Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-06-04
FORTY-NINTH CONGRESS-.
First Session,
SENATE.

WASHINGTON, June 8.
Mr.. Dawes presented the petition from the
city council OF Gloucester, Mass, which was
appropriately referred, praying for retaliation
on the Canadian government for seizure of
American fishing vessels.
Mr.. Dawes inquired whether the committee
could give some answer that might 90 to the
public, that measures would be taken which
would protect our citizens in their rights.
Mr.. Edmunds said that the committee on
foreign relations had no right to protect
american commerce or American citizens ;
that duty belonged to the executive depart
ment OF the government. In the absence of
dennlte information, We must presume that
the executive department of the government
was doing everything it could do to protect
citizens of the United States whose vessels
mad been seized or unlawfully dealt with by
the Dominion of Canada. OF course it might
have happened that some of the seizures, it
might possibly have happened that all of them
had been guilty of violating existing laws of
the Dominion of Canada. As they have been
seized by public authorities of Canada, of
course there must be public pretention on
the part of these officers that such was the
case.
MIR. Edmunds hoped it would turn out that
the vessels were innocent of anv violation of
the Dominion law or of the public law. and
that they had been engaged in doing what
was allowed by the intercourse of nations by
the laws OF their own country and of the
country to which they had gone, and that the
seizures would therefore be dismissed without
even a semblance of the probable cause. But
that depended of course upon judicial inquiry
IN the first instance. He did not mean to say
that we would be bound to acQuiesce in the
result of the Canadian judicial inquiry if we
thought those results unjust and improper
Ii any of the vessels should be condemned
and the United States were of the opinion
that the condemnation was unjust, we should
not be bound by any principle of public
justice to acquiesce in it If we had anv
spirit left, as he thought we had, and any
strength left, as he thought we had, though
we had not been very successful in getting
navy or in arming our seacoast, vet in some
way the rights of the citizens of the United
States would be vindicated if they had been
violated. Continuing, Mr.. Edmunds said the
President. if he had signed the recent act of
Congress on this subject, now had the power
to retallfte for any injustice done our vessels
IN Canada. If that act had become law and
II our British brethren were straining the
point in order to force US into convention
VI ASSiPioSiy, Tree usu OF anytDlnR else,
it was now within the power OF the President
to take such measures as would tend to cor
rect the abuse. So far as the committee on
foreign relations was concerned, however,
the subject was too immature to enable Mr.
Edmunds to make any public declaration AS
to how the matter was or what ought to be
done about il.
Mr.. Dawes remarked that it could not have
escaped the observation of the committee
that armed cruisers of the Canadian govern
ment were about the waters on the borders of
the three mile limit" in search of American
vessels IN order that they might under some
pretence or other seize them. The entire alb
sence of any armed vessel of the United
States in those waters to protect our fisher
men in the exercise of lawful commerce led
Mr.. Dawes to enquire whether that absence
was from any lack of proper power in the
premises
In reply Mr.. Edmunds said tha, no le gisla-
tioR was necessary unless it might be by ap-
propriating money, and hardly that to enable
the President, who is commander in-chef of
our armies and navies, to send out any vessel
of the United States if we happened to have
one that could swim. Mr.. Edmunds believed
we had one that could swim, one that had
been trying for several months to swim and
had not vet, he believed, succeeded in getting
into the service of the United States
Mr.. Hale stated the circumstances that
gave rise to the dispatch received from East
port, Me-, relating to the orders said to have
been raised by the Canadian people them
selves and their business in herrings with the
people of Maine. This matter seemed to Mr.
Hale to be the gravest thing that had appear
ed on the horizon. If the rumor was correct
the Canadian authorities had given direc-
ton to break up the industry of their own
people. Whatever could be done BY the
State department that would bring to the
knowledge not only of the fishermen of Maine
and Massachusetts,, but of the people of the
United States. just what the fundamental
purpose of the Ottawa government was,
would be benefit to our people. Mr.. Hale
added that the communication from Eastport,
having been laid before the secretary of
State. that officer had disclosed disposition
to at once, under every method in his power
and at his command to learn the ulterior pur-
pose of the Canadian authorities. Mr.. Hale
hoped and trusted that there would be no de-
lay in that direction.
The bill providing for taxation of railroad
grant lands vas then taken up. After some
debate the bill was passed
Mr.. Van Wyck then called up the House
bill on the same subject, and on his motion
the committee on public lands was discharged
from its further consideration. He then
moved the Senate bill as an amendment in
the nature of a substitute to the House bill
The motion was agreed to and the House
bill was amended accordingly.
In the ''disagreeing vote" of the two
Houses, thus brought about. the Senate, on
motion of Mr.. Van Wyck, ordered a com-
mittee of conference.
Mr.. Plumb submitted the conference re-
port op the postofiice appropriation bill, which
he said ne did not expect to call up before
next week.
Mr. Allison, from the committee on appro-
priations, reported the consular and diplomat
ic appropriation bill with amendments
Mr.. Evarts called up the bill to indemnify
the Chinese for losses incurred by the riots
at Rock Springs, Wyoming. Mr. Evarts
characterized the acts complained of as dis
graceful to any community in which they oc-
Cured, and disgraceful TO any government
that could not punish the guilty parties and
repair the damages done. After similar re-
marks from Mr.. Call the matter went over
till tomorrow
Mr.. Edmunds had the clerk read a letter
from the secretary of the interior in reply to
one inquiring as to the total number of PEN
sion appeals now before the secretary and
when the appealing case of Adrian 7. Wood
ward. late surgeon in the 14th Vermont vol
unteers, would be reached in its order. Sec
retary Lamar replies that there is 400 cases
ahead of Woodward and it would not be
reached in its order for about three months