Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-28
PIERCE AGAIN ACCUSED
PROF. ELLIOTT HEARD By WAYS
AND MEANS Committee.


The House committee on ways and means
today further heard Prof. Elliott on the
Southland measure for regulating sealing In
Alaskan waters. Prof. Elliott devoted
some time to efforts in an attempt to snow
that the schooner J. Hamilton Lewis was
unlawfully engaged in catching fur seals.
He also endeavored to show that the own
ers of the vessel were aware Of the fact
that she was commanded by an alien.
In these efforts Prof. Elliott was closely
questioned by Gen. GrosvenoE, who insisted
that Prof Elliott was introducing hearsay
evidence and evidence that was not valid
In q court Of law.
Prof Elliott made the charge that ex-
Assistant Secretary PIERCE had been dere-
iict in his duty in not considering evidence
which was on file in the State Department
when Mr.. PIERCE presented to The hague
tribunal the claim of the owners OF the
schooner He recited aflldavits from Brit
ish captains stating that they had neaIo
Copper Islands and had been engaged IN
illegal sealing. He asserted that notwitn-
standing the fact that all this evidence
was on file in the State Department 1t had
been overlooked by Mr. Peirce. who was
supposed to investigate the validity OF the
claim OF the schooner Lewis, and when Mr.
PIERCE neglected this plain duty he vio-
lated his oath Of office and deceived 'onn
Hay, who had trusted him.
Prof. Elliott said he wanted to relieve
Secretary Hay from the imputation that ne
had knowledge of these things.
Chairman Payne said that there ID notn-
ing in any of the proceedings which re.
fiected in the least upon the character OF
John Hay and there was no occasion lor
any one to say anything to strengthen MI
D,r,ng the hearing there was quite q
sharp passage between Prof. Elliott and
Gen. Grosvenor, the latter declaring tnat
Prof. Elliott was an insulting witness. ana
Prof Elliott retorted that he accepted the
compliment.
Mr. Dalzen raised the point that Prof.
Elliott had not presented ANYTHING tnat
had not been gone over In the Dingiey
report and that there was no new evidence
before the committee.
Chairman Payne declared the hearing on
this subject to be closed and the committee
will act at a future date on the resolution.
Prof. Elliott Contradicted.
Chairman Payne Of the committee said
today:
after the report in The Star. published
on Saturday, Of the hearings Of Mr.. Elliott
before the committee on ways and means.
1t further appeared before the committee
from the portion Of the blue book. which
was presented by Mr.. Elliott, that the
modus yiyendi was not completed on April
Z, when the order was made for the killing
OF 10000 seals under the contract with the
fur seal company, but was still pend1ng.
1t further appears that while TINS mater eI
Blaine sent to Lord Pauncefote dispatch
in which the order for the killing Of 10000
seals was directly referred to IN the FOL
lowing language:
1.-The silence Of Lord Salisbury implied.
as seemed not improbable. that he would
not restrain the Canadian sealers from en-
tering Boring sea, and as all intelligence
from British Columbia showed that the
sealers were getting ready to sail in large
numbers. the President found that he could
not with justice prevent the iessees from
taking seals on the Pribylon Islands. The
President therefore Instructed the Secre-
tary of the Treasury, who has official
charge Of the subject. to issue to the les
sees the privilege Of killing on the Prfbylon
Islands the coming season the maximum
number of $1,000 seals. subject. however.
agent appointed by the Secretary OF the
Treasury to limit the killing to as small a
number as the condition of the herd might
in his opinion demand.
ION page of the same dispatch In Wnlch
he informed Lord Pauncefote of the order
for the killing Of 10000 seals. Mr.. Blaine
makes the following proposal:
Secretary Blaine's Proposal.
I'm this exigency the President tnstructs
me to propose to Lord Salisbury that he
eoncede to the North American COMPANY
the right to-. take sufficient number OF
seals, and no more than sufficient, to rec
ompense them for their outlay in taking
care of the natives, and that. In the phrase
of the President, all Commercial killing OF
seals be prohibited pending the result OF
arbitration
1.-The Secretary Of the Treasury has the
right to fix the number necessary to the
end desired. After full consideration he
has limited the number to loco to pc
killed by the company to repay them for
the outlay demanded for the support OF the
300 people on the Pribyloff Islands.
"'He further directs that no females be
killed and that thus the productive ca
pacity of the herd shall not in the slightest
degree be impaired.
" This point being fixed and agreed TO-.
the proposed arrangement between the two
The government of the United States
limits the number of seals to be killed on
the islands for the purposes just described
to 1900.
guarantees that no seals shall be killed in
the open water of Boring sea by any
person on any vessel sailing under the
American flag or by any American citizen
sailing under any other flag.
THE government of Great Britain guar
antees that no seals shall be killed In the
open waters of Boring sea by any person
on any vessel sailing under the British
flag. and that no British subject shall en-
gage in killing seals for the time agreed
upon on any vessel sailing under any other
nag.
.'These prohibitions shah continue until
the first day of May, 1892, within which
time the arbitrator shall render final
award or awards to both governments.
These several propositions are submitted
for the consideration of Lord Salisbury.
The President believes that they are cal
culated to produce a result at once fair
and honorable to both governments and
thus lead TO the permanent adjustment of
a controversy which has already been left
too long at issue.
This shows negotiations for modus
vivendi had not been concluded and that
the British government had been fully in
formed of the order for the killing of 10000
seals. which he (ElliotD asserted had been
suppressed.
.'These extracts from the British blue
book fully yindicate Secretary Foster and
Secretary Blaine as to the charges made by
Mr. FL lott and show that the British gov
eminent was duly and fully apprised by
Mr. Blaine of the matter which Mr.. Elliott
claimed had been suppressed.