Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1908-04-02
SEAL herd.
SENATOR FORAKER INTRODUCED
IN SENATE RECORDS DocU.
MENT THAT WAS LOADED"
IT CALLED FOR APOLOGIES
Reflected Upon integrity Of Presiding
Officer, Members Of Senate and
House and Other Govern
rnent Officials.

WhbuluBLOu, MAT. Ol.--06uaLOr FOI
aker Monday obtained leave to with
draw from the senate files q paper In
troduced by him on Wednesday las
and printed as public document ant
the order carried with 1t that the sup
preston Of all the printed copies Of
the paper. His Introduction Of the
paper last week and the withdrawal
Monday contained no intimation of the
sensational character Of the document
which still would be unknown had II
not been for the fact that several
copies had been given out before 1t
was suppressed.
The paper was prepared by Henry
w. Elliott Of Lakewood, o., and pur-
ported to be "the official record of the
loot and ruin of the fur seal herd Of
Alaska. 1t was stated In chronological
order beginning about 1868 and con-
Quoting to the present time. 1t was
written In longhand, closely written
and difficult to read. Professor Elliott
had submitted records of pelagic seal
ing several times and they had always
been printed as public documents.
Therefore when Senator Foraker was
asked to have the alleged official
record" printed he made the request
in the usual form, and did not take
the trouble to read 1t. Monday he
made apologies to Vice-President Fair
banks and several senator's.
1t was not until the paper came out
in printed form that Its character be-
came known. 1t was found to reflect
upon the integrity of the presiding Of
ficer Of the senate and upon members
of the senate and house and other gov
eminent officials. 1t transgressed one
of the established thought unwritten
rules of both houses of congress and
caused a sensation of no small magni-
tude.
Passing over thirty years of the "of-
fetal records" Prof. Elliott dealt with
the work OF the Anglo-American high
joint commission in connection with
the sealing question and told of an
argument made by Mr.. Fairbanks in
opposition to a sealing bill before the
senate committee on foreign relations
In 1902-3 when he was member of the
committee. This paragraph is taken |
from the report:
"Mr. Elliott secures on February 2,
1903, the passage Of the bill In the
house, but on February II, in the SEN
ate foreign relations committee, SEN
ator Fairbanks deliberately tells the
committee that this bill Is not needed:
that the fur seal question has been
agreed upon in the high joint commits
sion and only awaits the formal publ
cation by that commission when 1t as
sembles; he assures the committee
that this re-cpnyention Of the commits.
sion is to take place soon after March
1, 1908.
1.-THE statement OF Senator Fair
banks was an untruth in every respect
"a square and wholesale fabrication
IN his part, to defeat the pending bill.
Under the circumstances, his col
eagues could not dispute his false re-
BORT; therefore they took no action on
his bill, at his request"
The official record" refers in dis
,araging manner to the part taken by
he late Secretary Of State John Hay
n regard to the sealing question and
,harges that legislation was bitterly
opposed "but the land and sea butch
'rs Of the fur seal herd who had
certain senators, congress-
men, and the department officials"
It refers also to the extended trip
# inspection over Alaska" made by
senators Dillingham;, Nelson, Burnham
md Patterson, and mentions the fact
hat no legislation was accomplished.
FAULT is found also with the fact that
secretary Root and Assistant Secre-
airy Bacon had done Absolutely moth
ng," although fully informed that
Ian Of mutual concession and joint
,ontrol Of United States and Canada
ould be successfully negotiated in
TX weeks time" The long record
loses as follows:
"Why should this infamous work Of
he land and sea- butchers of our fur
cal herd go thus unchecked? And
hat, too, when the Canadian govern
nent asks us to unite with It on q !
roper plan to suppress It? No quib- {
ling or nonsense about the necessity
4 seeing or sounding Japan or Rus
Ia first will bear the light OF honest 1
discussion. Those governments have 9
10Th been ready at any hour since I
1877 to unite with US on any plan TO {
Impress pelagic fur sealing whlch'We
mid first get Canada IN aaaent In /" :