The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1904-02-04

Washington, d. c.. Jan. 30 By
the passage of his resolution provid-
lug for the reopening of the Alaskan
seal question with Great Britain, SEN
ator Dillingham; has won the first vic.
tory in his fight against the extinction
of the fur seals of the Pribilof Islands.
The resolution was introduced during
the extraordinary session of Congress
and was referred to the committee on
foreign relations This committee has
rendered favorable report by unani-
nous vote and the resolution was
adopted by the Senate without dis
seuting vote The resolution states
that the concurrent regulations or
uered by the tribunal of arbitration in
1898, under authority of the so.called
treaty of Washington, have been found,
after ten years of faithful enforcement
and trial, wholly insufficient to serve
the purpose for which they were GREAT
ed. 1t further states that the failure
of these regulations, if not at once
corrected, will result in the immedi-
ate and complete determination of the
fur seals of Alaska. and provides that
the secretary of state oper negotia-
tions with Great Britain Immediately
for revision of the regulations so
that the British government will
have a reasonable length Of time in
which to consider the proposition be-
fore the opening of the next pelagic
sealing season.
Senator Dillingham; followed this
resolution by the introduction of bill
on January IL, to amend the former
act entitled An act to prevent the ex-
termination of fur bearing animals in
Alaska" The preamble OF this bill
says that the present regulations have
utterly failed to protect aud preserve
the herds and that more recent at
tempts to amend the regulations have
also ended in complete failure
The bill proper provides that all
killing on the seal islands be suspend
ed at once, except that the secretary
of commerce and labor may permit the
annual killing OF $500 young male
seals by the natives for food, the skins
to be sold by the secretary of COM
MERGE and labor. That the United
States government open negotiations
with Great Britain, Japan and Russia
looking toward some system of plo-
lection until the herd has again in
creased beyond the danger point. If
the President fails to conclude salts.
factory arrangements of this nature
with the three nations, the bill pro-
vides that the female seals of the herd
be reduced by killing to a number not
exceeding 10000 adult female seals,
and that the number of adult male
seals be reduced to not less than 1000.
During his visit to Alaska last sum-
mer, and since his return, Senator Dill
lingham has made close study of the
seal question and is prepared to make
a vigorous fight for the preservation of
this valuable animal. The habits of
the Alaskan fur seal are particularly
interesting The Pribilof Islands have
been their breeding place ever since
the islands were known. Every spring
the herd comes to the islands to breed
and as soon as the pups are ready for
the life in the sea the entire herd
starts on it's annual journey southwark
to point about vest of San Francis
CO. Then it moves northward along
the coast and again returns to the
islands. While the pups are too young
for sea life the mother nurses her off,
spring and in quest of food for herself
patrols the sea for radius of many
miles, often going a hundred miles
from the islands. This is where the
pelagic hunters get in their destruc.
tive work. By the regulations with
Great Britain no hunting boats under
the British flag are allowed to hunt
within zone of sixty miles from the
islands, but even then the pelagic
sealers kill many of the females who
get beyond this limit in their search
for food.
Within few years another fleet Of
pelagic hunters, flying the japanese
flag, has come into existence, and be.
cause no treaty regulations with
that country govern the hunting, they
cannot be prevented from hunting any
where outside the three mile zone
The capture of female seal at ses
d. means the death by starvation of al
her pups On the islands, and IN thi
way the herds are rapidly nearing ex
tinction. Not content with this, the
pelagic hunters follow the herd on it
annual sea journey and continue tt
wage their destructive warfare OF
old and young alike.
The privilege of killing on the sea