Los Angeles herald., 1907-10-01
Population of Los Angeles 100000
NAVAL OUTRAGE

N EIZING, the papers of American
~ fishing vessels by the officers Of q
~ Russian cruiser in the OkhotslS
sea, as was recently done in the cases
or several San Francisco fishermen, is
an old trick of that government. and for
the time the Japanese held sway in
Saghalin island was held in allegiance,
but since the cession to Russia Of the
northern half OF that island, under the
treaty Of Portsmouth, the Russian Of
ficers have grown bolder and renewed
their customary "bulldozingv tactics.
The Kuril islands, running north to
Kamchatka from Yezzo, and all of
their Japanese territory shut in the
great Okhotsk sea, in and around which
are the very best cod and sea otter
fisheries known, and that ground has
been exploited by American and Cana
dian fishermen for fifty years past, and
during that time periodical arrests and
seizures by Russian naval vessels have
been the experience Of the American
crews. While there is international law
to compel fishermen of foreign flag to
keep outside the three-league limit, and
in many places not to land without
Russian pratique. there is or can be no
law against fishing in the open sea any
where within radius bounded by the
international league line, and the action
of the Russian officer in seizing the
papers of American vessels and for
bidding the men. to fish is purely arbi-
trary and calls for prompt explanation
at the hands of our state department.
1t will be recalled that the greatest
cause contributing to the existing
troubles of our fishing fleets in North
Atlantic waters is the policy of dali
lance adopted and followed by the
state department, and it is certain that
unless immediate steps are taken to
correct this Illegal act of the Russian
naval officer our Pacific fishing indus
tries, now growing to gigantic pro-
portions, will be burdened with great
expense and exasperating interference,
till the millions of capital involved may
retire and thus close up a great avenue
of trade.
In common with all maritime nations,
we have certain inalienable rights in
the highways of commerce, and deep
water fishing outside of national boun-
daries is one of them. To board a ves-
sci in such waters and take her papers
and keep them, to be returned at the
will of the aggressor, is an act of high
handed outrage, and our state depart
ment must take immediate cognizance
thereof and exact prompt and sufficient
explanation and apology therefor.
Not long since, in an Alaskan port,
an English vessel hoisted the British
ensign over the American ensign on the
same spar on the Fourth of July. A
Yankee skipper took it as an insult and
boarded the British ship and hauled
down the flag. Capt. Emory Knox of
the U. S. S. Granger happened into the
bay shortly after and hearing the story
adjudged the American guilty of a
grave wrong, and so set the English
ensign at his fore truck and fired q
national salute to 1t, thus manfully
acknowledging and making full repara-
tion for the wrong done the British flag.
The spirit of honesty and manliness
exhibited by Capt Knox is not known
by those Russian naval men, and it is
the duty of our state department to so
conduct the inquiry into this outrage
Gus act that these people must learn to
fear, If they will not respect, our flag,
wherever it floats.