The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-08-14
UNCLE SAM MAY
HAVE TO SETTLE
Matter Of Killing Japanese Oh
the PribiIof Islands Not
Yet Ended.
UNITED STATES PLACED
IN UNFAV0RABLE LIGHT
1t Looks as if North American
Commercial Company Ruled
With Iron Hand.
Special 10 The Tribune.

Special 10 The Tribune.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 13.-Contrary
to the current impression relative there
to, it is not at all unlikely that the
United States will have to settle for the
slaughter of sundry japanese by agents
of the Department of Commerce and
Labor on one Of the Pribilof islands in
Bering sea the other day, and also
that the arrest of another batch of Jap
anese will have to be explained to the
satisfaction Of the japanese Govern
mcnt
The nasty thing about the affair for
the United States is that anyone who
attempts TO land on those islands is
liable TO be shot at If he can not show
permit from the North American Com
mercial company or the United States
Government. Even if the Japanese
were lost in the fog and landed for the
innocent purpose Of learning where they
were, they were certain of arrest, IT
nothing more. The attitude Of the
Government and Of the North American
Commercial company for years has been
that anyone who comes there without a
permit is necessarily there to steal seal
skins. ali assumption which is, in the
main, true 1t is not locality to at
tract many callers outside of those &C
| cidental ones who get lost in the dense
| fogs that sometimes prevail In those
| waters.
But even under these circumstances
| 1t is a grave question whether the ready
use of firearms to stall off visitors can
be defended, especially in an interna-
| tional case. Certainly IL an unarmed
| boat s crew from an American ship
should land on the coast of Japan for
any purpose whatever, and should be
! fred upon and some of them killed. the
United States would be expected to
demand an explanation forthwith, 1t
! will be hard TO sub5tantiate the theory
that it is necessary to kill non-resistipg
people in order to keep them from com
mitting larceny, and all reports so far
agree that the japanese not only did
not resist, but were in retreat when
| fred upon.
Ridiculous Comparison.
Another statement given out here is
that the position of the United States
| Government in the Pribilof islands is
exactly similar TO that Of the Govern
ment of Newfoundland in protecting its
fisheries within the three-mile limit
from the Yankee fishermen of Glou-
cester, but nothing could be more ride
ulous than such a comparison, The an
alogy could only hold true If the New
| Ioundland Government were 10 let all
its fisheries to single corporation un-
| der twenty-year contract on a royalty
| basis, and were TO compel all the inlrab-
| itants of Newfoundland TO work for the
corporation at rate of wages fixed bv
| the Government and the corporation.
/ payment for this labor TO be made in
provisions and clothing at prices to be
| fixed by the corporation. To make the
likeness exactly true it would also be
necessary for the rate of wages to be
so low as to render the inhabitants un~
able to support themselves, thus re
| quiring the Government to make an an
nual appropriation TO keep the people
alive, while the contracting corporation
rolled in riches, But the exact oppo-
site is the fact as regards Newfound-
land. The Government of that country
| protects its fisheries for the benefit of
| all the people, so that any who choose
may take fish and sell them
With the inhabitants OF the Pribilof
islands the situation is exactly as de-
scribed above. The seal fisheries are
not protected for the benefit of the
people living there, and if one of them
is found taking seal without permis-
sion he is Just as likely TO have bull
let whistling about his ears as any Jap
anese noacher. The seal fisheries are
protected for the benefit of the cor
poration known as the North American
Commercial company, which pays the
United States royalty OF S10.22la for
every seal skin taken, and makes
clean, net profit of s22 on the trans
action. To the inhabitants of the is
lands it pays rs cents skin for the
work of killing and dressing, which
payment is in barter at company prices
and is not enough TO maintain the pen
pie. Consequently the United States
makes an annual appropriation for their
support to keep them alive until the
le <ha,,, Gov 81 npr1xy
harvest, all the killing Of seals taking
place during two months in the sum-
mer, II the Government applied tho
ewfoundland principle in the Pribilof
islands it would protect and regulate
! the seal fisheries for the use and benefit
of all the people who live there, in
which event they would soon become
the richest natives in North America,
In the old days, when the seals wero
more numerous and the circumstances
Of the people less restricted, practically
everyone on the islands of working age
had savings account. But at present
| the last remnants of these are dis9p,
pearing, the people being obliged ia
| spend their savings to keep alive.
| Has COST Government Much
Since 1870 the Government of the
| United States has paid out no less than
| $572, ,066,3S for the support of the people
and the supervision OF the fisheries on
the Pribilof Islands. and in the same
time it is estimated that the corporation
holding the contract giving it n mono
poly Of the sealskin output has made q
net profit of $l6,952, ,970-40. This esti-
mate is based upon the Government
royalty, which TO date amounts to
| $S,667 .206,40. and general knowledge
Of the price at which seal skins have
| been sold and the expense of marketing
the same. The estimate is made BY