The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-05-20

The controversy now pending between
our government and the Dominion relative to
the rights of our fishing vessels in Dominion
waters is one in which Portland is deeply
interested by reason of the large investments
of her citizens in the fishing industry, and
the large attendance and the earnest speeches
at the meeting of the Fishing Exchange yes
terday show that our people are keenly
alive to the Importance of the subject.
As is we'll known American fishermen
voluntarily renounced all rights coded to
them by the Treaty ofWashington TO take
fish within three miles Of the Canadian
shores. But the offence for which
the Doughty and the Adams were seized
was not fishing within the three mile limit,
but buying bait. Ii is true the treaty OF 1878
forbids American fishing vessels to enter Do
minion ports except for shelter, wood, water
and repairs. But since that treaty was
ratified there can be no doubt but the part Of
it that restricts the right of our vessels in
Canadian ports has been superseded by
agreements between the United States and
Great Britain, which have extended the priv
ileges of foreign vessels in their ports to all
the subjects of lawful trade, except the coast
Wise CARRYING JIdu6. NOW ISL ID oubJONe
of lawful trade, and it makes no difference
whether it is to be used for food or bats
That such is the case the Canadians confess
| by their acts though they deny with their
| tongues. Their vessels come to our ports and
purchase fish to be used for bait. Indeed in
| plain sight yesterday of the building where
| the meeting of the Fishing Exchange was
held and while the meeting was in session
was Nova Scotia vessel loading fish to be
| used for bait. If it is lawful for Dominion
fishermen to buy bait in our ports, and the
| United States does not contend that it is not
| then it is lawful for our fishermen to buy
| bait in Dominion ports, for the arrangement
| between Great Britain and this country is a
reciprocal one, and it was never understood
| by Great Britain that our government in
| tended to grant rights to her fishermen that
| were denied to ours. If therefore Great
| Britain allows one of her colonies to exclude
our vessels from its ports except for wood,
1 water, shelter and repairs she is saying prac-
| tically to our government that she desires
her vessels to have no other privileges than
| those in our ports. By her failure to repudi-
| ate the seizure of the Adams and the Dough-
| ty she has substantially given our govern
ment this notification, and we ought
| not be slow in accommodating her.
| Our government ought to declare forth
| with our ports closed to Dominion fishing
| vessels except for wood, water, shelter and
| REPAIRS and that no Dominion fishing vessel
shall be allowed to purchase anything in our
| ports, neither fish bait nor anything else, I'M
tilthe restrictions upon our vessels in Do
ninion ports are taken off What Canada is
seeking to do undoubtedly is to force us into
making a new treaty in regard to the fisher
les, by which she shall regain the advantages
she enjoyed during the existence of the
| Washington Treaty. Finding that we care
| nothing about her in-shore fisheries, she
is now seeking to coerce us by denying us
our clear commercial rights If the game
succeeds it will be due to the pusillanimity
of our government.
Our fishermen are asking for nothing but
their rights. They do not want to be cod
died by the government; they simply ask
that the government sees that they have fair
| MI