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


ing learned to trough il, TO walk the deck and
cape seasicessg but they say that they would rather
take raw recruit who had learned nothing than to take
cod-hsherman whom they would lave to unlearn be-
fore they could teach
Now Mr. President say It be true as alleged that
the cod shefy Is the peculiar nursery of seamen it Inn
poses upon the advocates Of that opinion response 70
the question How it happens that the merchantmen, or
the vhalefs OF a thousand or tons, Of more com
pick rigging OF twenty sails of sixteen
yards making voyages Of twenty thousand miles more
spending years of business ia the great waters, are not
good schools for the cod fishery, which en-
ploys sohoonen fishing smaeks of siNtyhye tons on
less which engaged but four months year in cris
ing around the islands of New England, or on
the banks OF Newfoundland The trainers of these laws
did regard them the peculiar nurseries Of seamen
neither did they design by the laws 10 make them the
nurseries OF seamen. This is shown by the language of
the acts from which have read, but il is further evil
denced by these facts all these allowances eontn
gent on the salt duty which they always accompanied
they always found in the salt acts and not in the
fishing code. We have code regulating the i6heries
quite old the government; and if they were intend
ed be fosered nurseries of there would be
the proper place find these bountes but you find them
always annexed to the salt duty The condition of the
allowance the quantity of fish caught and exported
which had been cured with foreign salt. The al
lowance, up TO 1918, was made to the exporters OF
salt provisions, OF beef and pork Can it DO supposed
that Congress intended TO raise out of the farm
eis OF the West Can il be believed that Congress in
tended to nurture OF those who never went 10
scag This proposition at shows the ahsurdty Of
contendng that these laws intended the nursery
OF seaen. 1t mputes TO their trainers the folly of the
fond mother who advised her not to SO into the
water until he learned how to swim. Moreover il win
be found that all these laws for brief periods the
longest of them extended only for ten years the next fo
seven years and several OF them for but two years Did
Congress expect to train a nursery of in two
seven ten years lastly all these laws applied
to foreigners well citizens of the United States up
to 1917 For thirty odd years this bounty drawback
was paid to foreigners well native naturazed
NOdIStinctOn made. At this day the law
does not exclude foreigners, for the word used is per
sons and not citizens and at this day testified by the
collectors to whom have referred, and by the papers
from which have just read aud which, will not trouble
the Senate with reading many OF those persons
ployed in these fisheries foreigners They represent
that they get foreign fishermen for the coast banks
of Newfoundland for much lower price than aeamen at
home and they go out and employ them there.
But sir told that the fisheries live with
out this bounty Suppose that to be true, is it the duty
of Congress foster any occupation which cannot sup
port itself Whence do derive the power to become
amoners Of public charity and to provide for those who
take care of themselves But, sir any one who
has examined the table appended to the report which
had the honor TO submit time ago will that
cor,ing the reports of the fishermen themselves this
so jar from being llngnshing business ought to be
very hourishing. In compliance with law OF Massa
chses the of the several towns past years
have been required to return the capital invested the
men employed aud gross proceeds of every occupation
within the State find that in 1887 they reported the
vessels employed in the mackee and cod fisheries at one
six thousand and eighty nine, the hands employed
eleven thousand hundred and fortysix the capital
invested at 81 6S3 l76, the aggregate value OF the
ceeds 49, 559 making one hundred and nineteen per
cent Of proceeds upon the capital invested In IS45
find that the gross proceeds exceeded hundred and
nineteen per cent upon the capital invested. In
1855 find that the per cent of gross proceeds
nearly sevcntysx per cent. and, after deductiDg
fifty per cent Cor expenses yet yielded average profit
of hry-eght per cent; and. after superaddng to this
deduction Of fifty per cent sixty three dollars for each
employed, (Which Mr. Scndder says is all that they
got still the average amounts To nearly twenty per
cent, and after allowing 100 per man in addition to
the discount of fifty per cent of the proceeds, still
the average exceeds eleven per cent Thus 1t appears
that this business from being losing decaying
one qnite equals if it does not exceed in profits any
other business in the country
But, Mr.. President to whose benefit does this bounty
inure2 Not to the fishermen, but to the two three
thousand owners of fishing vessels Such the common
testimony of the collectors this subject Such is the
testimony Of the special agent of the Treasury Depart
ent sent look into the fisheries and to report their
condition Such is implicitly the admission of the
owners of the fishing vessels themselves for they
cede that they do not observe the law which requires
them divide the proceads of cruise in proportion to
the fish taken by each man. and that in violation OF the
law and the express regulations of the department.
of the take half to themselves and divide the other
half equally among the If they will violate the
law in particular why will they not do so in every
other To whom is this money paid To the owners
of the fishing vessels What officer agent Of the gov
eminent supervises its division among the fishermen? No
one 1t is left solely To the discretion and the conscience
OF the owner Of the fishing vessel He is the arber of
his own cause in violation of every principle of judicial
iustice Are avarce and selfnerest stronger than jus
fce and generosity Are kinder to others than to
themselves Can any believe that Congress can
make bargains for these men, and that they will observe
them strictly though it ba TO their prejudice Why
may they spuate that the fishermen shall have so
much for the voyage less the amount of the bounty? Is
the bounty nducement to the enterprise 1t is either an
nducement, 1t is not. Il it bo no nducement to the
fishermen the then there
why it should be continued If it be an induoement
then the fishermen afford to ask less from their EN-
ployers the of the fishing vessels and doubt
do take less and thus inues to the benefit OF the
Another why believe the two three thou
sand Of fishing vessels generally enjoy all of this
bounty is that the fishermen frequently changed du
ring They go out voyage return, dis
charged, and other fishermen taken Such is the
port Of all the collectors and if this be true of
these fishermen entitled according TO law to any of
the bounty and thus it may happen that the OF
the fishing vessels may realize the entire bounty is
charged.
Mr. President according TO the experience of England
OF France and of Holland such bountes are wholly in
axpedicnt They have endeavored by q system of boun-
ties build up their herring and whale fisheries, and
they have sgnally failed But need not go abroad to
prove the ncxpediency of these bounes Let any
tor compare the increase of the whale and herring fish
cries with the cod fisheries and he will say at that
these bountes have redounded to the advantage of
the cod fisheries Our whale fishermen, without any
bounty whatever from the government, though compe
ting with the fishermen of the greatest commercial
tiles OF Europe though competing with the fishermen of
nfH and and Of Who