The Portland daily press., 1886-07-21
THE FISHERIES
Great Disgust at Mr.. sayard's
Course
Fishermen Think He Is on the wrong
Track in Seeking a Treaty.
A Circular From the Fish Dealers.

The following has been prepared by the
fish dealers and will in this form or IN some
similar form be circulated:
Dear Sir-The Congress # the United States mas
given to the President power to declare n9n,l,i-
iercourse with Canada. We have hoped ana eA-
pected that he would in the exercise OF that pow.
strike a retaliatory blow that would be leit
lou bon pa' IN see 81 ,ec H We
need not repeat to you the details already widely
published and generally if not universally knoWn'
of the repeated Outrages committed by the CANA
dams upon the fishermen of New England. Our
vessels, as you well know, have been seized, our
captains detained and their letters refused them
by the colonial post office officials. A large meet
Of steamers has been fitted out and our fishermen
have been ordered out of colonial ports, even
while las in one lnstance) in great danger OF pc
coming floating hospitals, and i'll thousand ways
harrassed so that they have been compelled to re-
turn home empty or pay heavy fines All this
has been done, and so far the government OF lne
United States has afforded to us no protection
whatever, but on the contrary has in manyl ways
encouraged the Canadians in their represSlye
measures. We invite you to consider the fact that
if the President of the United States will not exer
else the power given to him by the Congress OF the
United States to proclaim non-intercourSe, we
have the power of individuals to bring it about II
we but combine together in solemn league and
covenant and agree not to allow vessel of ours,
from the time of signing the same forever touch
at colonial port under any pretext whatever, ex-
cept in matter of life and death. We have also
the sympathy of the entire business community
their cause is our cause and it is within the limits
of our power to lay the greatest boycott of the
upon all Canadian productions, including fish. We
ask OF Canada only fair and civilized treatment II
we cannot get it we can close to the subjects of
that government the vast markets of the United
States.
THE FEELING ON THE WHARVES
There is great disgust among the fishermen
of this city at the renewed evidences of stu
pidity displayed by Mr.. Bayard in dealing
with the fisheries question. The latest utter
ances of our Secretary Of State, for which he
was taken to task by Mr.. Dingley, show con-
clusively that Mr.. Bayard, instead of using
the means already at hand, is still casting
about for some diplomatic settlement where
by this country may be made to concede
something to Canada, when in reality there
is need of no concessions.
Mr. 0. B. Written, speaking yesterday
concerning the course of the Secretary of
State, said: Mr.. Bayard does not seem to
realize that commission or treaty can
mean but one thing-the opening of our
markets to Canadian fishermen. That is
what they want, and they are determined to
have it. But in return for this privilege they
have nothing to give our fishermen that will
for a moment compare in value to the free
dom Of our markets. In fact, whatever may
have been said to the contrary, there is moth
ing that we want of the Canadians but the
courteous treatment that one civilized peo-
pie ought to concede to another. 1t is often
handy, but by no means necessary, to ship
men in their ports The right to purchase
Ios4 b Gai. L
are the only privileges of any account which
our fishermen do not have already; and
these are in reality very slight privileges so
slight that it seems strange that Mr.. Bayard
should for moment think of giving the val
liable freedom of our markets in exchange
for them.'
"Then it is true that our fishermen, while
still buying some bait in Canada, are by no
means forced to do sop
Certainly. 1t is not only possible, but 1
think it will be found more profitable for our
vessels to carry their bait from Maine. In
the first place, fresh bait is not so necessary
as is supposed. Mackerel fishermen use
Seines, and don't need bait, while large
proportion of ground fishermen use salt bait
anyway. Fresh bait is used only by trawl
fishermen, but only small proportion of the
vessels sailing from this port use travis.
Most of our fishermen are line fishermen.
The Gloucester boats still use good many
travis. But fresh bait is not necessary for
trawl fishing even. Many fishermen think
that the difference between fresh and salt
bait does not make up for the time
wasted in going after the former So
fresh bait is not necessary; but if
and to advantage too. Bait may be procured
at Eastport, at Deer isle, at Mount Desert,
even on Cape Elizabeth as low as dollar a
barrel Down their in Nova Scotia they
charge as high as five or six dollars barrel
One of my captains on his last trip bought
bait at Mount Desert for ninety cents; but
when he got down to Nova Scotia, Canadi-
ans were charging two OF three dollars bar
rel. The supply of bait on our coast is suffi-
cient; it can be obtained cheaper than in
Nova Scotia and with suitable refrigerators
it can be carried to the fishing grounds with
out trouble"
''Do you care anything for the other privi-
lege, that of fishing within the three mile
limit?''
practically nothing. Mackerel are the
only fish we seek anywhere near the shore,
and it is rare that they can be caught within
the three mile limit by one of our SEEMING fish
ermen if she tries. 1t is only at distance
of five or more miles from the shore that the
water is deep enough to use the seines to ad-
vantage"
''Then Mr.. Bayard by clinging to the idea
of a treaty, is really trying to give to the
Canadians valuable markets in exchange for
privileges that would amount in reality to
very lite to our fishermen
''That is it."
'sWhy are the Canadians continuing their
yexatious enforcement of customs regula-
tions?"
''To scare Mr.. Bayard into a treaty, and
they seem to be doing it too. 1t seems
strange that he should not be able to get
away from the British minister long enough
to use the means at hand to let the Canadi-
ans know that this government will not allow
our fishermen to be treated so arbitrarily.
Suppose the President should use the author
ity conferred ON him by Congress, and deny to
Canadian fishermen commercial privileges in
our ports as our fishermen are denied them
in theirs. 1t would not be long before the
Canadian ports would be as free to us as our
ports are to them. If they don't want to let
us buy bait and fish within the three mile
limit, they need not; but they can be made
to treat us fairly and decently by energetic
retaliation, and it is the fault of our Secre-
tary of State that it is not done. Congress
has given the President the power, and Mr..
Bayard should stop planning for a treaty
that we do not need or want, and let that
power be executed"
"HovMwould Mr.. Boutelle's plan to put a
duty on fresh fish work?"
''Very well indeed; but think lit will be
hardly necessary if the President will only
do what Congress has empowered him to
do"
A DENIAL.
Captain Joyce of the steamer Novelty of
Portland says the reports sent from Halifax
on Friday that the steamer had taken 1000
barrels of mackerel, and that he had fshed
inside the three-mile limit were not true He
had only 600 barrels of mackerel,a all of which
were taken outside of the limit. Furthermore
he saw no other American vessels fishing in
side the prescribed line.