Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-03-14
The Fisheries Award.
SPEECH OF Mr.. BLAINE IN THE U. S. SENATE

Following is the fu Il text of the speech OF Sen
ator Blaine in support of bis resolution, request
| ing the President to furnish the Senate with cop
| les Of certain correspondence between the gov
| eminent of Great Britain and the United Stat $
| in relation to the appointment OF The third COM
missioner, under the 23d article of the Treaty of
Washington.
Mr. Blame said The resolution of inquiry
| which offered fortng ht since having been OBJ
| jected to and LAID over, ! will briefly eApan my
easoDs for desiring MS adoption. For some time
| past there have been runOrs OF an unpleasant
| character touching the mode IN which NJ. Del
fosse the Belgian Minister accredited TO ills cou
| try was urged by the British government the
| tulrd Commissioner under the treaty OF Washing
| ton on the qu' sion of + heries. These rumors
come in form that eniOrres attention, and while
| | will not pretend to vouch for their accuracy,
think they sufficiently grave TO call for All hen
tcatlon or denial. Ii az pears by these reports
that during the conference OF the joint High Com
mission in April, 1871, Lord Rpop, speaking for
the Englsh government, sad III relation to the
several proposed Al hTati0ns under discussion,
| that it would not be the proper thing for Eng land
| to offer Belgium Portugal as arbtratC rs, and
he especially spoke of Belgium as being ncspacl-
| tsted for the function by of her peculiar
| relations with England.
This declaration was emphaiically assented to
| by the American Comm.-ioners With
the understanding, thus volunteered by
| Lord Rlpon, the iatax Commission of
three arbiirators on the fisheries was agreed
| to, our government TO name one, the Brit
| lsh government to name one, and the two govern
ments coDoiutly TO name the third, and it was
stipulated that if the two governments
could not agree on the third commissioner within
| three months that then the Austrian Ambassador
| at London should uame him As soon as the fishery
clause of the treaty went into effect 10 July, 1873
Mr.. Fish urged the British Minister, Sir Edward
Thornton, TO confer with him as to third com
missioner; but he found him without instructions
from his government, and after delaying for some
days, Mr.. Fish took the initiative and submitted
quite a number OF names for Sir Edwards c0nsid-
Grafton. Among these, scattered over large field,
were NJ. Maiiscsl of Mexco Otienherg, Minis
| ter from Russia; Borges from Berlin; Polo, from
| Spain; Count de Novelties, from France; West
enberg. from Holland; and others.
Mr. Fish did not include Delio,se among these
as he considered that his name bad been fairly ex-
cluded by the understanding of the Joint High
Commission. Sir Edward Thornton made no re-
,ponse for several weeks, and then answered Mr..
| Fish, declining to accept any of the names sub
mltted by him. aud proposed IN turn the single
name of DeltOsse. 1t was fully understood be-
| Iieve, that Sir Edward was acting under the in-
structions of Lord Granville. British Secretary of
| Foreign Affairs. Flsh promptly aud peremptori-
| ly declined to accept Deiosse and quoted Lord
Ripons remark IN regai d to Be gum aud he az ain
urged Sir Edwsrd'to ace, pit ne OF the names pro-
| posed by hlm, or else to propose some names him
| self In answer to this sir Edward stated that
| Lord Dutferln, Governor General Of the Domiu-
ion OF Canada speaking for the Canad ans, object
ed to any one accredited to our government being
| taken AS a third mmissoner, aud immediately
after this declaration Sir Edward appeared at the
State Department with fresh instructions from
Lord u awhile to insist on Delfosse, though at
that very moment Delfosse WAS accredited to our
government.
| The only alternative presented bv Sir Edward was
that his government would accept some Dutch
| gentleman that might be chosen at Hague by the
| American and British governments The three
months within which the two governments were
| TO act coDjolDtly having been thus exhausted, APP
parently by the design of the British government
| the matter was by treaty remsnded to
| The Austrian Ambassador Of London. A
| delay OF some years ensued, in conse-
| quence OF the negotiation tor reciprocity
| treaty, aud the correspondence not resum-
ed until 1876. The result of the whole was that 10
| February, 1917, the Austrian Ambassador named
Delfossa AS the third commissioner. 1t is now re
ported on authority Of an interview published in
the New York Herald that Fish finally assented
| to the appointment of Delfosse by the Austrian
| Ambassador This may or may not be so, but 1t
| is not of material issue, for the matter
| had then lapsed absolutely into the hands
| of the Austrian Ambassador, and as he
was resident in London, in easy commu
| nicaiion with the British Ministry, they had
means Of influencing the decision that we're not
| within our power. and Mr. Fish may well have
| thought that as the appointment Of Nj. Delfosse
was inevitable and unavoidable it was prudent and
expedient to submit to it gracefully and in such
way as not TO incur the ll-will of the third COM
missioner. | can well see how a wise Secretary
| like Mr. Fish might in the end, have been thus
influenced, after having exhausted every fort, as
he so ably, energetcaly and fesilessly did. t. keep
| Delfosse oil the Commission. | do not intend, in
| any remarks / am making, TO cast reflections
on Delfosse, who is known as an honorable repre-
| sentative OF his government | on mean to i'm
ply and assert that If Lord Ripon i, to be credited
| Delfosse was not in position to he an impartial
arbitrator. and thai in my jndg ment Great Britain
never should have proposed him. and Fish was
justified ID resisting his Appointment. long
/ resistance promised to be eiiectua. Nordo mean
to lmpute any conduct that WAS not strictly honor
| able to Sir Edward Thornton, the highly esteemed
| preventative OF the British government at the
| capital, who in all he did, was simply following
the insu uctons of Lord Grsnville but | do not
mean to say that il ! am correctly informed the
correspondence for which my resolution calls will
disclose designed and persistent II It on the part
| OF the British government to secure advantage in
| the selection of third commissioner on the cues
| ton of the fisheries.
| have never heard that Lord Dufferin had anv
agency in bringing about the appointment of Del
| fosse and specially mention thus lest prevlous
remark might seem to reflect on honored Of
| bclal not less esteemed by Americans thau Cana
dions. At the same time 1t is but Just to remark,
| that the Dominion of Canada had no more right
| to int pose in the matter than had the States Of
Massachusetts and Maize. and that the governors
| OF those States had the same right TO speak for
their people, in regard to the selection OF third
Commissioner. as had Lord Duticrin to speak for
| the people Of the Dominion. The negotiation was
between two great nations, and Subordinate States
| and provinces had Iisht to dictate,
or even suggest, unless called upon. 1t
| may be somewhat premature to speak
of the award made by the Halifax Com
mission, but as it Is alr auy discussed IN the press
OF both countries bliet reference to it may not
be out OF place. The extraordinary nature of that
award can only be appreciated when the SUI round
ing facts are understood
In the original discussion of the fishery ques-
| ton by the Joint High Commission in 1871 the
American Commissioner could be induced to offer
OILY one million dollars for all fishing privileges
| subsequently embodied in the treaty. The British
Commissioners declined this offer and would enter
into no negotiation that did not include the sdms-
sion of the products OF Canadian fisheries into the
American ma ket free of all duty. The conces-
SION, highly advantageous to Canada aud disastr-
Gus to our country, was finally inserted in the
treaty, and II was iu Their agreed TO submit to ar
| duration what amount of additional compensation
| should be paid Great Britain for our right to use
| the ln-shore fisheries of Nova Scotia for twelve
years, and the Halifax Comm ssion took the sub
| iect into consideration and the two comm issior-
ers Doth IN effect selected by Great BRITAIN de-