Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1858-07-09
Speech Of Hon. stephen &. Foster.
OF MAINE,
IN TIE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
MAY 25, 1858.


ton, and under all changes Of administration,
with single exception, to encourage our
cod and mackerel fisheries by bounties and
allowances for the salt consumed in curing
the fish. This proposition will not. | think
be controverted by any one who will investi-
gate the subject. And it is equally clear to
my mind, that the object of the Federal
Government, in thus fostering the fisheries,
has been to train seamen for the public SER
vice in time of war.
will proceed, briefly, to establish the
historical proof of these propositions, and to
show the wisdom of the course which had
been pursued. Sir, the second act of the
first Congress, passed July 4, 17S9-an act
for raising reycnue-was not unmindful of
the duty of protecting the fisheries. The
fouth section of the act is in these words
''That there shall be allowed and paid on
every qnntal of dried, and every barrel OF
picked fish, of tho fisheries of the United
States, and on every barrel of salted provisions
of the United States, exported to any country
without the limits thereof, in lieu Of draw
back of the duties imposed on tho importations
of the salt employed and expended therein, viz
''on every quintal of dried fish, fvo cents
"0n every barrel of picked fish, five cents
"oa every barrel Of saltei provisions, FIVE
eonts.1
The first section of the act laid duty on
imported salt ofsix cents per bushcl. 1t also
laid a duty of scvcnty-fve cents per barrel on
imported picked fish (See Stat. at Large,
vol. |, P. ~
1t may he alleged that this bounty was
only intended rs n drawback Of the salt duty
But the allowance or drawback is accompani-
ed by heavy duties upon imported picked
and dried fish-dutics ten times the amount
of the salt dutics--and furnishing a most
ample remuneration for the latter. How
then can it be doubted that the object and
purpose of the first Congress was to foster
fisheries
In August, 179o, the same Congress, passed
another revenue act, doubling the tax on
salt, and doubling the allowances to expor-
ters OF fish. (Sce Stat. at Large, vol /, p.
lS0)
In 1872, February Ii, Congress passed
another important act touching the fisheries,
and leaving no doubt on the mind of any
one that the object was to protect encourage
and foster them, rs schools fpr sclmen. The
previous act paid the allowances to the
exporters of tjsh-in other words. to m ,rchants
who bought fish in the markets for expar-
tation. The fish consumed in the home
market produced no bounty to the catcher
or TO any one else. except that indirectly
accruing from the high duties upon foreign
fish But the act of l7g2 went much further
and paid bounties directly to the owners ol
vessel and crews proyiso of this act
goes still further to remove any lingering
doubt as to the real object and purpose of its
iramers, by requiring that the fishing vessel,
shall remain at s,.,, engaged in the busines,
Of catching fish at least fur months of the
&
was simply to refund the salt duty, thcr,
would not be the slightest propricty in any
Of these regulations. With such an object il
view the Governmental .by the plainc,t dictates
of common sense. would 0uly require tn,
production Of the salted fish as condition o.
rcfunding the duty on salt; and it would b,
equally absurd and unjust to Interfere witt
the contracts between the fishermen and theil
employers, or to require four months in til,
performance of labor which might be- dis
patched in two or three. | will read tn,
material parts Of this act, in order that tn,
Committee, and those who may think pr PEI
10 read my remarks, may see that have no
misreprescntcd it L. WAS passed. as hav,
said on the 10th II February l."A, and t,
titled ..An act concerning certain fisheries o
the nited States. and for the reputation al,
government Of the fishermen employed there
in. II enacts.
"That tho allowance now malr upon the evpor
tatiou Of dried fish nf the fisheries Of the Unite,
states in lieu of a. drawback af the duties paid ol
the salt used in preserving the same. shall Cease
on all iried fish exported after the 10th dAy .
June next, aud. Is eommutati1l and egu.Fa
therefor, there shall be aitcrwarl pait, IN th'
last dag of December, annually, "a the o'eFT F.
ep,ng uststl, or his agent by ;Us collector Ut thi
district whore such vessel msy belong, that shat
be qualified agreeable to law fsr carrying On th'
bank or other cod fisheries. and shall actnAl!i
have been employed therein at SEA for ths tera
of four months At least Of the fishing sca,n next
proeediug-which season Is accounted t. be from
che last day OF February u TIE last dr| "i NpF
omber in every ye4r--for each Aud "e'y Ton oi
such vessels burden, according to yer adIneA'aft'
men, as licensed or enrolled If Vi twenty tons,
al ~, sx,..lir., thirt, tons cne dollar and "A
half And If about thirty tors. two dollars and a
half Of which afiotrlgec affes''d HVe'-"gH p1rt'
shall accrue aal beicns ~ the owner oi Suei
fishing vessel: and the ofher hTe-eisAths thereof
shall be divided bT AIM ms agent or IaNia'
represeutative To pad among the several fisher
me, who shall have been employed in such vessel
during the season aforesaid or part thereof, as
the case NAV be in such proportion as the fish they
shall respectively have taken may bear to the
whole quantity 4 fish taken on board such vessels
durin, such season PspV.ied. That the allow
anee aforesaid on any onc vessel, for season,
hall not exceed one hundred and seventy dol.
lars
The second section extended the allowance
IN fishing boats of five tons and ndcr twenty
tons. at the rate of one dollar per ton, pre-
yided theg land at least twelve quintals oI
fish r.r ton This statute WAS to continue
in free seven years, and to the end of th'
next following session of Congress. (set
Stat. at Iarge, vol /, page 229
1t will be seen that every clause Of thi,
act, proviso and all, keeps in view the lead
ing idea Of fostering a school for scamen
while the restoration of the salt duty is eth
cr lost sight of or merely used rs IA prctext
In the first place, the bounty is paid with
out reference To the expectation of the fish
second, it is pad, not in proportion 10 TIN
fish caught and salted, but with reference t
the size Of the vessel. Ii under twenty tons
only one dollar per ton is paid. on the prin-
eipie that such IL vessel or boat is not cAlcu-
lated 10 afford the best discipline ior setmen
vessels of twenty 10 thirty tons in admcas-
urement are treated IA little better; they re-
.,eiye one dollar and fifty cents, while at
above thirty tons burden are to receive tive
dollars and a half Third, the bounty il
not paid unless the vessel is at sea, engaged
in catching fish, at least four months during
the fishing season. Ii one vessel should b
out two months and catch five times rs many
fish as another which remains out toul
months, the latter would receive the bounty
while the former would receive nothing. -
Could the object of this regulation be mad
palmer? Is 1t not clear that the salt haC
nothing to do with it? Fourth, the bount.
was to be divided between the ship-owne
and the scamen, in certain proportions. Th'
former was to have three-eighths, in consid
Grafton of the risk of his capital aud super