Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1858-07-09

ed, to thirty cents per barrel, and on salted
provisions exported, to twenty-five cents per
barrel The act of April Il, 1900, contin-
ucs the preceding acts, laying duties on salt
and giving bounties and allowances. (See
Stat at Large. vol. ., page 36.)
The act OF March 3, 1907, reverses the pol
icy of the Government in relation to the fish
cries, and repeas the bounties to fishermen,
with the salt duties. (Sce Stat. at Large,
vol. ., p. 43G.)
This act WAS passed at the recommended
ton of Mr.. Jefferson, in his annual message
of December 2, 1906. Its well known that
he dscountcnanced the idea of building up
a navy, and with such views he very con
sistentIy and properly opposed the policy Of
fostering the fisheries as IL school for scamcn.
Had he been persuaded, as the men ofall par
tcs are at the present day, of the utility and
essential Importance of that arm of the ma
tonal defence, cannot doubt that his re-
commcndation would have been entirely diff
terent. Could he have forcseen the glory
which the little nucleus of Il navy won for
the country during the administration of
his successor. he would never have done any
thing calculated to cripple that navy, or to
weaken the sincws of its strength.
Sir, navy cannot be spoken into exist
ence, at the fiat of the great ccnqucror, with
unlimited resources of money and andsmcn
ut his command. Bonaparte had all these
in abundance, but he was compelled to ac-
knowledge his inferiority to England upon
the sea. He had had sad evidences of this
interiority before the battle of Trafalgar
swept his navy out of existence, and forever
sealed his fate.
How marked the contrast, if we turn to
the history Of American engagements with
England. France could command every elc-
ment Of naval greatness but one, viz: men
trained to manage ships. We in our strug-
glrs with the great naval Powers of the
world, lacked everything but men. Oar ex-
ehequer was mcagre, our policy bad been
narrow, and as experience demonstrated
most unwise; hut our little ships were man
ned by intelligent, disciplined, and brave
American seanen, who i'll a large degree
were graduates Of these very tishcri s. Sir,
need not stop to recount their achievements;
should not do them justice 1t is the task
Of a poet. The reports and dispatches from
our naval heroes read more like the creations
Of poetry and fiction. than sober realities;
and am not surprised that our great mas
ter of romance, our American Scott, has
been charmed away from his realms of c
ton by the truths, stranger than fiction
to BE- found in the archives Of the Navy De-
partmcnt.
Mr.. Jefferson lived to see his error. He
admitted, in numerous letters from his PHI
los optical retreat at Monticello, that his
preiudicss against the establishment of a
navy had been ill-founded, and that his great
rival, Mr.. Adams WAS chiefly entitled to the
credit OF building up the navy. Those who
cling 10 the secondary error of Mr.. Jefferson
/ regarding the fisheries. long after he has
himself ahlnd med and refuttsl the primary
error, in regard To n navy, show thems Ives
sinyulary supcrstitious in their reverence
far the letter, when the spirit has left 1t.
IL. was opposed TO the system of supporting
school fr .amcn, because h. WIS opposed
u the establishment of a navy; his modern
ll,,hssed disciples are continually augment
ing the navy, and ARE willing to cxpnd mil
lions in the construction OF ships and the cs-
tahlishmynt of naval schools for the clucd-
ton ol Off ,ers. "hlie they will not allow It
cent Tor the instruction and discipline Of
mcn a sailors.
Our fathers pursued diff rent policy:
they first took care t. have their naval VS.
sis well manned, hy training men to the
service, and it somehow happened that the
sam training served the double purpose Of
fitting some t. command, and others u obey.
The liulls, Perrys, and Decaturs, were not
educated in naval scheo :; but thc men whom
they comma1d.d were, in larsc degree. ed
ueated in the fisheries, whose prosperity, il
nat their very existence, is dependent upon
the system of b)unties.
In lsl3, the country returned to the sys
tenn of salt duties, and bpuntie- to iShrrm m,
In the mean time during the six years that
intervenel between the repeal of the b,un-
ties and their revival the fisheries had no
other support than that derived from the
tariff on the importation of foreign fish,
That tariff was s'vcnty-fve cents per barrel
On imported picked fish, and fifty cents per
quintal of dried fish.
The act Of July %, 1919, not only re-
newed the system of bounties, but increased
their amount, and, like the acts repealed in
lSo1, it gave the bounty to the ship-ownnrs
and seamcn, in consideration Of their spend
in5 four months Of the year in fishing. NJ
condition was annexed requiring the cxppr-
tation, or even the catching OF tish--a clear
proof that the object of the act was the pro-
lection and encouragement OF fishing Us a
school for seamcn.
The first section imposes a duty Of twenty
cents per bushcl upon the importation of salt.
The second section provides the payment
Of twenty cents per barrel upon the eNportl-
ton of pickeled fish OF the fisheries Of the
[ nited States, cured with foreign salt. The
fifth section gives a bounty to vessels
engaged in the cod fisheries, and is rs fol-
lows
'Ssc j. That from and after the last day of
December, one thousand eight hundred and four
teen, there shall be paid on the last day uf De-
eem5er, annually, To the owner of every vessel
or his agent, by the collector of the district where
such vessel may belong that shall be qualified
agreeably to law for carrying on the bank and
cod fisheries. and that shall actually have been
employed therein at sea for the term four months
at the least of the fishing season next preceding,
(Which is accounted to be from the Last day
/ Of February TO the last day of November in every
year) for each and every ton of such vessels bur
den, according to her admeasuremeut, rs licensed
or enrolled, if of twenty tons, and not exceeding
thirty tons, two dollars and forty cents and II
above thirty tons, four dollars; of which allow
ance, three eighth parts shall accrue and belong
to the owner OF such fishing vessel, and the uther
five oighths thereof shall DO divided by him, his
agent, or lawful representative, to and among the
several fishermen who shall have been employed
in such vessel during the season aforesaid, or u
part thereof. as the may be- in such proper
tons the fish they shall respectively have taken
may bear to the whole quantity of fish taken on
board such vessel during such season: Pcouded
That the allowance aforesaid on one vessel, for
sae season, shall not excsed two hundred and sew
el;y-two dollars"
The sixth section gives one dollar and sixty
cents per ton to vessels or boats under twenty
! tons, and with the condition annexed that
they land not less than twelve quintals of
fish for every ton of their admeasurement.-
(See Statutes at Large, vol. 3, page 49.) II
will be seen that the same discrimination is
made in favor of large vessels, which l form
erly pointed out. There can be no mistaking
tbc Inject Of this discrimination 1t is clear