RIGHT TO PROTECT INTERESTS AND INDUSTRY. 177 



to supplicate the government to which its assailants belonged, to pre- 

 vent the mischief complained of, as a matter of voluntary comity, and 

 if such application were disregarded, to submit? The whole history 

 of the maritime world, and of Great Britain above all other countries 

 is to the contrary. So far from individual rights on the sea of such a 

 mischievous and injurious character having become recognized and es- 

 tablished by the assent of mankind, so as to be regarded as justified 

 by the international law that results from such an assent, the judgment 

 and the conduct of nations have been altogether the other way, and 

 necessarily must always be the other way if they are to protect them- 

 selves, their interests, and their people from destruction. 



It will be seen from the correspondence between the governments of 

 Great Britain and the United States, printed in the Appendix to the 

 Case of the United States, that a convention between the two countries 

 was virtually agreed upon as early as 1887, with the full concurrence of 

 Bussia, under which pelagic sealing in Behring Sea would have been 

 prohibited between April 15 and October lor November 1 in each year, 

 and that the consummation of this agreement was only prevented by the 

 refusal of the Canadian Government to assent to it. The propriety and 

 necessity of such a repression was not doubted, either by the United 

 States, Great Britain, or Bussia. This convention, if completed, would 

 have fallen far short both of thejust right and the necessity of the United 

 States in respect to the protection of the seals, as is now made apparent 

 in the light of the much larger knowledge of the subject which has 

 since been obtained. Still, it would have been a step toward the do- 

 sired end. 



When it became apparent that Great Britain would be unable to 

 consummate the proposed agreement, and that no restraint would be 

 put by Her Maje sty's Government on the depredations of its colonists 

 complained of, i f the United States Government had then taken the 

 course which has since been pursued by the Government of Bussia 

 in respect to the seals on the Commander Islands, and refused to per- 

 mit further slaughter of the seals in Bering Sea during the breeding 

 time, what is it reasonable to believe would have been the judgment of 

 the civilized world, as to the justice and propriety of the position thus 

 assumed? Would not such action have been approved and acquiesced 

 in by all nations, as it has been shown that similar action by many 

 countries in all similar cases that have arisen has been approved and 



acquiesced inl And if it can be supposed, as it certainly can not b§ 

 U749 13 



