Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1870-12-15

the convention, this Government canno. but regard
them az unfrendly, and in contravention Of the
spirit, not Of the letter. of the treaty for the faith
full execution Of which The Imperial Government IL
| al me responsible. Anticipating that an attempt
may possibly be made by the Canadian authorities
in the coming season to repeat their unneighborly
act toward our fishermen, recommend you to
! fer upon the Executive the power to suspend by
proclamation the operation of the laws authorizing
the transit OF goods, wares and merchandise in
bond ACROSS the territory of the United States to
Canada; and further, should such an extreme meas
ure become necessary, to suspend the operation of
any laws whereby the vessels of the Dominion Of
Canada are permitted to enter the waters of the
United States.
NAVIGATION OF THE ST. LAWRENCE.
like unfriendly disposition has been
manifestedi on the part of Canada in the
maintenance Of claim of the right to exclude
citizens of the United States from navigation of the
st. Lawrence This river constitutes natural outlet
to the ocean fb eight states with an aggregate popu
lation Of II 100000 inhabitants, with aggregate
tonnage Of $751;, 1857 TONS upon the waters which dis
charge into 1t. The foreign commerce of the ports
on these waters is open to British competition, and
the major part of it Is done in British bottoms If
the American seamen be excluded from this natural
avenue to the ocean, the monopoly of the direct
nerce OF the lake ports with the Atlantic would be in
foreign hands, their vessels Atlantic voy
ages having access to lake ports which would be
denied to American vessels similar voyages. To
state such . proposition is to refute is justice.
During the administration Of Mr.. John
Quincy Adams, Mr.. Clay unquestionably demonstra-
ted the natural rights of citizens of the United States
to navigation of this river, claiming thatthe act of
the Congress Of Vienna, In opening the Rhine and
other rivers to all nations showed the Judgment of
European jursts and statesmen that the inhabitants
of country through which navigable river passes
have natural right to enjoy the navigation of that
river to and into the sea- though passing through the
territory Of another power This right does not ex
cude the coequal right Of the soverigns possessing
the territory through which the river debouches into
the sea to make such regulations relative to the poll
cy of the navigation may be reasonably necessary
but these regulations should be framed in liberal
spirit of comfy and should not impose needless
burdens upon the commerce which has the right of
transit. 1t has been found In practice more advan-
tageous to arrange these regulations by mutual
agreement.
The United States are ready to make any reason
able arrangement to the navigation Of the st. Law
renee which may be suggested by Great Britain. If
the claim made by Mr. Clay was just, when the popu-
lson of States bordering on the shores of the lakes
only 900 900, 1t derives greater force and
equity from the increased population, wealth. pro-
ducton and tonnage Of the States on the Canadian
frontier. Since Mr.. Clay advanced his argument
in behalf Of our rights the principle for which he
contend has been frequently and by various nations
recognized by law by treaty and has been extended
to several other great rivers By the treaty concluded
at Mayence In 1884, the Rhine declared free from
the point where it is first navigable into the sea. By
the Convention between Spain and Portugal, con-
cluded in 1898, the navigation of the Douro
throughout its whole extent was made free for tho
| subjects of both crowns.
In 1883 the Argentine Confederacy by treaty threw
open to free navigation the Parana and Uru-
| quay to the merchant vessels of all nations.
In 1856 the Crmean war closed by treaty
which provided for the free navigation of the Dan
ube
In 1858, Bolivia, by treaty, declared it regarded
the rivers Amazon and La Plata, in accordance with
the fixed principles Of national law, highways
or channels opened by nature for the commerce of
all nations. In 1859 the Paraguay was
December, 1869, the Emperor of Brazil by imperial
decree, declared the Amazon 10 be open to all the
frontier Of Brazil, to merchant ships of all nations.
The greatest living British authority on this subject,
while asserting the abstract right of the British
claim, says it difficult to deny that Great Brit
ain may ground her refusal upon strict Aw but it il
equally to deny first, that in doing she exercises
harshy an extreme and hard law secondly, that her
| conduct with respect to the navigation of the st.
Lawrence is In glazing and discredtable inoonsis-
tency with her conduct with respect to the navigation
| Of the Mississippi. On the ground .Sat she pos
sessed small domain in which the Mississippi took
its rise, she insisted on this right to navigate the
| tire volume of its waters on the ground that she
possesses both banks Of the St. Lawrence where it
empes into the sea- she denies to the United States
the right of navigation though about one-haf of the
waters Of Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron and Superior,
and the whole of Lake Michigan, through which the
river hows are the property of the United States.
! The whole nation is interested in securing cheap
transportation from the agricultural States of the
West to the Atlantic sea-board To citizens of these
States it greater return for their labor. To
inhabitants Of the sedoard, it Offers cheaper food
and to the nation, increase in the annual surplus
| of wealth. 1t is hoped that the Government of
Great Britain will see the Justice of abandoning the
| narrow and inconsistent claim to which her Cana
| dian provinces have urged her adherence.
THE REVIVAL OF OUR COMMERCE.
! 'repressed commerce Is subject to which
called your especial attention at the last session.
| suggested that We will, in the future, have to look
more to the countries south of the United States and
to China and Japan for its revival Our representa-
tves to all these Governments have exerted their IN
uence to encourage trade between the United States
and the countries to which they are accredited, but
the fact exists that the carrying is done almost exclu
svely in foreign bottoms and while this state OF az
fairs exists cannot control our due share of the
| commerce of the world that between the Pacific
States and China and Japan is about all the carrying
| trade now conducted in American vessels. would
| recommend liberal policy toward that line of
American steamers-one that will insure its success,
and even increase its usefulness. The cost of build
ing iron vessels (he only ones that can compete with
foreign vessels in tho carrying trade), IL so much
greater in the United States than in foreign coun-
tries that without assistance from the Govern
ment they cannot be successfully built here. There
will be several prosostion laid before Congress in
the course of the present session looking to remedy
for this evil If should be at some cost to the
National Treasury. l hope such announcement
will be given az VIII secure American sh1ppihB on
the high seas, and American shipp-building at
| home.
THE PUBLIC ARCHIVES.
The condition of the archives at the Department of
State calls for the early action of Congress. The
building now rented by that department is fral
structure at an inconvenent distance from the Ex-
ecutive mansion and from the other departments
1t Is i'll adapted TO the purpose for which it is used
has not capacity to accommodate the archives, and Is
not fire proof It's remote situation, it's slender con-
struction, and the absence of a supply of water in
the neighborhood leaves but little hope OF safety for
either the building contents in case Of the accident
of fire Its destruction would involve the loss of the
rolls containing the original acts and resolutions of
Congress- of the historic records of the Revolution
and the confederation of whole series Of diplomat
c and consular archives since the adoption Of the
Constitution and of the many other valuable records
and papers left with that department when It was
the principal repository of the government archives
| recommend an appropriation for the construction
of building for the Department Of State. recon-
mend TO your reconsideration the rropriety OF trans
ferrng to the Department of Interior TO which they
seem more appropriately u belong, az powers and
thu territnrie. with which the