Connecticut western news., 1878-03-07
THE FISHERY QUESTION.
The American Fishermen Clearly In the
 Right--WiIl They be Protecteds

The American Fishermen Clearly in the |
 Right--WiIl They be Protecteds
 The American fishermen, says the New York Herald, reviewing the matter of the troubles in Fortune Bay, Newfound- land, on the 18th of January, were clearly within the limit of the privileges secured to them by the stipulations of the treaty of 1871, which became operative through the necessary Legislation by the several countries in July, 1873, and which stipu- lations were extended to Newfoundland in accordance with a provision of the treaty by a colonial statute passed in March, 1874. The act of securing their seines to the shore was the only one in which the Americans could have possibly exceeded their rights, and this would only cover technical point by which they might possibly have been held lia- ble to pay for the privilege. It certainly did not justify or excuse the Newfound- land men in their lawless and violent assault on the Americans or in their de- struction of property. The rioters, or probably their more intelligent and cautious neighbors, appear to understand the gravity of the offence they have con- mitted, inasmuoh as they now set about making explanations and apologies for the outrage. One of their pretences is that local law prohibits fishing in For tune Bay on Sundays, and they rely on this law to justify the acts of the mob. But there is no limitation as to days in the treaty or in the legislation which made it's provisions operative, and no local law could limit the privilege con- .ferred on American fishermen. If, how ever, the American vessels were bound to respect this local law, there is no evil dence that they knew of it's existence, and their offence was one to be dealt with legally, and not by a lawless and infuriated rabble. The true explanation of this new outrage is the same that ap- plies to the many that have preceded it. The people of the Dominion are jealous of the American fishermen, and are ready to commit any unfair or lawless act against them. Their cupidity induces them to covet 0 monopoly of the fishing privileges off their coasts, and their dis position to avail themselves of every means, legal or illegal, to interfere with the business of the American fishermen is unfortunately strengthened by the timidity or indifference which has here tofore marked the action of our own government in the several disputes and difficulties to which the fishery question has given rise.
 The people of the United States have never been fairly treated by the Cana dians in this fishery business. Outrages have frequently been committed on our vessels and citizens, which, if practiced toward British ship or British subjects, would have been righted at the muzzles of 8 man-of-war's guns. The convention of 1918, which was held for the purpose of settling the differences that had arisen between the two countries on this sub- iect, prohibited the Americans from fishing within three marine miles of any of the coasts, bays, creeks or harbors of the Dominion except in certain specified
 limits. Of course all the best fishing grounds were excluded nevertheless the treaty would have been faithfully observed by the Americans if it had been honestly interpreted by the Canadians. But the latter soon took the unfair and untenable ground that the limitation clause justified the drawing of an i'm aginary l1ne three marine miles from any two of the most prominent headlands and the exclusion of American vessels from any waters within three miles of such line. By this trick it was sought to shut out our fishermen from all the Canadian bays, and to drive them actually Ill many instances from thirty to thirty five miles, instead of three miles, from any coast, bay, creek or harbor of the Dominion. It was the same as if the United States had accorded similar privilege to foreign vessels to fish within three miles of her coast and then had barricaded her coast with cordon of imaginary lines, one drawn from three AAAACo oouOA oA UA0 AAou'A OA tuo 1GO Grande to three miles south of the Florida Keys; another from Cape Florida to Cape Hatteras another from Cape Hatteras to Cape Malibar and thence to the southwest head of Grand Menan Island.
 This forced interpretation of the con- vention of 1918 was only an indication of the bad disposition of the Canadians to- ward our fishermen. The Reciprocity Treaty of 1854 placed the convention of 1918 in abeyance for eleven years ; but the action of the Canadians under that treaty was in many respects injudicious as we'll as extremely unfair. When the treaty expired Canada proceeded to pass sumptuary laws in relation to the fish, cries, and went back to the convention of | 1918, and has since, as before, been anx-
 ious to make manifest her disposition
 not only to assail the interests, but to
 ignore the rights of American fishing
 vessels in her waters. As the recent oc-
 currence at Fortune Bay proves, the
 Treaty of Washington is no greater bar
 to the lawlessness of the Dominion fish,
 ermen than other treaties and conven-
 tions have been, and there is as reckless
 disregard of the peace of the two nations .Lz1 L A.