The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-12-05

of international duty among governments, and tell in favor of the peace of man. kind.
 Panama Trip.
 I have just returned from a trip to Pan- anna and shall report to you at length later on the whole subject of the Panama canal.
 The AIgeciras Convention.
 The Algeciras convention, which was signed by the United States as we'll as by most of the powers of Europe supersedes the previous convention of 1880, which was also signed both by the United States end majority of the European powers. This treaty confers upon us equal com rercia1 rights with all European coun- tries and does not entail single obliga- tion of any kind upon us, and l earnestly hope 1t may be speedily ratified To re- fuse to ratify 1t would merely mean that we forfeited our commercial rgihts in Morocco and would not achieve another object of any kind. In the event of such refusal we would be left for the first time in hundred and twenty years without any commercial treaty with Morocco; and this at time when we are everywhere seeking new markets and outlets for , trade.
 Fur Seals.
 The destruction of the Pribnof islands fur seals by pelagic sealing still -on- tinues. The herd which. according 70 the surveys made in 1874 by direction of the Congress, numbered 4700,000, and which, according to the survey of both Amari- can and Canadian commissioners in 1891, amounted to 100000, has now been re- duced to about 1S0,000. This result nas been brought about by Canadian and some o:h- CT sealing vessels killing the female seals while in the water during their annual nil mir t, a,,l t,, the search of food. As a rule the female seal when killed is pregnant, and also has an unweaned pup on land, that, for each skin taken by pelagic sealing. a rule, three lives are destroyed-;ha mother the unborn offspring, and the nursing pup, which is left to starve to death. No damage whatever is done 10 the herd by the carefully regulated kill ing on land; the custom of pelagc zeal ing is solely responsible for all of the present evil, and is alike indefensibie from the economic standpoint and from the standpoint of humanity
 In 1896 over 16000 young seals were found dead from starvation on the Priblof js- lands. In 1897 it was estimated that since pelagic sealing began upward of 100000 adult female seals had been killed 1t sea, and over 300.000 young seals had died Of starvation as the result. The revoltlng barbarity of such a practise, as well the wasteful destruction which 1t involves, needs no demonstratiC,> and is its own condemnation. The Boring Sea tribunal, which sat in Paris in 1893, and which de- cided against the claims of the United States to exclusive Jurisdiction in the waters of Boring sea and to property right in the fur seals when outside of the three mile limit. determined also up- on certain regula tions which the tribunal considered sufficient for the proper pro- lection and preservation of the Eur seal in, or habitually restoring to, the Bertng sea The tribunal by it's regulations es- tablished close season, from the lst of May to the 31st of July, and excluded all killing in the waters within 60 miles around the Pribilof islands They also provided that the regulations which they had determined upon, with view to the protection and preservation of the seals, should be submitted every five years to new examination, so as to enable oota interested governments to consider Yheth- CT. in the light of past experience, there was occasion for any modification thereof.
 The regulations have proved plainly in- adequate to accomplish the object of pro lection and preservation of the fur seals and for a long time this government has been trying in vain to secure from Great Britain such revision and modification or the regulations as were contemplated and provided for by the award of the tribunal of Paris.
 The process of destruction has been ac- celerated during recent years by the ap- pearance of a number of Japanese ves- ses engaged in pelagic sealing. As these vessels have not been bound even by the inadequate limitations prescribed by the tribunal of Paris, they have paid no at tention either to the close season or to the sixty-mle limit imposed upon the fs- r,rncnnfItnn fhnir work up to the very islands them selves On July 16 and +, the crews from several Japanese vessels made raids upon the island of St. Paul, and before they were beaten off by the very meager and insufficiently armed guard they succeeded in killing several hundred seals and car rying off the skins of most of them. Near ly all the seals killed were females and the work was done with frighlful bar parity Many of the seals appear to have been skinned alive and many were found half skinned and still alive. The raids were repeled only by the use of firearms. and five of the raiders were killed, two were wounded. and twelve captured in- cluding the two wounded. Those capture1 have since been tried and sentenced 10 imprisonment. An attack of this kind had been wholly unlocked for, but sucn ?To- vision of vessels, arms and ammunition will now be made that its repetition will not be found profitable.
 Suitable representations regarding the incident have been made to the govern ment of Japan, and we are assured that all practicable measures will be taken by that country to prevent any recurrence of the outrage. On our part, the guard on the island will be increased, and better equipped and organized and better rev. enue cutter patrol service about the is- lands will be established: next season United States war vessel will be sent there.
 We have not relaxed our efforts to se- cure agreement with Great Britain for adequate protection of the seal herd, and negotiations with Japan for the same purpose are in progress.
 The laws for the protection of the seals within the jurisdiction of the United States need revision and amendment. Only the islands of St. Paul and St. George are now. in terms, included in the government reservation and the other is- lands are also to be included. The land ing of aliens as well as citizens upon the islands. without permit from the de- partment of commerce and labor, for any purpose except in case of stress or weather or for water, should be prohib- tied under adequate penalties The ap- proach of vessels for the excepted pur- poses should be regulated. The authority of the government agents on the islands should be enlarged, and the chief agent should have the powers of a committing nagistrate The entrance of a vessel into the territorial waters surrounding the is lands with intent to take seals should he made criminal offense and cause of forfeiture Authority for seizure in such cases should be given and the presence