Show The foreign concessionaires who have all along agreed to pay the Sultan of Sulu a royalty on their pearl fisheries In his domain and have paid it heretofore hereto-fore without appeal or demur are now it appears engaged In an effort to escape es-cape from the liability of tholr contracts con-tracts When Spain was the ruling power pow-er in the Philippines these contracts with the Sultan were made the payments pay-ments were conceded as a matter agreement and right and Spain was never appealed to for interference There Is probably no reason either why the United States should Interfere tho fishing grounds are claimed by the I Sultan as his personal property those who operate there are his personal tenants ten-ants and it Is most likely that their appeal ap-peal Is both selllsh and mischievous selfish In being a mean desire to avoid payments promised and mischievous In desiring to make trouble for the United States This country should establish es-tablish proper tribunals all right but t then the parties in interest should be required to present their case like all other litigants and fight It out on the law and the facts |