INTESTIGATIOlSr OP THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OE ALASKA. 305 



be permitted for British subjects; in the meantime both high contracting parties shall 

 carefully study the question and then agree upon a plan of proper resumption of seal 

 killing, etc. 



Mr. Blaine demurred and suggested a 25-mile zone of pelagic prohibition around 

 the Seal Islands instead; to this Sir Julian objected, saying that it was impracticable 

 and would not be easily enforced, etc. 



April 7, 1891. Sir Julian again urges Mr. Blaine to unite with his Government in 

 a total suspension of all killing of fur seals on the Pribilof Islands and in the sea of 

 Bering, during the coming season of 1891. Mr. Blaine agrees to do so if the British 

 Government will notify him of its desire and willingness to do so. 



Sir Julian Pauncefote then mails to Lord Salisbury this proposal of Mr. Blaine to 

 stop all killing on the Pribilof Islands during the season of 1891, if the British Govern- 

 ment will prohibit its subjects from all killing of fur seals at sea (in Bering Sea), during 

 this period aforesaid. This letter sent to New York and mailed by ' 'special post' ' 

 on this day and date, April 7, 1891, to London. 



April 11, 1891. Secretary Blaine, without informing Sir Julian, violates this agree- 

 ment of April 7, 1891, as above cited; he gives to the lessees of the Seal Islands (D. O. 

 Mills, Isaac and Herman Liebes, Lloyd Tevis, and S. B. Elkins) a secret permit to 

 kill 60,000 seals on these islands, ' 'if they can be found," during the season of 1891. 



April 13, 1891. Charles Foster, Secretary of the Treasury, admits, when personally 

 interrogated by Hon. ^m. McKinley and Henry W. Elliott, that he has given this 

 order of permission to kill 60,000 seals, ' ' because Blaine authorizes it, and has told 

 me that Salisbury is ugly and will not stop his people from killing." 



April 22, 1891. Sir Julian Pauncefote denies that his Government "is ugly," and 

 asserts that it is willing to stop the seal slaughter. 



April 24-, 1891. Henry W Elliott, in a half-column letter to the New York Evening 

 Post of to-day's issue, under caption of "Some seal history," tells this story of Mr. 

 Blaine's duplicity and venality, as above cited; it is telegraphed all over the country, 

 briefly, and on — - 



May 8, 1891 . President Harrison vetoes or orders the cancellation of this secret and 

 infamous permit; he then orders steps to be taken in the State Department which 

 result, June 14, 1891, in the modus vivendi being officially published, as originally 

 suggested by Henry W. Elliott November 19, 1890, and Sir Julian on April 7, 1891, 

 as stated above. 



With this clearly and indisputably recorded as above, it is now in 

 order to produce the cause of this malfeasance of both Secretary James 

 G. Blaine and Secretary Charles Foster — what was the pressure upon 

 those high officials which led them to dishonor the trust which they 

 were sworn to observe and obey for the public good. 



TTe now observe in the following letter of April 2, 1891, the studied 

 letter of the lessees — the deliberate and studied foundation of 

 fraud and deceit upon which Charles Foster was compelled to stand 

 suddenly in full public view, May 3, 1891, and — -fall. 



Office of the North American Commercial Co., 



Mills Building, 

 New York, April 2, 1891. 

 Hon. Charles Foster, 



Secretary of the Treasury, Washington, D. C. 



Dear Sir: The North American Commercial Co. begs to submit for your considera- 

 tion the following: 



There is a marked difference of opinion between Mr. Elliott, special agent, and the 

 Treasury agents on the seal islands and the North American Commercial Co., lessee 

 of those islands, as will appear by the reports of the Treasury agents and statements of 

 the agents of the North American Commercial Co. and others, on file in your depart- 

 ment. 



The contest to obtain the new lease caused some irritation and feeling. In begin- 

 ning operations under the new lease it was natural that the Treasury agents should 

 sympathize with the old company. The Alaska Commercial Co., the old lessee, made 

 a spirited contest to have the new lease awarded to it. Mr. Elliott, at the time of the 

 bidding and for 15 years before, had been an employee of the Alaska Commercial Co. 

 He did all he could to secure the new lease for his company. He urged the Secretary 

 of the Treasury in person to award the lease to the Alaska Commercial Co., although its 

 bid was lower. 



53490—14 20 



