Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-02-25

for us TO cripple this industry when IS e'n-
.I,,;,,, thousands of men and distributing
hundreds of thousands of dollars among Tue
laboriny classes of our population o" ''e
sea shore? Pass this law. and yon drive our
fishermen on to foreign shores ana create
discrimination in favor of the British hshef-
men, against our own citizens. FOR "','
informed that by the existing treaty VII"
E,yland we cannot make a law which lay
49, possibility will prevent Il British subject
from coming anywhere on our coast 10 hs''
Rut 7 leave this part of the subject to those
more yersed in international law. and sim.'y
ask if il is wise for us to enact such laws rs
will undermine business which has grown
tn such magnitude in our midst, ana cause
our fishermen to seek other shores or other
business? They are the men upon whoni
this nation depends to man her SHIPS ana
nayies. and they should be fostered and pro- /,
tected in their pursuits. Cripple them III
their efforts to earn an honest living and you
strike a blow to our commerce and TO the
verv life of this nation.
Mr.. BENNER replied to the last speaker:
controverting the proposition that the bill
would destroy great industry. tie would
venture the assertion that not five thousand
dollars worth of fish was saved from all the
fish taken in the rivers and small bays IN
wear. On the other hand. thousands OF bar
reIs of them were DESTROYED He had con-
versed with gentleman now present, large
ly interested in mackerel fishing. who had no
objection to the bill. for it would keep yes
sells ont of shoal water where seines were so
liable TO be torn at great expense to the
owners.
Mr.. SrRour of Portland spoke of the great
importance of the fishing interest and SAID
that before venturing into experimental leg
ell
amincd Not only those who had capital in
vested, but the fishermen themselves were
interested. 1t had become well known that
if migratory fishes were not molested upon
their spawning grounds. no power in the
hand of man existed to lessen essentially the
breeds of that particular part of creation.
He understood the spawning grounds of
these fish to be south. in warmer waters. and
that they are unfit for the market until they
have arrived further north. The bill pro
vides for exceptional legislation for excep-
tional localities. He could see no reason why
the man who lived on the shore of an inlet
or bay whose month was two miles or less in
width, should have any greater
right in this matter than the man who
lived upon the shores of bay the
mouth of which, between headland and head
land, was three or four miles. 1t seemed to
in favor of one locality and against another.
He also thought there force in the sug-
gestion that it would be an unjust
discrimination against our own indus
tries and in favor of foreign industries,
under the fishery treaty with Great Britain.
Mr.. EATON of Camden, spoke in favor of
the minority report. The petitioners did not
seem to have been represented before the
commmitte, but the opposition was. The
rich were always represented; but the poor
along our coast have neither time nor money
to spend. and so send their petitions trusting
in their representatives to do them justice. He
said that the mackerel is a clearly fish, and
that the contamination of the waters by seiners
tended todrive them out of our bays and be-
vond the reach of those who take them with
small nets and by hook and line He ar
raigned monopolists as detrimental to the
best interests of the people, and closed by
saving ''this is not for buncombe.''
Mr.. FISHER, said he represented
Boothbay, which is now recovering
from the late depression in business, and is
again coming into prominence in the fishing
business. From his district he heard of no
man asking for the law proposed by the mi
norty of the committee, On the contrary,
he had been instructed by remonstrants to
oppose any such law. He believed that the
bill when vessels are licensed by the
United States to fish within the waters
Of the State of Maine, and quoted from the
treaty which had been referred to, and
claimed that under it foreigners had privi-
leges from which our own citizens. under
the proposed law, would be excluded. He
also criticised the provision which allows a
lien on vessels to enforce penalties.
Mr.. WEBB. of Deer Isle argued in favor
of the majority report. He had been en-
gagged in the fishing business torty-two
summers, and claimed to know about
the matter from experience. His peo-
pie, among whom were many small boat
fishermen, were against the proposed law.
Mr. MCCLELLAN of South Thomaston, spoke
as a practical fisherman, and in favor of the
bill. He argued that in the absence of the
pOrge the mackerel the last resort of
fishermen for bait. and that some little pro-
| lection should be afforded for that fish. The
people on the coast had some rights and he
was here to vndicate them as far as was in
lis power. lie represented $500 inhabitants
all interested in fishing more or less, and
they desired the law. 1t was not intended
! to operate against honest men, but
only against those who mischiev ousv went
| into small bays, saving few of the large num-
| bers of fish they took there. He ridculed
the idea that people from the Provinces
would come to our coast to fish When the
people of Cape Cod sent lumber to Bangor
| and the State of Maine sent coal to Philadel-
| phia. then there might be chance that the
| people of Nova Scotia would leave their own
coast, where fish are so plentiful and come
to our coast where they are so few, to en-
gage in the business. He assured
gentlemen that if they refused 20 pass
the bill and should visit him next summer,
he would be unable to indulge them in a
the sport of taking few mackerel by hook
and line
Mr.. Freeman of Cherryfield briefly dis
cussed the treaty with Great Britain and
| thought it would not interfere with the pro-
posed legislation.
The matter was further discussed bv
Messrs. Torrev, Benner, Webb, Mcclellan.
Strout of Portland, and others.
The minority report was adopted bv vote
| OF ~ to 2S, and the bill was read and assigned
for tomorrow for its third reading.
Adjourned.
READ AND ASSIGNED.
An act to amend chap. IS of the special laws
OF 1873 entitled ian act to provide schools
for the training Of teachers in Madawaska
territory, as amended by chap. 100 of the
special laws of 1879: resolve in favor
OF Thomas Lovely of Maplaton ,1ou..