Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1858-09-03

} in them is insignificant, compared with III,
J whole number of the Scsimen of the United
States.
ain 1882 he says, "the cod fishermen com
pri-ed nearly half of the whole number Of Ameri
thirteenth part; for We have hundred and
sixty thousand scaman engaged in the mercha n,
service. and the military marine ef the United
States"
This is true; hut the Senator from Allla-
ma omits to state, what is the well known
fact, and what "a Senator from nv STATE
brought to the attentil n Of the Senate, viz:
That something like thre.-four,h, .fthis for,nid.
able number of seamen are f~reigners-aliens-
without any fixed abode; while the cod 6.lrm,r
are almost exclusively na'rs-born ciiix'ns."
/ The law requires that at least three-fouvtl,s
Of them shall be American citizens. The
whale fishermen, on the other hand, are said
to be almost exclusively foreigners. The
Senator from my State, alluded to, has dis
cusscd the branch Of the subject ~ fully and
presented it so ably, that deem il unncccs-
sary to do more than aIlude to his fact. and
arguments. lie has produced the testimony
of high officers Of the navy, and that Of 9TH
er official persons, to sustain his statements:
that he has more than answered the Senator
from Alabama as to this point. lie also pro-
duccs the same high authority to show the
eminent services which the cod fishermen
1--we rendered the country in tim y of war.
Co'nmodorcs Stewart and Shubri-k, agree
entirely on this point with Messrs. Benton.
Everett, Webster, and others, whom | shall
presently quote; and their authority will
! rail- b.,r ca. N. Al
of the msernbie Mpendinries of she AdDinis-
t'uf'"", q"oted by Me &nator from Alabama.
rho To groti/y Meir masters, hare tradueed
thehr nctghbors and countrynen
The Senator from Alabama rises the
sectional hue and cry against Mair.e and
Massachusetts, because their citizens are
the chief participators in this fishing
bounty. He denounces the bounty sys-
TEN as unjust and unequal. although. its
design j, to train sailors to defend the
whole country.
Now. sir. will call attention to
another little sectional bounty, in which
the people of Alabama are rather more
interested than the people of Maine or
Massachusetts,. alude TO the Post OF
fee bounty. According to the last anna.
al report of the Postmaster General, the
total expenses of the Department in
Maine and Massachusetts, fer the last
fiscal year. were $lS7, ,456; the receipt.
were s734,5l2; lie wing an excess Of
,o56, which is taken from the peo-
pie of those States, to carry the mail in
States whose expenses to the Depart
ment far exceed the receipts. l will
point cut the shortcomings Of one such
State. for the edihcation of those who
heard or have read the speech of the Al.
ALBANIA Senator. According to the same
report of the Postmaster General, the ex.
peases of the mail service in Alabama
were $30i,6lO, and the total receipts
Sll5,397; leaving deficit of Sl89,2l3.
Tie excess in Maine and Massachusetts
falls little short of this deficit; but IT
we take in the whole New England
States, which are interested more or less
IN the fisheries. the Alabama 64rdrm
1lon he Treasury will be made good.
This total bounty TO Alabama is some.
thing more than half the amount of the
fishing bounty; and if we add the boun-
ty paid to any one of half dozen States
whose Representatives will vote for the
repeal of the fishing bounty. the aggre-
gate will exceed the latter. Take Geor-
gla, for instance. whose bounty; is 1884,
600, or South Carolina, whose bounty is
Sl73,000; or North Carolina, whose
bounty is Sl6l 900. Add any one OF
these to the Alabama bounty. and the
sum total will exceed the average fishing
bounty. The total posta bounty paid
to the South. out of the United States
Treasury, is S2.5OO,OOO. Is it not in.
judiclous for Southern men. under such
circumstances, to quarrel with the little
insignificant fishing bounty?
The same remarks will apply to sever.
al of the Western States which are in
the receipt of this postal bounty of New
England, New York. and Pennsylvania
pay their postal expenses, and leave
large surplus. the States south and
west of them excepting little Delaware
do not pay. but fall far in arrears every
wear. These facts should teach their
Representatives to be IA little chary in
their assaults upon the New England
cod-f>h bounty.
now quote few American authuri.
ties, and | begin with the late Col. Ben.
ton, who signalized his opposit' on to the
fishing bounties in vigorous report. as
chairman of IA sele t committee. ir 1870.
Near the close of that document l find
the following passage.
"Far be it from this committee 10 deprcciate the
value or underrate the importance of the North.
eastern fisheries 1t woMld argue but little know
ledge "i their own country in relation to thi.
sourecot wealth and power or the contests of 9th.
er nations in relation To it, to deprecate or un-
deratc them. They know them To be valuable
oi m"ahmobie value-as well for the subs nee
they furnish to man. rs for the merners which
they create, and the hardy and manly quaIitic.
which they cherish in those who pursue them. As
a nursery Tor seaman, thy possess = great and
lasting, hut no longer an exclusive Importance
Things have changed since 1883"
Mr.. Cooper, in his naval history, says
Il at:
'The fisheries may be considered a. the ele.
montary school Of American nautical enterprise. !.
Mr.. Everett while Minister to Eng.
land, in letter to Lord Aberdeen dated
March %, 1915, says:
alt is no doubt true tho British colonial fish. q.
far ~ duties are concerned, enters the United
states market, if at all, to some dis adv antage-
The Government Of the United States, he il per.
saadcd would gladly make any reduction ia these
duties which would not seriously injure the native
fishermen but Lord Aberdeen is aware that the