Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-01-30
rE,RrY.FoUnrn CONGRESSES sd SESSION
TCEspAY, January 20, 1857.
SEN ATE

rE1RrY.FoURTn CONGRESS. 81 SESSION
TCEspAY, JANUARY 20, 1887.
SENATE.
TIA President pro TEN. laid before the Senate
a u ,ssage from the President ofthe United States, il
answer 10 a resolution Of the Senate requesting him,
If IN his opinion not inconsistent with the public In
,.r.s,s, 10 communicate to the Senate such informa
tion as may Do on file in the Department VI State re
l,tiva to tho interference at the island OF Aves' IN
III. Caribbean sea, Of the Vene7uelan government
with American citizons who were rishtfully 10 occu.
nancy of said island. as they believed, and engaged
in COLLECTING, guano therefroIn, said government hav
iny forc,bly elected the said American citizens from
thar said lawful occupancy and employment; aud Al
s., 10 communicate what measures have been taken,
;fsny, by the government Of the United States 70 Oh
tain redress from tho government of Venezuela.
Also. q rn-ssage from the President Of the United
States, transmitting a copy Of a communication from
G. vernon Andrew Johnson, of Tennessee, rendering
T., The government of the United States five hundred
sores Of land, the former residence of General ackson
up,, tho terms and conditions specified by an act OF
inc Legislature of that State; which was referred to
the ommiite On Military Affairs.
aiso, a message FROM the President Of the United
States, announcing tho restoration Of the ship "Reso,
lu,s.' to her Britannia Msjes'y's government; which
Was resd and ordered to bs printed.
SIR. Foster moved that two thousand extra copies
be printed and the motion was referred to the Com
mi'ee on Printing.
Mr.. Mallory, from the Committee on Naval Affairs,
to whom was referred the bill TO authorize the con.
srructlon Of q dry.dock at the Pensacola nav y-yard
rpported il without amendment, and recommended
!.e passage.
Mr.. Clay, IN pursuance vi notice, asked and obtain.
ed leave 10 introduce a bill repealing cl! laws or parts
Of isws allowing bounties TO vessels employed in the
Bank and other cod6=heries which WIN read twice.
Mr. Clay, suid that before moving a reference OF
tho bill he would state a few facts, derived from au.
thent,c sou.ces, which he believed were not known
,.o.r.IIy thYOnphOut the country, or Oy members OF
Congress-. II lhsse facts bad been known, be had no
idea ina, these boun,ies would have been pad 80 long
ns rney have 10 the coGLaSa:a,eu vi two or three New
England States. During the last sixty years abOu:
Ten mi!l:ous OF dollars had been drawn from the treasu-
~ OF, the United States in this way, and they were
now receiving something like three hundred thousand
dollars annually. This sum Is divided between the
shinovpers aud captains Of ,822 vessels engaged in
,hs coGushery. But be wished to call the attention
of ,ee Senate especially 10 the fact that this money
we. drawn from the treasury in violation Of almost
.ve-- ?-rvisioa CT law by which this privileged class
was created.
Ia IN. ar.t place, the law WIS violated in This re.
spsc,: it was the intention and purposs Of the act to
divide this bounty among the hshermeni yet, accord
ing 10 the united Testimony of the friends and advO-
Cater, - we'll az the opponents, OF this bounty, II is
monopul;sad by the owners and captains Of these
vessels. Out Of these 1892 vcssele, l,622 are enroll
ed Or licensed in the States Of Maine and Massacbu
ss,te. and the o'her:wo hundred are divided between
New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island and
Now York. Thus twenty. tive States Of this Union
are inside TO pay tribute to the goldfish aristocracy OF
sx States. Nor is it realized in accordance with law,
ho, IL pen aud acknowledged violation of law. The
law requires ;ha,, in orucr to obtain these hsunties,
the v-sssls should be examined by proper officers Of
the ~cus:oans. in order to See that they have a suitable
outfit, but this ;s regarded Is a mere matter OF form,
for tue office goes on board, and, instead OF making
q personal examination, he makes out his report in
accordance with the statements OF the captsin.-
again, the Jaw requires that a journal or log book
should DO kept from day TO day, showing each days
proceedings: but il il a common thing tor this jour
nal tn DO made oat when the voyage is Completed,
and az ,has prepared it is sworn TO aud presented US
authentic. But tie law is violated i'll other respects
$50. The law requirea that tho vessels should be
emDloy.d three and q half months exclusively in
catching Goldfish; but they are engaged in catching
other fish. and bringing any kiad o fish into market.
So frequently is this provision violated, that the htli-
ermen themselves do not attempt TO disguise the
fact. Such 10 the testimony Of almost every collec-
tor, from PASSPORT TO New Bedford. Their testimony
is on die, and when this bill shall come up. Mr.. G..
said DO would prove the truth OF every assertion LIE
now made.
In consequence of these habitusl violations of law,
these collectors of the customs, as be was advised at
tho Treasury Department, were asking an increase
in Tho number Of revenue cutters, involving a CORES.
ponding increase in expenditures tor repairs, NC, III
order to watch the fishermen and prevent them from
perpetratpg these frauds on the treasury. Hence 1t
would &c seen that the result Of this bounty was that
ths farmers, manufacturers, mechanics ara miners vi
til: country were taxed in order to raise three hun
i,-d thousand donars per annun, to distribute among
~" Wealthy shipowners, mainly OF Name and Mas
sachussfte. for attending TO their own business, and
were then tsx7d twenty or thirty per Cent. to provide
proper guards 90 as 10 see that these men did not rob
In. government! This was a question, not merely Of
po.iiical economy, but of political morality; it was a
@ lrstion whether Congress would any longer CONT
nue TO offer u premium for fraud aud perjury. lie
would prove by the friends of the measure that these
mra went out not 90 much TO catch oodiish as 10 catch
I, b,unty. He proceeded TO urge the repeal of the
b .umti-s TOR the additional reason that the cause which
urix,La:o G them no longer existed. They were orr
riu.ily granted in cons. quence Of the very high duty
Oh SAT-; but the present uu,y On tina. article is so low
.ha, II would be scarcely telt. Again, a, thar time
-, !n-h was the only hsh OF any commercial value;
-. oow, mackerel herring and the whale were tar
nor, valuable, and the pu-iuit oi the latter was far
,,,,r, / sza. dous and expensive. Bu:, added Mir. G., 10
spite d, Innro than SKY yeais nursing, and the as
r,,.anee Of Ten millions uf treasury pap, codfshing
/. ,se same pitiabl-, puny bantling that It was in
1892, when the first bounties were granted. 1: We
MAJ, hive such a baurling, sAid he, let Us take UP
.um.ihiny that will In time do the country some Gre
dit He closed By moving tho reference VI the bill 10
the COMMITTEES on Finance.
AR Seward said that, az this was a novel proposi.
I'm. bs would not now make any remarks on the
,n.-i,s O; tbs bill. but he had = word to say upon the
,,.s,ion ot reference. Ihia was not q revenue meas
...re, bu, tho Object OF granting there ocuntles mus
t,av. been 10 promote commerce, and 10 fortify the
NJ, / .atipy interest of the United States 80 as to ena
h,, 4, 10 compete successfully With the navigating
interest of Gfea, Britain and other European coun
,ri.s. II was more thsn a hundred years since Il
~ vigorous opposition was made 10 q treaty Ut
ACE between England and Frauoe, upon The ground
,,h.s ID. treaty permitted citizens Of the iatter couu,
,rv 10 participate in the codhsherits within three
H., Vs. mes of fne coast; and more or less. the same Toii.
oy was continued shrcushout 70 io"s a: this country
W d 80 IN ms seua,or from Alabama thai. i, was
W. sqissoorscy thar was engaged in taking Xxi ST. a.n. Ii
ei.hs- elias. was especially in'.,ss,s 20 N p ,h EDs Isas.
- ne II was q ccdhst democracy instead OF a .ccdhsh
:ris,Ocracy;" Il wa not the . a 'ts sssss,s Of . Of ,b;s
.,S,rir: Tut il enters, like tea, Coffee. sugar, ana san
-" Its con.umptlon Of the poor rather than the rich.
IL regarded the attempts 70 rsi.s a Rf: y. um;s ssa's So
s"e e ~ ,hs charge was concerned, that the continuance
Of .s;ss aeantsfss ENCOURAGED FRAUDS on the IN. T g"msn;
tLyse migh: be- some ground for il; out j., ,as sn mom msn!
say s,,hsr by direct or indirect taxation, the moment
,nsy begun 70 tag any Dssp 10 ,. Of l% .Ss frauds s's Of % ps
49, :. i;nds. But since this was not o measure VI
msepue, bu. ono having ~refsseaee to mm'roe No