New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-05-12
rnr rIsHrRY nouNrIns.

The National Intelgencer, in its issue OF the oth
nst gives the following resume Of the proceedings
Of the Senate of the previous day, relative to the
outrageous fishery bouuties some OF the New England
States have enjoyed for long series OF years at the
! general expense of the nation. We quote
The special order Of the day was then taken up.
being the resolution reported by Mr. Clay in favor OF
repeating the bounties granted to the odishery.
Mr.. Clay proceeded in an elaborate argument to
sustain the proprety or the repeal In the first Con
qress Of the United States Mr. Fisher Ames had said
/ that " the catching Of cod was momentous con
Germ It was SO, perhaps, in the year 1889, when
the value OF the property aud the number of the per-
sons engaged in the cod fishery bore large pro-
portion 10 the residue Of mercantile, marine and
seariaring population. The bonnties +" which then
had some foundation in reason and equity had subse
quently lost their national significance and have now
become strictly local and limited in their application
Since the origin of the system twelve millions of dol.
lars have been disbursed to this class of pensioners
and Of this sum eeventweths have been paid TO the
citizens of two States-Mane and Massachusetts, ;
while the inconsderabe space now occupied by the
cod fishery, as o branch of maritime industry,
might be inferred from the fact that the bottoms
gagged in II comprise only one forty eighth of the
whole tonnage of the United States Mr. G. rehearsed
at length the history Of these bounties aud concluded
by invoking their repeal grounds OF national Jus
tice and of political economy.
Mr.. Clay made a movement in favor of repeal in
the Senate of the United States several sessions ago,
and has labored seduousy during the sessions which
have succeeded the initiation of the movement, to
effect the object in view So far his efforts have not
been crowned with that success they deserve and
the whole country, in greater or less measure has
been taxed to support monopoly in the hands of a
meager few, which, no matter how worthy origin
ally has long since lost all claim to governmental
subsidy Sixty-nine years ago there probably was
reason for the favors granted behalf of the New
England fishermen. The Republic was then in its
infancy. Itneeded all the stimnlants to development
that could be sensiby applied aud it required skiliu
nursing to enable it 70 recover from the exhausting
ordeal Of the long bloody and expensive, yet sue.
cessful revolution against Great Britain which had
been terminated only few brief years before. And
in no other department was stamina more wanted
than in the maritime department and the original
object Of these bounties was not only to keep the
fisheries in active operation and to extend their
sphere Of usefulness as much as possible but it was
also 70 make them prolific nurseries of hardy and
experienced seamen, whose services could be readily
obtained TO fight the battles of the country on the
ocean In the event OF another war with England or
any other European naval power, for, beyond their
utility the sea there was little probability Of their
being made available to any material degree elsewhere.
Then we wanted seamen, and then it was expedient
and proper that the aforesaid bounties should be
granted. And even up to the commencement and
after the close OF the war Of 1872, no powerful
objections could well be urged against the monopoly
referred TO. But, since then, the country having
increased enormously, the number Of States having
more than doubled, the national marine having more
than quintuped in every element Of strength and
efficiency, and the necessity which originated and
justified the measure having passed away, and more
than ample Justice having been done the fishermen
ten-fold more than they could righti1lly claim--t
is but right and proper and only just to the general
public, that the monopoly referred to should be abol
ished and the parties who have been protected by the
Government for so many years. should be left to pro-
vide for themselves like other people. II they are
honest industrious and enterprsing they require no
protection, and are fully competent to take care of
themselves II they not, they are not entitled to
the extra privileges they have so long enjoyed.
For these reasons, and many others we would
advance if we deemed it necessary, we trust Mr.,
Cays bill will pass both branches of Congress at this
or the next session, and thus rid the Union of the
most partial reprehensibe monopoly that now exists
aggrandize the interested few at the cost of the
disinterested many.