Lincoln telegraph. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1836-1846, 1840-09-03

We find by reference to the debates, that
II was urged on one hand, that the bountes
were not constitutional-tha the cod fish
cry is a very profitable business without the
bounties, more SO than any other-and
that the fishermen have no Just claim TO it
that at most they should have only the
amount of the duty on salt-and it was
commended that The repeal of the sail duty
and Of the fishing bounties was a DEMO
CRATIC MEASURE and that EVERY DEM
ORAT an the Union ought to be IN fauor
Of IT," This is tho precise language of
one of the leaders Of the Van Buren,, party
in the Senate.
After this the subject of the Fishing
Bounties and allowances was referred
to select committee consisting oil
two Van Buren, Senators and one Wing
v;z:-Messrs BENTON, ANDERSON, and
Gov. DAVIS Wing Senator from Massa-
chusetts. The two first made long report
against the bounties in which the fishing
interest is treated with great unfairness and
injustice. We have never seen IN Sena-
toral report so many palpable errors, so
much obsurdity such obvious ignorance OF
the subject treated of, and so great injus-
tice towards those of whose interests it
treats, as is seen in that report. The
character here given oft seems to have re-
commended it to the special favor ofthe SEN
ate Of which they had TEN THOUSAND copies
printed and distributed over the country.
1t concludes by recommending repeal of
the bounties and allowances. Coz. Davis
made minority Report, ably indicating
the fishing interests and fully sustaining
the policy Of cherishing the fisheries by
bounties and allowances. This report was
of course printed with the other.
The bill of repeal did not come to final
vote, Mr. Hubbard stating that it was the
opinion of the first committee, Of which he
was member, that it ought to be postponed
to the next session and be taken up then
in connection with the new tariff of duties
which must then be established. In this
opinion Messrs, Wright, Calhoun and Blu
chanan, acquiesced, and it was suffered to
lie or the table to be taken up at the next
sessi IN of Congress when it will betfnally
acted on; and of the result we have the
most serious and anxious forebodings.
Course of the Newspapers that
Support Mr.. Fan Buren, and first, the
.New Hampshire Gazette.
Thus far the Records and Reports of
Debates &C., show which of the political
parties it is that is bent on abolishing the
fishing bounties. Your committee have
gone further and examined some Of the
leading newspapers of both parties. They
find that the .NeW Hampshire Gazette,
published at Portsmouth, ". H., leading
supports Mr.. Benton and his project of
aboishing the bounties. 1t advocates the
repeal with great earnestness. 1t attempts
to reconcile "these hook and line men," as
Mr.. Benton sneeringly calls them, to the
loss of the bounty, by telling them the
bounties were founded solely on the salt
duty, (;hough the editor must have known
better,) and telling them that they had too
much patriotism to want the bounty when
they ought not to have it.
A long article of this kind we find in
that paper of the 9th of March last. The
writer says he prophecied last yearthat the
fishermen would yield to the loss of the
.bounties without murmuring, and that the
measures taking by the Van Buren, party to
abolish them would have no effect on the
elections. He then goes on to boast that
the elections held last fall proved his
prophecy correct, the fishermen having
continued to vote for the democratic or
Van Buren, candidates after they knew his
party designed to abolish the bounties
Finding by their votes at the election that
The fishermen would suffer themselves to be
robbed without resistance, and would still
submit to the dictation Of the Custom House
officers, that being smote on one cheek
they would turn the other, the editor went
on to urge the immediate repeal of the
bountes, to take place this very season.
After speaking of the fears some had,
that the repeal would throw the weight of
the fishing interest into the scale opposed
to the democratic party, $50 called, the
editor adds-"We for our part thought
.oiher,cise, and hesitated not to advocate
OPENLY the repeal both Of the tao and the
bountg''-"THE RESULT OF THE
LAST YEARS ELECTION IN this vi-
,cinity PROVED THAT WE HAD NOT MIS-
CALCULATED an regard to our views of the
consistency, justice and highmindedness Of
This branch of our community"
There is no difficulty in understanding
this. That paper "did not hesitate to ADJ
-vocATE THE REPEAL OPENLY" AS
much as to say that others of the party ad-
vocated it secretly, as in Maine, from fear
that the fishermen would abandon their
party if they should express their views on