The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-06-24

/ in the whale fishery in 1915. In five wears the
number of vessels had risen to l08 the tonnage
to 32397, and the crews to $3.50 men, The
table exhibits rapid and almost uninterrupted
rate of increase down to 1857, when the number
of vessels was sic, the tonnage 1885, 72, and the
crews 1854 men. Compare the progress of the
cod fisheries with that of the production of pig
iron. According to the last annual report of the
Secretary of the Treasury, the production of pig
iron in 1920 was 10000 tons; in 1880. it was
l65, 900 in 1910, it. was 375,OOO in 1850, it
was 564 755 in 1855, it was 900, 600; and to-
day it is doubtless million and quarter tons,
or more than ffty-fold in thirty-eight years. 4
If we compare the cod fisheries of New England
with the coal productions Of Pennsylvania, the
contrast is still more striking In 1920, accord
ing to the Secretarys report, the coal product of
that State was only 365 tons-barely a load for
a schooner ); in 1880, it amounted to l74,734
tons in 1910, to s65,4l4 tons; in 1850, to
3,254,32l tons; and in 1856, the coal product
of Pennsylvania was 6,75l ,542 tons!
l find, in the report of the Secretary of the
Treasury, statement of the export of cotton
from 1921 TO the present time. The total pro-
duction of the country would present still more
striking contrast with the progress of the cod
fishery. In 1921, the export of cotton was
124, s93, 900 pounds in 1880, it amounted to
29s, $4,000 in 1910, to 743, 94l 900; in 1850,
there was a temporary falling off, the amount
being 635 ,3Sl 900 pounds, while in the preceding
year it exceeded one thousand millions in $50,
the export amounted to 1851, 43l 900 pounds.
In marked contrast with these characteristic de-
velopments of American industry, how beggarly
do the statistics of the cod fishery appear Thirty
years ago, the number of men employ ed was equal
to what it is at present, and the tonnage nearly
great. 1t is true that within few years (seven
or eight an unusual rate of advancement ia OBJ
servable bat if the bounties be withdrawn we
shall quickly see the cod fishery abandoned for
more lucrative pursuits No one will question
the assertion that the men engaged in it are
among the most enterprising and intelligent OF
the American population. 1t is enough to say
of them that they New Englanders, to pro-
cure universal assent to the proposition; and it
may be laid down as an axiom in political econ
Omy, that any branch of industry which flags in
the hands of New England men must be essen
TALLY Improbable.
MIR. Chairman, 1 now beg leave to present a
few brief extracts from high authorities, upon the
Importance in national point of view, of pre-
serving the fisheries as a school for seamen. The
French Government pays a bounty of fifty francs
per man to sailors engaged in the cod fisheries.
1t is admitted that the bOunties are essential to
the existence of the fisheries. The cod fishery,
NJ Senac says, (" furnishes more than a fifth part
of the number Of our seamen and By far the
best portion of them. There is no cheaper, bet
ter, or more useful school for the formation of
seamen for the navy, and none is more capable
of extension and development; the doubling of
the consumption and expectation of the products
Of the fisheries would furnish fleet with
twelve thousand more seamen." In 184l, NJ.
ROdet affirmed that without the resources
which were found in the sailors engaged in the
fisheries the expedition to Algiers could not
have taken place."
The English have always fostered their fish
cries by bounties,. ! might give some amusing
illustrations of this fact which have been col
lected by my intelligent and indefatgable friend,
Mr. Sabine, in his report on the fisheries, pub
lished by the Secretary of the Treasury in 1852.
He cites from British statute passed in 1853,
which provided "that as well for the main
tenance of shipping, the increase of fishermen
and marines, and the repairing of port towns,
as for the sparing of the fresh victual of the
realm, it shall not be lawful for any one to eat
flesh on Wednesdays and Saturdays, unless
under the forfeiture of G3 for the offence, ex-
cepting in cases of sickness, and those of spe-
cial licenses to be obtained. For these licenses,
peers were required to pay about six dollars,
knights and their wives about three dollars and
other persons one dollar and half
might give from Mr.. Sabine's report a curious
specimen of these ndulgences to eat on prohibited
days, but the clock admonishes me that nv hour
is running out. ! refer all who wish to be thor
oughly informed on this subject of fishing, to the
admirable report of Mr.. Sabine, who seems to be
inspired with relish for wholesale fishing, as
ardent as that of Isaac Walton for the more quiet
and pleasant amusement of angling.
will here notice some statements and argu-
ments which were made some weeks ago in the
other wing of the Capitol. The distinguished
gentleman who introduced the proposition into
that body for the repeal of the fishing bounties,
and which has passed, attempts to ridcuie and
underrate the present importance of the cod
fisheries, compared with their condition when
the Constitution was formed. He presents us
with figures or statements to show that in 100
the tonnage employed in the cod fisheries consti-
tuted an eighth of the total tonnage belonging
to the country at that time; while at the present
time, the proportion is as one to forty-eight
The Senator has been led into this error by an
error In the Treasury statement of the total
amount of tonnage. This statement will be
found at page 277 of the Financial Report for
the last fiscal year; the registered sail tonnage
for 1890 is put down at 346, 254 the enrolled
and licensed sail tonnage in another column at
49,, l23, and by clerical error these two sums
are added together in the column of totals as
making only 274,377, as stated by the Senator
The actual amount is ,377. This is blunder
number one, and very material one to his
argument
He states in round numbers that the present
aggregate tonnage of the United States is
100000, adding 10000 to make the numbers
round. The exact figures are a, 94OS42, but this
includes the steam tonnage, amounting to
1O5, 1874. The Senator from Alabama resides
some hundreds of miles from the sea shore | be-
lieve, but he ought to be aware that sailors are
not required to man steamboats,. The officers of
steam vessels are engineers, and the duty of the
sailors" is not to climb ropes but to heave coal
or wood into the furnace. If this class of per-
sons are to be put upon marine list, we may
multiply it almost indefinitely by going into our
steam factories and workshops; and / see no
reason why hOd-carriers may not be added with
equal propriety. Deducting the steam tonnage
from the aggregate, therefore as having no more
to do with the training of seamen than the rail-
road tonnage, and instead of 5000, 900, we have
only 1926, 058. This is error No. 2 and pretty
considerable one.
The Senator from AlabAna assumes in his
speech, that in 1890 the tonnage employed in
the cod fisheries was 81 ,S42. He has not given
us his authority for this statement. find in
public document already referred to, document
published by the Treasury Department, Mr.. Sa-
bine's report, that the tonnage employed in the
cod fisheries was 2s,34s. This is error No. 3, and
not unworthy of notice. t|
Now, sir, with this corrected data will sub
NIT the results of my skill in arithmetic The
total sail tonnage in 1890 was, as have shown,
47s,377, and, according to Mr.. Sabine's report,
the tonnage of the cod fisheries at that period was
2S,348 Instead, therefore, of the cod fishery ton
mage being one-eghth of the total in 1890, it was
only one-sixteenth and six-seyenths or, in round
numbers, one-seventeenh. The sail tonnage of
the present day, as l have shown, is 4,235, O5s,
and the tonnage employed in the cod fisheries is,
as be states, lO4, 573 tons. Dividing the greater
number by the lesser, and we have quotient of
40, or proportion of to 40, instead of to 4s,
as stated by the Senator
ID The Senator rounds off with the assertion.