Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-09-20
ATTAINED ITS OBJECT
That Sherman Letter Which
Caused John Bull 10 Feel So
Melancholy, or Something.
STATE DEPARTMENT NOT WORRIED

mput;ltions-yicw Held by London
special Chamberlain's Appeal to His
toly-Attorney General Said TO Have De-
cided Against section Twenty-Five.
Washington, Sept. 2o.-The officials
Of the state department are not disposed
to comment on the fur seal correspond
cnce given out by the British foreign
oiilce and summarized in the London
Times further than to say that it shows
the object sought by the government
oi the United States for the past three
years has been attained by the agree
merit of Great Britain to participate in
the conference to be held in October.
The British government has seen fit to
limit its part in the conference to an
ascertainmert Of the facts in dispute as
to seal life. 1t was precisely this result
which was contemplated by Secretaries
Gresham aEG Olney when they pro-
rG1~d the creation OF commission of
scientists to ascertain whether under
the operation Of the existing regulations
the seals were or were noe on the road
20 determination. If such a commission
should report in favor Of the contention
Of the United States. this government
did not doubt that Great Britain would
consent 10 such modification of the regu-
!&t.orS IS would save The seals from ex-
Termination. The continued refusal of
the British government to consent TO
such commission and conference led
To the Transmission TO Ambassador Hay
of Secretary Shernan's note of May ~,
when was followed by Lord Salisbury's
reply agreeing to & conference.
STATE Department Expresses Surprise.
Surprise IS expressed at the state de-
p2rtment that the London papers should
publish only the concluding paragraph
OF Secretary Shermans note ard de-
vote four columns to n communication
from the colonial office which is referred
to as Charberiain's answer to Sec
retary Sherman, a pGTer which has not
been communicates to the American
government. and therefore, to which an
official reply cannot be made That,
however. is exactly the position the
British government occupied REGARDING
Sherman's letter. That letter was not
intended for nor addressed tothe British
government, but for and TO Ambassador
Hay and somehow got taSo the papers.
IT is not at all probable that Hay used
the terms Of Sherm2n's letter % ad-
dress the British foreign office. Chamber
rT11 r--r--y etiit.iai.n - The British
government could rot officially reply
to words that were not addressed to
that government. The publication of
the Sherman letter was "U-ofiiCiaP' also
"a piece of newspaper ''enterprise,
that was an embarrassment to the chief
Of the paper that printed the letter.
Whitelaw Reid-who was at that very
time our special representative at the
Queens jubilee.
"TI,c Case in Nutshell"
\ spccialfrom London saysof the mat
ter: The Colonial secretary tries to
support Lord Salisbury by a long re-
iteration Of the premier's past defense
IF Canadian sealers. Yet he gives away
his whole case when he repeats Lord
Salisbury's declaration OF May last, that
the English interests have for some
years exceeded the American in the
fur sealing industry This excess is
precisely what the United States finds
fault with. Not for what it is now, but
for what it might and must entail Ia his
attempt to answer the Sherman note
MIR. Chamberlain simply makes Mr..
SherTIan's logic appear more forcible.
The colonial secretary IS hoist by his
own petard. Apart from this amusing
result. the blue book achieves nothing
The situation is unchanged. Mr.. Cham
berlain has Cnly emphasized the fact
that Lord Salisbury. by agreeing to the
conference after refusing to DO 50. re-
treated from position he found un-
tenGblc- This is the case in n nutshell" :"
C-,amberlain Appeals 20 History.
In the course Of his reply Chamberlain
says: The nation which is now
jealous for prohibiting pelagic sealing
was. in 1892. with equal zeal, asserting
the claim of the right for it's citizens
not only to kill seals on the high seas
but to land and slaughter them on the
shores of a friendly nation" Chamber
lain Celebrates on this point at some
| length, relating the incident of the
! seizure Of the sealing vessel Harriet. at
| Buenos Ayres, in 1882. and adding: The
shores of the Pribyloff islands today
are equally as uninhabited as the shores
! Of the Falkland islands and Terra Del
Fuego were fifty years ago. but noiBrit-
| ish subject has ever claimed the right
| TO land and kill seals there, as the
| United States did on the South Atlantic.
| under the protection of the guns OF an
| i f,NgriCan n7p--G--v-a-.'f