New-York tribune., 1878-03-01
railway combination, and. second, against the
future combination from Canadian cities.
MORE TROUBLE IN MASS4CH USETTS.

| tbat tho next great excitement in the Bay
State will relate to the subject of fish and the
heaven born right of the South Hadley nsher-
men to clear and unimpeded whack at the
Connecticut River shad When Massachusetts
il not beating the tOm-tOm to drive Ben But
Ter off from beng Governor, or disturbing the
| peace of the Nation with Cataracts or lnfOr-
| nation poured into the capital by professions
| of Boston folks about the character and career
of Simmons, she is apt to be making 1t llvely
in some way for neighboring state. The
other day, it will be remembered, the whole
State curdled with horror from Cape Goa 10
! WiliamstOwn because Maine Senator had
,nduIped in an Irreverent allusiOn to some
thing that happened there in the eOcene period.
And now they are getting ready to agitate an
old grievance against Connecticut on the shad
question.
The Connecticut River, as will be observed
by reference to the map, runs through Slassa-
chusetts. They maintain in Connecticut that
it does this simply as matter OF convenience,
and because it is the shortest way to get to
Long Island Sound. But the dwellers in
Iolyoke and South Hadley have always
claimed that the mere fact Of the rivers run
ming through the State-which, as will be seen
by reference to the map, il unavoidable, the
State having stretched itself directly across
the way from the White Mountains to the
Sound-givcs them an ndefeasible right to the
Connecticut River shad. Until within the last
two years, the people Of Connecticut have dis
puted this claim not openly, with argument,
and in debate, but practically by having their
Legislature sit during May and June, under
instructions to eat nothing but shad during
the session, and to consume the entire catch.
This is why they were always called Shad
eaters" till IL very recent date The change
in the time for holding the sessions from May
to January has produced an impression in
Springfield, Holyoke, South lIadley and
northampton thai Connecticut had relaxed
her claim 10 q monopoly of the shad, and the
citizens of those villages have consequently
begun to assert somewhat loudly their claims,
and to stir up. the rest of the State upon the
subject, so that legislative action may be in
yoked.
They compla. that the Connecticut fisher
men on the banks of the Sound and along the
river, notwithstanding the fact that the Lrgis-
lature Is not in session during May and June
aud there is no such demand for shad as for
merly, do set nets and draw scines and con-
struct pounds 20 such an extent to waylay and
interrupt this noble fish in his progress from
.hc sca to the liolyoke Dam, that the more
thoughtful and intelligent shad have pretty
lauch made up their minds not to go to llol-
yoke Dam at all, but TO get out regularly at
SaybrOok or Essex. The consequence is that
Massachusetts finds the supply OF bIain-food
Oh which she depends To keep Butler out of
the State House and Simmons ont ot the Gus
tom House almost entirely cut of, and the
south Ilddlcy fisherman sees his horn rust and
his nets decay. Now 1t so happens that tie
,had have fondncss for that profane strllc-
ture the IIolyoke Dam. They are in the
habit of going up there to spawn. The Mas
sachusctts piscicutursts having observed
this peculiarity, have furnished them with the
facilities for spawning in that vicinity, and
even gone so far as 10 provide stairways over
the dam for lame and superanDuated shad,
with guide boards and every modern conve-
nlencc, SO that no shad of Il reasonable degree
of energy need be discouraged by the dam.
But they say that after all tins has been DONE
and so much pains taken to make the shad feel
perfectly at home at IlOyohc, and want to
come back the next year. comparatively few
of them eve. return, on account OF Their being
80 bothered and confused on the way by the
Connecticut fishermen. A recent writer on this
subject in Massachusetts newspaper calls at
tention to the fact that the river Is robbed by
Connecticut fishermen before IA Massachusetts
citizen has chance to gather fin. In an i'll
dIgnant strain he writes:
Massachusetts for several years has expended large
Of money, aud the time aud Skill OF men, IN ha'ch
ing the young rhad South Hadley aud starting them
Ou their juvenile Journey to the Every Spring
watch with anxiety fOr indications Oi their return. For
Two years pasi few frightened fish have gathered be-
low Holyoke but not enough spawners to furnish the
hatchery with material for successful results and why
There roisons. known to but few people here.
The shad returning from his southern sUOUrn, gics
along the southerly Connecticut coast hungry huung
for the taste OF his native river he is methOdlcal fish,
and does not go roaming all Long Island Sound for
mouth Of the stream, but, for two miles more be-
reaches it, certain currents ch1Dnels found
that ne knows will read him to his haunt But the Con
nectcut fisherman has found the currents and channels
too and for mile and half from the mouth OF the
river these currents and channels flied with ther
murccrous pound nets and hundreds OF thousands OF
shad bred by tho munitccuco and ignorance Of Massa
chsetts pottcd, big and little both, before they
are within mile OF the river where the remnant that is
left OF the slyer-sided broken bataionS sip by Say
brook lights for two miles they obliged to
dodge tho environment Of from twenty-five TO forty
seines handled by as many boat-loads OF fishermen;
thence onward uncounted number OF sweep-senrs
line the shore and until they reach their
restn. place at Holyoke
Very plainly, this means business. If this
sort of talk continues, we shall have war.
Any one can see that it is an outrage for Con-
necticut fishermen to intercept>the Massachu-
sett shad on their way to Holyoke dam, but
they refuse to desst, and Massachusetts peO-
pie are getting quite warm over it. Why not
appoint a committee to wait on the incoming