Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-25
PIERCE ANSWERS
ELL|OT7'S CHARGES
Minister to Norway Says He
Had the State Departments
Permission.
RUSSIAN WHALING DISPUTE
Diplomat Declares It Was a Little
Money He Made on the Side.
SAW NO HARM IN MATTER
He Asserts He Was Spending Four
Times as Much as He Made at
the Time He Earned 1t.
RUSSIAN WHALING DISPUTE
Diplomat Declares 1t Was a Little
Money He Made on the Side.
SAW NO HARM IN MATTER

BOSTON. March 25.-Herbert H. ID.
PIERCE American minister to Norway. ar
rived in Boston today on the White Star
steamship Cymric, from Liverpool. to spend
a vacation with his family in Cambridge.
Mr. PIERCE gave an interview on the ques-
ton of the charges which were the subject
of a recent hearing before a congressional
committee concerning his receiving pay
during arbitration proceedings at The
Hague In the matter of the suit by four
American sealing vessels to recover dam
ages from the Russian government for
alleged illegal seizure and detention. Prof.
H. W. E'iott of Cleveland, Ohio, brought
the charges before the committee, when,
after consideration of papers from the late
Secretary Hay and Secretary Root, IN
which they held Mr.. PIERCE to have acted
perfectly within his rights dismissed the
charges.
Mr. Peirce said.
1.-The dispute between the Russian gov
eminent and the American sealing vessels
occurred while / was charge daffaires at
The Hague in 1894 and 1901, and as the
United States government representative
there during the seven years of the con-
troversy 1 was thoroughly conversant with
the matter. One of the vessels was a New
Bedford whaling bark owned by Wing &
Co. and there We're, besides, three schoon-
ers, one of which owned by the Eagle
Company of San Francisco"
Had Permission.
They finally asked me to act as their
counsel in the matter, and / Immediately
wrote to Washington asking for permission
to act as counsel for the American ship
owners for a stipulated remuneration which
the ship owners and / had agreed upon.
The State Department at once wired per-
mission for me to act as counsel for pay.
The Russian government however, refused
to submit the matter to arbitrati ton unless
they could treat with an official United
States government representative, ana
about this phase | also wrote the State
Department at Washington. Again the de-
partment gave me permission to act in an
official capacity, and thus l was in double
role as the United States representative
and as paid counsel for the fishing vessels.
l won the case for the ship owners and Sc
cured for them damages from the Russian
government for the loss of time during the
detention
Brought Suit.
Mr. Peirce continuing said:
Then, when l tried to get my fee as
counsel for the ship owners upon which 1
had a written agreement, I found that they
had taken the case from without the juris-
diction of the District of Columbia to San
Francisco. l accordingly brought suit.
That is the sum and substance of the whole
affair"
In concluding the interview, Mr.. Peirce
said that it seemed hardly just that OBJ
lection should be made to a United States
representative abroad taking an offered OPP
portunity with the sanction of the State
Department to earn "a little money on the
side" especially when he personally was
spending four times the salary he received
to keep up the standing of the American
foreign department in diplomatic circles.