The Bering Sea controversy has attracted its full share of attention un this side of the water, and while it cannot be said that the relations between the United States and England are particularly strained, at not yet, it is quite true that public here is decidedly against the evurse by Lord Salisbury in the negotia The treaty of arbitration has been submitted to Lord Salisbury, who has agreed to it, but his agreement is coupled with refusal to renew the modus vivendi ut last year, Tustead of that he proposes to forbid sewing by British or Canadian sealers within radius of thirty miles round the Pribyloff Islands, this restriction in turn being conditional on limiting the number of seals killed on the islands to 30,000. The necessity of a modus of some kind is obvious. The arbitra tion cannot possibly be concluded within the time designated, and without some regula-in force the very large fleet of sealers now at Victoria or already en route, will ply exterminate the seals. The proposition of Lord Salisbury, however, cannot be considered by this government, fur it would sealing within the S0-mile fait, owing'to be practically impossible to prevent illegal
the fogs which prevail there. Last year under the modus vivendi, illegal sealers were able to catch 60,000 to 80,000 seals, The difficulty of policing these waters is very great, and the mutual interests both "England and the demand concerted action for tne protection of the goals" The danger of exterminating the seals hes been wade perfectly clear to this government, by experts who have studied the subject carefully for years. Lord Salisbury maintains that sealing outside the proposed 30 mile limit would not injure the industry. The facts, however, are against him. But apore from this,' it, is ® question very pertinently asked by the American people, why should Great Britain or any other nation deem it right to capture the seals pending arbitration to determine ownership, without accountability for what may prove to be American property? Lord Salisbury's position is, that the sealing ground like a meadow the title to which is under arbitration, The occupant cuts the grass and pockets the returns, and quite ight, for the grass will be reproduced next year, and so will the seals." In other words, the true owner will have no less a harvest next year aiter his claims are established, meanwhile we will use the product of his land to our own advantage. It is like toyo men quarreling over a ten-dollar Dill. One of them says: ' You go ahead and decide which of us owns this bill.
Til go off and spend if, and when I come back you can tell me the result of your deliberations."
Both the Cabinet and Senate insist that the modus vivendi must be renewed. With-" out such a modus as shall satisfy the President and ensure the protection of the seals the arbitration treaty will be rejected, and the President will be supported in enforcing the rights of the Unived States in Bering Sea by any means he may propose. This is the general feeling upon the subject here, and while it is not thought that serious international difficulties will grow out of the question, the President his reply to Lord Salisbury insisted upo the intention and ability of this government to protect, not oily the seals but other rights in Bering Sea, claimed by virtue of the treaty of 1867 with Rus The dim of jurisdiction over Bering Sea has never been relinquished by this government. The jurisdiction of the United States over Bering Sea is no proper subject for arbitration, and there is no doubt that by agreeing to the articles of the proposed treaty the position of this government is weakened, The modus vivendi is nothing morethana joint agreement between the two governments to protect the seal fisheries pending arbitration, Being mutually beneficial it is not obvious why the reoment is not willingly renewed by rear Britain, unless to encourage Canadian sealers to exterminate the souls this season, which they certainly would dv if not restrained.
The political situation is growing in interest. Outside of proceedings in Congress not much can be said as yet concerning the prospects of the two great parties; but a southern politician gave a most excellent reason for supporting Me. Hill n few days since. He said: "T exiled on Mr. Hill yesterday, and T have concluded to favour him, because I think if he occures the nomination he will get into the White House some way, whether he is elected or not."
'The Democrats lay great stress upon the tariff discussion which has just begun in Congress. It is proposed to lay bure all the iniquities of the McKinley bill and thereby carry the country. 'The farmer's interests are the subject' of the most remarkable solicitude to the Democratic leaders, and the party policy of free trade and free coinage is presented as embodying everything necessary to ensure agricultural prosperity.
But the free coinage movement has received some very serious checks. Ex-President Cleveland is sound on the silver question and his letter opposing free coinage is one cause of a split in the Democratic party. There are some Democratic States which oppose, as there-are others which favour, free coinage, and now that the situation has been exposed in Congress, the Republicans are jubilant and the Democrats in confusion.
The Bland bill allows any person to deposit silver bullion at the government mints, and for every 371 grains of silver he will receive either a coined dollar of certificates redeemable in either gold or silver, witch are to be legal tender for the full coinage value, Under such a law there would be no coinage in fact, for the certificates would be taken in preference to the heavy metal dollars. The demand for the certificates, however, would be only limited by the amount of silver which could be got together in the form of the bullion, for S71 grains of silver is worth to-day about 69 cents and by selling it to the government for one dollar the profit is 31 cents—quite sufficient to make silver mining lucrative business. Of course the silver men claim that the issue of the certificates ill increase the value of silver to. par, but they mus: know that such argument is not honest and the people will not be hoodwinked by it to any great extent. The obvious result would be a rapid depreciation of the certificates, until finally they would be worth
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.