The herald., 1897-12-09
The First Question Argued
(
in the Senate
SEAL KILLING TO BE STOPPED
I'm ACCORDANCE WITH BRITISH
DEMANDS
No Business Done in the House, But
the Committees Get Matters
in Shape
Associated Press Special Wire

Associated Press Special Wire.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Dec. SIN hi
Invocation at the opening Of the Senate
today, Rev. W. H. Milburn, the Chap
lain, delivered q brief but touching
eulogy or the late Senator George, o.
Mississippi.
Mr.. Davis. of Minnesota, reported from
. the Committee on Foreign Relations, {
: bill prohibiting the killing Of fur seal!
in the North Pacific Ocean. He asked
Immediate consideration Of the bill, bu
Mr.. Hale, of Maine, objected on the
ground Of the Importance of the meas.
ure, and asked that the bill be printed
The bill was reported to the senate
later in the day. The first section of il
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 person belonging to or
on board q vessel of the United States
shall kill, capture or hunt at any time
or in any manner whatever any fur
seal in the waters of the Pacific ocean
north Of the 35th degree of north lati-
tude and including Berlng sea and the
Sea of Okhotsk."
The bill also prohibits any citizen of
the United States from equipping, using
or employing or furnishing supplies to
any vessel engaged in killing or hunting
fur seals, and declares that no United
States vessel shall be employed in this
work. The penalty for violating the
proposed law Is Imprisonment for not
more than six months or a fine of not
less than 5000 Of more than $4,000, or both,
and the forfeiture of vessels so engaged.
The fourth section Of the bill Is as
follows:
IF any vessel Of the United States
shall be found within the waters to
which this act applies, having on board
fur seal skins or bodies of seals or ap-
paratus of implements suitable for kill
ing or taking seals, 1t shall be presumed
that such vessels were killing seals. The
United States courts in Alaska, Califor-
mia, Oregon and Washington are given
jurisdiction over cases arising under
this 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 Pribyloff islands.
Officers Of the navy and the revenue
cutter service are empowered to search
suspected vessels. The importation of
sealskins by any person. taken contrary
to this law, Is prohibited and all such
skins so imported are to be seized and
destroyed.
Representative Hit Of Illinois, chair
OF the house, introduced a similar bill
in the house.
This measure supplements the diplo-
matte negotiations which have been 60
Ing on for some time between the United
States, Great Britain, Russia and Japan.
Throughout the negotiations with rep
resentatives Of Great Britain effort was
made to have British citizens stop
pelagic sealing, while at the same time
the United States permitted its own
citizens to carry on this practice When
the American commissioners urged that
pelagic sealing was contrary to the die
tates Of humanity, they were invariably
met with the answer that this inhuman-
1ty was sanctioned by the laws of the
United States The state department
desires to overcome this objection The
law, as it stands, permits citizens of the
United States to take seals outside of
the three-mile limit urrounding the
Pribyloff Islands. This was never in
tended, but has come about through a
supreme court decision respecting the
Paris awards. The law reads that cit
liens of the United States shall not take
seals in the waters Of Alaska" It was
supposed that this was a universal pro-
hibition to our citizens. But the Paris
court of arbitration held that the United
States held no property on the seals out
side of the three-mile limit of the Pribv-
loft islands. In constituting this, the su-
prerne court held that as the United
States held no property outside Of the
three-mile limit, the law prohibiting the
obstruction of seals sin the waters of
Alaska did not apply to pelagic sealing
ON the high seas. In consequence poach-
ing by American vessels was in effect
legalized and quite number Of Amer
lean vessels have been sealing in Bering
sea, although the government has been
seeking to show that this sealing was
this step by the United States will have
salutary effect on the negotiations now
IN progress between Breat Britain. Can
ada and the United States. Mr.. Hill will
call the bill up tomorrow. And the DUR
pose is to have it reported and passed
with the least delay possible.
THE CUBAN QUESTION
Mr.. Allen, of Nebraska. presentad
resolution declaring it to be the sense
of the Senate, that Congress should.
with all due and convenient speed. ac-
knowledge by appropriate act, the poli-
tical independence of Cuba.
Mr.. Allen said that he had long Urged
that the United States should recognize
the independence of the Cuban insur-
gents. He would not be content with
the recognition of belligerencv. but
would insist upon the ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Of absolute political liberty. He was
satisfied that the people would not h.
content with the course advised by the
administration. Inasmuch as the Gu
bans for more than two years, on MANY
battlefields, had demonstrated their
valor and love for liberty, he felt that
they had earned a recognition of their
political liberty, and that 1t ought to
be accorded to them without further
temporizing.
If necessary, this recognition should
be backed by fleet Of American vessels
In cuban waters. He expressed belief