act. 1t is especially provided that the
act Is not TO interfere with the privileges
Of coast Indians nor with the taking OF
seals on the Pribiloff Islands. Officers of
the navy and the revenue-cu.ter service
are empowered to search suspected YES
seis. The importation by any person of
seal skins taken contrary to This law is
prohibited. and all such skins so imported
are 10 b seized and destroyed.
Representative Hit of Illinois, chair
man OF the Committee on Foreign Affairs
OF the House, introduced q similar bill IN
the House. This measure supplements
the diplomatic negot atoms which have
been going on for some time between the
United States, Great Britain, Ru sia and
Japan. Throughout the negotiations
with representatives of Great Britain an
effort was being made to have British
citizens stop pelagic sealing, while at the
same time the United States permitted
its own CITIZENS 10 carry on this practice.
When me American commissioners
urged that pelagic sealing was contrary
10 the dictates of humanity they were
| invariably met with the answer that this
innumanity was sanctioned by the laws
OF the United States. The State Depart
ment desires to overcome this objection
The law as 1t stands permits citizens of
the United States 10 take seals outside OF
the three-mile limit surrounding the Pri-
byoff Islands. This was never Intended,
but has come about through a Supreme
Court decision respecting the Paris
awards. The law reads that citizens of
the United States shall not take seals "in
the waters of Alaska 1t was supposed
that this was universal prohibiti to
our citizens. But the Paris court Of arbI-
tration held that the United States held
no property In the seals outside OF he
three mile limito of the Pribiloff Islands.
In constituting this the Supreme Court
held that as the United States held no
property outside of the three-mile limit,
the law prohibiting the destruction oil
seals in The waters OF Alaska did not ap-
ply to pelagic sealing on the high seas.
In consequence pOgching by American
vessels was in effect legalized, and quite
number of American vessels have been
sealing in Bering Sea, although the Gov
ernment has been seeking to show that
this sealing was unjustifable.
1t is expected also that this step by the
United States will have a saluiary effect
on the negotiations now in progress be-
tween Great Britain, Canada and the
United States.
Hit will call the bill up to- orrow and
the purpose is TO have it reported and
passed with the least delay possible