The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-08-03
The ELLIOTT LETTER.
FULL TEXTOFTHISS SENSATIONAL
LETTER MADE PUBLIC.

Professor H.W. Elliott, Of the mtfhsontsn
Institute, Writes to Assistant Secretary
Day His eOpfnion Regarding john w.
Fosters Management of the Behring
Seal Fishery in Behalf of Our Govern
ment-Hfs Denuncia ton of That Mans
Dishonesty and liability
Cleveland, Ohio, July 30.-Professor
Henry w. Elliott, Of the Smithsonian
institution, tonight gave out the COM
plete text of his recent sensational let
ter to Judge Day, assistant secretary
of state, regarding the seal fisheries.
1t is as follows:
Lakewood, Ohio, July Is.
Hon. ". r. Day. Assistant Secretary
of State, Washington, D.. c.:
Dear Sir: In The Morning Record
er Of this city appears the text of a let
ter to Lord Salisbury dated May 10,
1897, and. signed by John Sherman, sec
rotary Of state, on the fur seal ques-
ton. The letter is prefaced by an ac-
count of the great embarrassment
which it's publication has caused the
president and that it has been held up
for several days at the request Of John
w. Foster, who now fears the effect of
his own work a few weeks earlier. :
"Inasmuch as I have a closer person
al knowledge of this present question
than any other man living and vastly
more extended, and inasmuch as I
am the author of the mOdue vivendi
of 1878, which is the only credita-
BILE step taken by our government to-
wards settling this seal dispute since
it began in 1890, up to date, I desire to
say that after a careful perusal of this
letter Of May 10th, above cited. the
president has reason to feel greatly
embarrassed, because it lays the state
department Open to a crushing reply
from those of the Canadian office and
you will be in the same notifying
fix that Blaine found himself in during
1890, when the Canadians simply
crushed his 'contia bones mores' letter
by the data which they promptly fur.
nishe in rebuttal. :
inexperienced and ignorant men
should not write such letters dealing
with data abOut which thew know no
more than so many parrots. John w.
Foster is utterly ignorant of the truth
in regard to the salient features of his
seal question on the islands; that let
ter of May 10th is like all other prepa-
rations from his hand on this subject
full of gross errors. His dullness in
making up the American cas in 1892
'93 cost us hat shameful and humiliat-
ing defeat which we met with at Paris
in 1893. Had he been bright and quick
witted, he never would have met with
such disaster.
Taking this common place man up
now after this record of fiat failure is
stamped all over his anatomy and put
ting him in charge of your sealing
question will only thrust you deeper
into the mire thar he and your pred
ecessors ave been placed before by
the bright men over the line at Ottawa.
I am moved to write you on this point
because a senator of the United States
recently said to me that Foster a
assured the president that the infor-
nation which I gave the British in
1890 caused the defeat of the American
and untruth of this charge will be
quickly seen by your turning to my
report of November II, 1890, which
contains this information. Mr.. Fos-
ter and his stupid associates tried to
suppress this report because it con-
aimed the proof of my authorship of
the modus vivendi of 1913, which he
meanly stole from me-plagiarized in
fact; but he was unable to suppress it.
now that he comes forward again
to figure in this question, I intend that
he shall be required at the proper time
and before the proper tribunal, to
give a full account of his wretched rec
ord as the agent of the United States
before the Behring sea tribunal at
Paris in 1893.
This whole sealing business from
the day the trouble began in 1890-'91 up
to date, has not been in the hands Of a
competent man for m moment. 1t
has Deer and is now the sport Of the
and the languid contempt
of the British queens counci is all
that it receives when it comes up
there Very truly yours,
HENRY w. ELLIOTT"