New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-02-20

Mr. Clay, Of Alabama, in pursuance OF previous
notice. asked and obtained leave to introduce bill
g. No. 500 repeating all laws allowing bounties to
vessels employed in the bank and other codfsheries
which was read twice by its title s
Mr.. Clay. Mr.. President, before moving reference
Of that bi wish to state few facts, derived from
| authentic sources, which presume are not known
in the country generally, or, indeed, by many mem
bers of Congress because il those facts had been
Known, do not believe this bounty would have been
long paid to the codfshermen OF two OF three New
This pet nnrsling Of the Government from its foun.
daton with the intermssion Of six years has drawn
in the aggregate about ten millions of dollars from
the Treasury. It is now drawing annually about
three hundred thousand dollars. This sum Is divided
between the ship owners and captains Of one thou.
sand eight hundred and twenty-five vessels engaged
in the cod fisheries 1t is drawn and enjoyed by them
in violation Of almost every provision Of the law by
which it was created. First, the law is violated ia
this respect that it its intention and purpose to
have this money divided among the fishermen yet
by the united testimony of the friends and advocates
as well the opponents of this bounty, it is quite
nonopolzed by the owners and captains Of these
vessels. The fishermen rarely ever get any part Of
the bounty. Out Of these one thousand eight hum
dred and twenty-five vessels one thousand six hum
dred and twenty-five, or, all but three hundred, arc
enrolled and licensed in the States Of Maine and Mas
between s New Hampshire. ~ Connecticut Rhode Island
and New York. Twenty five States OF this Union Are
made to pay tribute to the Goldfish arstocracy Of but
six States, who are owners Of one thousand eight
| hundred and twenty two vessels. sy
Nor, SIR is this bounty realized in accordance with
the law, but in its open 0r covert violation. First,
the law requires, IN order % entitle these men to
! the proper officer Of customs before they make .
voyage, to see that they have proper outfit but
this IS regarded as matter Of form the officer
the r information a % furnished Elm by the captain
Again, the law requires that journal or log-book
should b kept showing the date f sailing the pos
entered the daily catch The date Of return ys
and is duly sworn to and presented as true and
authentic BY the claimant Of the bounty.
Again, the law requires, to entitle them to this
months exclusively in catching Goldfish to Be dried or
dry cured; yet they are engaged in catching other
fsh and in bringing any other fish in green state
into market So habituaiy and successfully this
requirement violated that the fishermen scarcely pre-
| tend to disguise it themselves. -
i Such, sir, is the concurrent testimony Of almost
every collector from Eastport to New Bedford. Their
testimony, am told. is on file in the Treasury De
partment here, and when this bill comes mp regularly
for discussion shall produce the evidence Of every
assertion which i make
Because of these habitual violations OF the law
| the collectors Of customs along the coast Of New
England, as / am advised at the Treasury Depart
i ment are constantly demanding additional revenue
boats and more seamen, and an increase OF expendl
lures for repairs in order to watch the fishermen and
prevent them from perpetrating these frauds. Hence
the result of this bounty that in the first place. the
every other class Of the community but the fishermen
taxed to raise 100000 per annum to distribute
in bounties between the wealthy ship owhers mainly
of Maine and Massachusetts,, engaged in the cod
fishery. And then is superadded tax to raise fur
ther sum of about thirty per centum in order to pro
r vide proper guards to prevent the hshermen from
robbing the Government Of more than their bounty.
In short we pay these men, first, for attending to
their own business, and then we pay other men to
oversee them and see that they do attend to their
own business. We pay them bounty for catching
Al
officers, in order to that they do not take by
stealth what they do not earn by labor. It is not
merely whether we shall continue the injustice the
tyranny and oppression of taxing the masses of the
people order raise bounties to put into the pock
cts Of few owners Of fishing vessels, but whether
shall continue the greater iniqqity Of offering
proveby the friends of this policy these men go out
not so much to catchs fish as to- catch the bounty
IN If neither justice moralitywil constrain US to
repeal these laws then shall urge their repeal be-
n cause the reasons which originated them no longer
exist These bounties not granted in order to
foster codfshery. As is known, presume by all
the senate at the time this bounty was first granted
all the salt consumed in the United States was inn
ported, and paid heavy duty. Goldfish at that time
constituted Of the principal articles of our COM
s merce and vast quantities OF salt were consumed IN
as curing them. 70 avoid the mpracticable detais
: cessary enable the codfshermen to reclamEhe du
eir ties they might pay the salt indemnity grant
ed them in the shape Of bounty on the tonnage en
m ployed in that trade, and this graduated accord
OF salt they might consume.
This bounty was repealed with the salt duty in
1907. In 1918, when the duty on salt was remposed
ne the bounty law reenacted. In 1919, when thu
duty salt twenty cents for every bushel OF fifty
six pounds, this bounty was increased At that time
Il as we all know, money was scarce and much mort
to but little two cents and half bushe Hence
considering the greater scarcity and value of money
,e and the greater amount Of duty thea the duty of to
ee day is but feathers weight compared with thai
maid
" Moreover, at that time, as remarked before, cod
y fish were the only fish of any commercial value
y y Now we know that mackere herring and especially
II. whale, far valuable-the whale infinitely
more valuable, while the catching of it is far more
IS hazardous and expensive Therefore, repeat, that
the reason of the law no longer exists and the rea
u son ceasing, the law ought to cease.
But, taking for granted the assertion of the advo
Gates Of this bounty that it intended to fostel
codsheries, yet it has sgnally failed according
their testimony. From 1892 until this day TIN
Is cod6shery has been angushng, and still languish
ing it barely lives its friends tell us, and have
always told US. Sixty years of federal nursing and
ten millions Of treasury pap, have not been sufficient
in to give it the strength and energy to stand alone.
q. is the puny, ptable bantling that it was il
n 1892. If taxes are to be levied for the benefit OF
ID privileged cass-if this Government must have som,
ry pet to nurse-I for repudating this puny rekety
deformed founding, and take up some other worthy
le of care, that will in time do the country som
credit and yield some support 1t shall be no faul
of mine. sir, if the people are not fully advised o
ne the deerits the niquty and wrong of this bounty
le propose to refer the bill to the Committee oI
y Finance. r. -aEE
Senator Clay deserves general credit for his cours
&c in this matter. Since he took hold of the New
England fishermen in good earnest, we have heart
~ ~ little about the repeal of the sugar duties.
ne TENACIOUS OF LIFE.-Mr. Granville J. Kelly, o
" W Cupeper, has hog which was under the snow fc
~ nineteen days, confined in pen, during which tim
it of course had nothing to eat. This proves tina
porkers have remarkable abstemious qualities
eu Mr. X was under the impression that the hog whicl
ID had been confined for its vicious propenses, ha.
been turned out of the pen previous to the snow.
E. Digger Of Fanquier recently dug ont of the
~ eight sheep which had been under their white mantl
for fifteen days, and one that had actually survives
y; for twentyone days without food of any kind.
~ hen cut ont by wagon wheel after having beel
s under the snow for sixteen days Mr.. Peter Redd,
IT, county, found of his hogs after it had Yet
H. H. " short allowance and cold comfort in SNOW
e Ne drift for seventeen Richmond tVa) Wing.
ro Arrivals at the Principal Hotels Yesterday
=. -
MI ST. CHARLES. Hendricks Bourne Clarksville
Noxubee Miss; W P Leslie Claiborne, Ala: W Boman,
nuitr,