The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-01-11

The senate having under consideration the b intro
duced BY Mr. CLAT of Alahama for the repeal Of the fish
ing bounties, Mr.. CLAY sid
Mr.. PRzsDESF: The catching OF cod is a very mo
nen1olls eoncern said Fisher Afnes ia the rst Con
gre Of the Union and sir this sentiment has been
peAted often, and esnphatieliy that many persons
without examination Of the subject have taken II for
granted thai 'the eathng Of cod is very momentOus
concern" Indeed considering the pecnliAF extraord
nary and exclusive favor with which cod catching has
been treated by the Congress Of the United States any
might conclude thai the catching OF cod l. most
HOuaentous coneern-
a is my purpose 20 inquire into the reason why Mr
Ame~ sid in ITss thai the catching Of cod is most
moEnentous concern for the purpose Of vincatng hin
from the suspicion Of rlng with the truth and Of al
eng what he did not believe for the sake Of achieving
sectional advantage The dignity, purity and ele
yAtiOn 0f hs character forbid the idea be world have
been guilty Of any such assertion he had not really be
Hevedit it true comparison OF the relations Of cod fishing
to the tonnage couLlneIcs, and Of the
United States at that day viii show that BE did not speak
without of and authority OF facts and
similar comparison Of those relations this day VIII
show that however truly il may have been uttered by
him, it would be simply ridiculous and absurd al this
tine to say that tAe catching Of cod is very moment
concern
However sir before proceeding to exhibit this com
paso must show the peculiar and extraordinary favor
with which this interest has been treated How much
paid TO the fisheries under the system of allowances
not prepared To say but since 1892 when the sys
tenn of tonnage allowances adopted there have been
paid to the cod fisheries the Of Sl2 l2s 55z They
have received annually average exceeding two
hundred and FIVE Thousand dollars During the last
years they have received annual average OF
S32s GAG This large has been divided among f
teen thousand PERSONS snpposng that the fishermen have
shared the bounty together with the owners OF the fishing
vessels t has been divided among only about two
at most three Thousand OF fishing vessels. OF
this Sl2 l2s 532 the States Of Maine and MAssa-
chlsetts have received more than eicven-twelfths
or sll, ,295, 2sS, while the other States have re-
eriyell, ia the aggregate, but $3.50 z34 OF the
two thoasand and eghty-eight vessels in The TRADE
last year Thousand nine hundred and twentycght
owned in the States Of Maine and Massachusetts
the remaining one hundred and sixty divided be-
txeen three States-Gonneccut owning hundred and
thirty four, New Hampshire but twenty i've and Rhode
Island bat OF the fourteen thousand six hundred
and sixteen fishermen reported 10 be employed in this
trade thirteen Thousand four hundred and ninety six be-
long to Maine AM Massachusetts and the remaining
Thousand hundred and twenty to three statesCon
necticut having nine hundred and thiry-eight, New
Hampshire hundred and seventy five, and Rhode
Island but seven.
Thus sir il appears that this is purely local interest
confined to very small section OF the United States and
ANAL class of the citizens of the United States found
may say within but two States OF the Union New
sderng the small number Of persons who have particpa
ted in this bounty OF e government and the large bene
fit which has been bestowed upon them 1t is matter of
special wonder that it should have been tolerated long
and might Justify induce the opinion that il hsd been In
the consideration OF Congress- Of no1nrntous
The Inducements, arguments in favor Of the
ishing allowances presented by Mr. Ames Mr.. Gerry
and other distinguished advocates of that interest," in
lT97 thnt it would increase the commerce. the
anne and the searuen of the United States
The total tonnage ot the United States in 1880 but
two hundred and seventy -four Thousand three hundred
aud seventyseven TONS of which that employed in the
codsheries .hirtyone thousand eight hundred and
forty ytwo tons the proportion OF the Goldfish tonnage
IN. Trs@.
seven or in other words the Goldfish tonnage corasti
tuting at that time oneeghth Of this entire tonnage of
the United States But how is at tlis time in 1857
the total tonnage OF the United States in round
bers, say live mionsfor if wanted only ynine
thousand OF that numbcr-of which that employed in
the cod fisheries but hundred and four thousand
five hundred and seventy three TONS the proportion Of
the cod fish tonnage 10 the other tonnage Of the United
States being to forty or In other words,
constituting but fDryth part the entire tonnage
Of thr United States Since 1890 the Goldfish tonnage
has increased but thrceold while the other tonnage Of
the United States has been increased about twenty
fold.
So in respect to commerce Mr. Ames said in I7gS
that ia l7Ia previous 10 the revolution the value of
ported cod upwards Of Taiiou dollars Ii So
that tune Reconstructed one-sxth of tine whole commerce
OF the United States for the value Of the aggregate do
mestic products of tine United States THAI time
but S6 l65 4l3 In 1894 the total domestic exports Of
the United States s4 ,46T, Az Of which expoTtsd
cod made 81 400 900. AT that time the proportion
10 seventeen and IND-tenfhE ls34, however,
the total domestic exports Of the United States
S33s Of which the value Of the exported cod
bat s5Ipr ra4s the proportion being about one 10 six
hundred The decrease in the value OF exported cod
since 1904 has be 81 s29 652 while the increase n
value of the other domestic exports OF the United States
has been S2s7 ,5l7 ,5Ss.
So in respect AS have shown before, at
first the exports Of cod amounted TO about onexth Of
the total exports Of ths United States and of course
brought Ia foreign goods ia exchange which furnished
may say onesixth Of the Of the United States
At this day, however, shall show after while, the
cod fisheries instead Of adding annually abstract
ing from the II the United sAtes Where they
put dollar into the treasury they draw down more
than twelve ont
Thus appears that all the predictions Of the value Of
the cod fisheries immense Of wealth, made
by their advocates in 1882 have proven false and deu
sive At this time they form bur forty eighth part of
the tonnage Of the United States but SIX hundredth
part n the Of the United States and instead
of adding % the reveune they annually abstract from the
nearly three hundred thousand dollars than
they put in Who, then, at this day considering the
cod fisheries in their relation to tecorerce the tonnage
and the Of the United States say that they
Of very momentons conoeng
But sir Il srill be urged urged IN that day,
that the cod fisheries the nurseries Of American
men This, too, urged with show of reason in
lT92, for az that time codsbernen composed perhaps,
about half Of the American senrnen We lad that
time other fishery except the whale fishery We had
fisheries around the eonst o Flora In the Gulf ul
Mexico, the Pacihc ocsst herring, naankerol
fishery, fishery in the great lakes in the Northwest
We had but little commerce. aud not sufficient vessels
seaznen even to carry that Then il said WITH APP
parent reason that the cod fishery II the nursery of
but at this time, have shown the cod fishery
bears unmpor,ant relation % the and ton
nRe Of the LATED States AT ths time instead Of
posing nearly half Of a the seaen Of the United States
It composes not exceeding onehrteenth part, for we