Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1852-08-03
FRoM mAsn1NGToN.
Correspondence qcas ri klghia IH7u'rsr.
Tho Fisheries aud the Senate.
w.esIEgEoS, July q. 1883

- 2
Judge Mason, C~hsirman OF The on
Foreign Affairs. on Friday presented 20 Tue e0,
stderaticn oflhe Seugte, a Resolution eatiu@ y
on the President, It not incOmPatiote {. ~
public interest. for Information III Ie4a1lUh y ~
Fisher;es.
The Judge, coming as he does from the Ancden'
Dominion, the birth place OF Washington, JeIeF.
son. adisonand AunToe, IS precisely the uiau' =
be at tho head of our Foreign Attiifs, az sue"
crisis as The present. lie has been wei! euucat-
ed in the patriotic school OF Virginia pIlhctPies'
and will not allow the British or any othe"na'iohs
TO offer the slightest indigniiy TO cur halIo"'
lie said, that national comfy, the common et,-
quetie otnations, should have taught the
Government, the propriety Of noiJyinS as IN ea
rance, OF lis intention 10 change NE c0HS""I't0'
of a.treaty, that had eriSfed and was Practlceu up
on for the last thirty orIuTly years. But instead
Of doing this, we find them sending a large fleet,
with the avowed ~oi3estaf preventing our hsneFI
men from exercising a right that no one ma"
seriously questioned ioF nearly hail a century
And, said ne, if The English expect to Fedt
with US, on that or any other question: VIM
their vessels of war in The waters adjacent 10
the fishing ground, they are egregiousiy mis-
taken. Nor would he believe that the dlstin-
guished Secretary of State, Mr.. Webster, Tor
whose intellect he had The highest respect
wonld agree 10 a line of any treaty with the
Ministers OF Great Britain, with the foreign
armament SO near, and sent hither as 1t, ap-
parenlly, for intimidation. To a question put
10 Mr. Mason, as to what instructions he would
give the ommand of orr fleet, he replied,
with great energy, and the answer seemed to
be responded to by the Senators generally, that
he would order them q TO defend our fishermen
in the exercise of tRet n Eats they had been in
the full enjoyment therco.ever since the trea-
~ with Great Britain. was made-uP TO the
present time
1t is too Iate for the English now to enforce
a neU interpretation of lie treaty. Indeed,
1bpjr Fprant QDfbTS0E M. this OuRStIOn is nOlh-
ing short of a %ri0Edti0H ofthe treaty between us
and them in relation 10 our fishermen. The
true mode OF ascertaining the meaning of a trea-
ty is, to see what construction was put upon
II by the contracting parties Immediately after
IL caS signed. By this unerring rule al ascer
lain!ng what the two countries intended by the
treaty entered iuto by them, yesterdays pro-
CcCdiGgs will be u leaf in our history, lha; the
British will have to look carefully to, or take
the consequence Of their r~ashness, should they
find the Interpretation commended for by the A.
mericans as the true one If the British Gov
eminent, therefore,, at this distant day weakly
imagine that we will allow them to break the
treaty, by forcing another construction upon il,
we here publicly notify them that it cannot be
done without collision between the two countries.
The. question was ably and eIoqucntly discuss
ed by Judge Mason, Governor Cass, MIR. Bell, o!
Tennessee, Judge Toucy, formerly Attorney &c
neral of the United States under Mr.. Polk; Mr..
Dawson, Mr.. Pearce, of Maryland; mir. B0rland,
OF Arkansas Gov. Pratt, of Maryland, al lsPoke,
and with uncommon ability.
1t is gratifying to find that the resolution came
from the SOuA. 1t is but another indication OF
that high sense Of patriotic devotion TO the Con-
stiturion, that is to be found in all parts of this
great Union.
Judge Mason is one Of the very best men in
the Senate, with eminent gifts that fit him for
the high position lie holds in the councils OF
the nation. He has the warm thanks OF the
people of America lorrhis patriotic course on
this very important and very exciting topic.