Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1870-12-16

with an earnest desire for conclusion consistent
with the honor and dignity of both nations.

with the honor and dignity OF both natloLs.
| -,.f THE FISHING QUESTION.
The course pursued BY The Canadian authorities
toward the fishermen Of the United States during
the past season has not been marked by
the GenSy Gen1synde II ISIS bsween ereat Ban and
the United States was agreed that the inhabitants
of the United States should have forever, In COM
with British subjects the Gi tisHg tbe
not included in the limits named IN the
Convention, within three miles =, OF ports
| for many years to give intruding fishermen of the
| United States reasonable warning of the viola
ton of the technical rights of Great Britain he
/ Imperial government is understood to have dele
1 gated e whole or a share of its jurisdiction or
| control Of these inshore fishery grounds to the
Colonial authority, known as the Dominion Of Can
/ agent has exercised the delegated powers In an UNI
i friendly way Vessels have been seized without
notice or warning in violation of the custom pre-
vously prevailing, and have been taken into the the
vessels condemned. There is reason to believe that
this unfriendly and veXatious treatment was de-
4 signed to bear harshly upon the hardy fisher
men of the United States, with view
of political effect upon this government.
The statutes of the Dominion of Canada assume
| a still broader and more untenable jurlsdlcton
| over the vessels of the United States. They
authorize officers persons to bring vessels how
erng within three marine miles of any of the coasts,
bays, creeks or harbors of Canada, into port, to
search the cargo, to examine the MASTER on oath,
touching the Cargo and voyage and to infict upon
him heavy pecpniary penalty i true a answere are
| to fish within three marine miles OF any such
coasts, bays, creeks or harbors without license,
after the expiration of the period named In the
last license granted to it. they provide that the
sell with her tackle, etc., etc., shall be forfeited 1t
4 is not known that any condemnations have been
made under this statute. Should the authorities OF
Canada attempt to enforce it, 1t will become my
duty to take such steps as may be necessary to
protect the rights Of citizens Of the United States
It has been claimed by her Majestys officers that
the fishing vessels of the United States have 40
right to enter the open ports of the British pos
in !Sear ana e
of purchasing wood and obtaining water
that they have no right to enter
at the British custom house. or to trade except Tor
must depart within 2t hours after notice to leave.
1t is not known that any seizure of a fishing ves-
sci carrying the aag of the United States has been
founded on the alleged construction of the Con-
yention of 1873, it cannot be acquiesced in by the
sisted on,by Her Majesfy's Government. During
the conference which preceded the negotiation Of
the Convention of 1918, the British Commissioners
United States from the privilege of carrying on
trade with any of His Brittanic Majestys subjects
residing within the limits assigned for their use and
also that 1t should not be lawful for the vessels of
the United States engaged IN such fishery to have
on board any foods, wares or merchandise what
ever, except such as may be necessary for the
from H'' said fishing grounds. @ snd'' and any vessel
of the United States, which shall cOntravene this
regulation, may be seized, condemned and confls-
identical with the Construction now put upon the
language of the convention, was emphatically re-
jected by the American Commissioner, and there
upon was abandoned by the British Plenipotentia-
ries, and article One it stands in the convention
was substituted. IT, however, it be said that this
claim is founded on provincial or colonial statutes
not but regard them as unfriendly, and in
contravention of the spirit if not of the
letter of the treaty. for the faithful execution of
which the imperial government is alone response
ble Anticipating that an attempt may possibly be
made by the Canadian authorities in the coming
season to repeat their unneghborly acis toward our
fishermen, l recommend you to confer 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 tnited States to Canada;
and further, should such an extreme measure be-
come necessary. to suspend the operation of any
law whereby the vessels of the Dominion Of
Canada are permitted to enter the waters of the
United States
&c X NAVIGATION OF THE ST. LAWRENCE.
like unfriendly disposition has. been
manifested on. the part of Canada in the
maintenance of claim of right to exclude the
citizens of the United States from navigation
of the st. Lawrence. This river constitutes nat
ural outlet to the ocean for eight States, with an
dred thous nd inhabitants, and with an aggregate
tonnage of Gil ,357 tons, upon the waters which
| discharge into it. The foreign commerce of their
| ports on these waters is open to British compe-
tition 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 monop-
oily of the direct commerce of the lake ports with
the Atlantic would be in foreign hands, their ves
sells on the ransAtantic voyages having an access
| to our lake ports, which would be denied to
| such proposition is to refute its JUS
tee; e;, During During the administrati9n M ion of Mr..
tionably demonstrated the natural right of the
citizens of the United States to the navigation of
the river, claiming that the act of the Congress Of
Vienna in opening the Rhine and other rivers to all
nations, showed the Judgment of European jurists
and statesmen, that the inhabitants of a country
! through which navigable river passes have
| the territory of another power This right does not
excl9de the coeqqa right Of the sovereign posses
into the sea- to make such regulations relative to
the policy Of the navigation may be reasonably
necessary. But those regulations should be framed
in liberal spirit of comfy, and should impose
needless burdens upon the commerce which has the
right of transit. 1t has been found in practice
advantageous to arrange these regulations by mu-
tuaI agreement. The United States are ready to
make any reasonable arrangement as to the nav
igation of the St Lawrence which may be suggested
by Great Britain. If the claim made by Mr.. Clay
Gst when the population OF the States bordering on
the shores OF the lakes was only 100000, II now
derives greater force and equity from the increased
population wealth, production and tonnage Of the
States on the Canadian frontier.
| - Since Mr.. Clay advanced his argument in behalf
of our the principles for which he contended
have been frequently and by various nations rec
ognized by law or by treaty. and have been extended
other great rivers BY the treaty conclud-
! ed at Mayence in 1884, the Rhine declared free
from the point where 1t is first nayigable into the
sea by the convention between Spain and Portugal,
I concluded, in 1885 the navigation of the Dourse
throughout its whole extent was made free for the
] subjects of both crowns. In 1853 the Argentine
Confederation, by treaty. threw open the free nav
1gaton of the Parana and Uruguay to the merchant
vessels OF all nations. In 1856 the Crimean war
was closed by treaty which provided for the free
| navigation of the Danube. In 1858 Bolivia by
treaty declared it regarded the rivers Amazon and
| La Plata, in accordance with fixed principles of
national law, as highways or channels opened by
| nature for the commerce of all nations.
In 1859 the Paraguay was made free by treaty,
and in December, 1866, the Emperor of Brazil, by
imperial decree, declared the Amazon to be open
70 the frontier of Brazil to the merchant ships of
The greatest living British authority on this sub
ect, while asserting the abstract right of the Brit
lsh claim, says it seems difficult to deny that Great
Britain may ground her refusal upon strict law.
But it is equally difficult to deny, first, that in
! doing she exercises harshly an extreme and hard
law; second, that her conduct with respect to the
discreditable Inconsistency with her conduct with
respect to the navigation of the Mississippi on the
| ground that she possesses small domain in which
the Mississippi took its RISE She insisted on the
right to navigate the entire volume of its waters
the ground that she possesses both banks of the St.
Lawrence where it disembouches itself into the
She denies to the United States the right of naviga-
stion. though about one half the waters of Lakes
Ontario, Erie Huron and Superior and the whole
i of Lake Michigan, through which the river flows,
4 are the property of the United States.
/ The whole nation is interested in securing cheap
transportation from the agricultural States of the
| West the Atlantic seaboard To the citizens of
those States 1t secures greater return for their
labor. To the nhanitants of the seaboard it offers
cheaper food; to the nation increase in the an
nual surplus of wealth. It is hoped that the Gov
ernment of Great Britain will see the Justice of
abandoning the narrow and inconsistent claim to