New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-06-14
THE BEHRTNG SEA AWARD.

II Is pleasant to observe tnat III spite Oh tI1e
ill-tmed objection Of Mr.. Bland, the House Oh
Representatives yesterday passed the Dill Tor
the Immediate payment Of the Behrlng Sea
award This award, to the amount OF S473,lol,
WAS already In the Sundry Civil BILL but the
passage Of that measure, owing to the great
mass Of items 1t contains has been SO long
Delayed that the money cannot be made avail
able under II In time for the Government to
keep faith with Canada. In this emergency
Mr. Cannon asked unanimous consent for the
passage Of a special bill embodying the Behr-
ing Sea item To that Mr. Bland objected.
preferring rather to indulge his obstructive
whims than to pay promptly FOR the credit OF
the country a bill which he can only delay to
the National discredit, and make 1t seem to be
paid with ill-grace. Happily, his objection was
not maintained sufficiently to defeat the bill
This debt is which the United States
owes and is In honor bound to pay. The Paris
Tribunal Of Arbitration on the seal question de-
cided against our right to seize British vessels
taking seals In Behring Sea, and referred the
question Of damages for ships unlawfuly taken
to be settled by the two Powers. President
Cleveland planned to pay lump sum for the
illegal seizures without regard to actual osses
but Congress properly refused to ratify this
scheme, because of the bad principle involved Of
paying claims without any detailed survey to
show their Justice. It was rightly said that
the United States could better afford to pay
twice the sum mentioned than to establish the
precedent of paying lump sums on unverif1ed
claims Then Mr.. Cleveland appointed COM
missioners as provided by the Tribunal Of
Arbitration, and under its rules they have as
IN nd only 70
the United States to pay the bill 1t cannot
repudate it without repudiating the whole arbt
tration proceeding and precipitating a quarrel
in which we should be utterly IN the wrong
with our best friend among the nations. 1t IS
not to be supposed that Mr.. Bland or anybody
else really wanted to DO that He only wanted
TO exercise his right Of interfering with some
thing that must be done. He doesn't mean to
smash the engine, but Just to stick his cane
among the wheels and show people that he has
the power to stop the machinery whenever he
wishes.
But what would stopping the machinery In this
case involve? It would involve the breaking Of
the solemn agreement Of this Government The
limit of time under the convention for the pay
ment Of the assessed damages expires on Fri
day. After that we might perhaps pay the
claim, Dut II Woulo De paying IL aS deDtor VINO
failed TO meet his bond might In shamefaced
way pay an indulgent creditor II Mr.. Bland
had a note due on Friday and the banker who
had his money hunted up excuses for not giving
him the amount needed to meet the note until
after It had gone to protest. he would probably
feel that his credit had been ruined 1t cannot
be that he really wanted to send this Govern
ments note to protest. 1t gave its promise to
pay, which Is due on Friday, yet he tried to
stop the drawing Of the check to redeem the
solemn agreement made under all the sane
tons Of the Constitution. A great deal Of
unjust criticism has been uttered because Of
misconceptfon of the verdict at Paris and be-
lief that refusal to carry out Mr.. Clevelands
plan was a violation Of its spirit 1t was not
in the least, but the present damage claims have
been determined IN exact conformity with the
declaration Of the Tribunal, and we must meet
them on time or be subject to reasonable re-
proach by other nations. This Is no time for
obstruction. The Senate should promptly fol
low the example OF the House, and the emer-
gency bill should be a law before Friday.