THE FUR-SEALS AND THE BERING SEA AWARD 21 



denounced by his political opponents as a base betrayal of the 

 country's interests. Second : He could have rejected the argu- 

 ments and protests of the British Government, and continued the 

 policy initiated by his predecessor in the seizure of all British 

 vessels engaged in pelagic sealing in Bering Sea. But this course 

 had already been proposed to President Cleveland and decided to 

 be improper. The Hon. E. J. Phelps, who, as Minister to Great 

 Britain, had conducted the negotiations with Lord Salisbury 

 growing out of the seizures of 1886 and 1887, in a lengthy de- 

 spatch to Secretary Bayard, reviewing the conduct of Canada 

 which had prevented an adjustment once accepted by Lord Salis- 

 bury, made the following recommendation : " Under these circum- 

 stances, the Government of the United States must, in my opinion, 

 either submit to have these valuable fisheries destroyed or must 

 take measures to prevent their destruction by capturing the ves- 

 sels employed in it. Between these two alternatives it does not 

 appear to me there should be the slightest hesitation. ... I 

 earnestly recommend, therefore, that the vessels that have been 

 seized while engaged in this business be firmly held, and that 

 measures be taken to capture and hold every one hereafter found 

 concerned in it. ... There need be no fear that a resolute 

 stand on this subject will at once put an end to the mischief 

 complained of." But this recommendation of Mr. Phelps was not 

 approved by Mr. Bayard, who was unwilling to adopt a course 

 which might bring about a rupture with Great Britain, the prob- 

 able outcome of which would have been an armed conflict. In 

 view of this decision and the state of public sentiment, with a 

 prevailing opinion in a large part of the press and with public men 

 that the attitude of the government was legally unsound, and that 

 the interests involved did not under the circumstances stated jus- 

 tify the hazard of a great war between these two English-speaking 

 nations, the adopt! on. of this second alternative by President Har- 

 rison would have been the height of madness. The only remain- 

 ing alternative was arbitration. 



The idea of arbitration came only after a desperate attempt 

 through a diplomatic correspondence with the British foreign 

 office to establish the legality of the American position and to 

 justify United States seizures of the British vessels that had 

 already been made on the high seas. 



No arrangements having been made to abandon the sealing 

 operations pending a final settlement of the question, several 

 captures of British schooners were effected in the summer 



