Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-05-25
ube Cai,faster 1utclligeuter.
LANCASTER. MAY 25. 1856
The Fishery Troubles.

SENSATIONS are Une OTueT OF tne uay III tllS
country. The newspapers search for them
and make them and their readers enjoy
them. Mole hills are daily magnfied into
mountains, and it takes wide-awake OBJ
server to know Just what there is of sub
stance in the tale. Right now weare having
the seizure of fishing schooner exhibited
as the possible cause of war with Eng
land Senator Frye, of Maine, which is
fish country, has written to Secretary Bay
ard, telling him what grievous wrong has
been done, and the secretary replies that
he has heard of it and is attending to it.
It seems to have been a seizure made by
the lawful authorities of Canada upon
treaties and the case is to be heard in the
Canadian courts, where our government
will be represented by counsel. If the law
is found to be as we hold it, the schooner
will be released. If otherwise, we viii
abrogate the treaty that gives rise TO such
a construction OF our rights and start
afresh. We will always have the whip
hand with Canadian interests because our
trade is of more account to them than
theirs to us. We have already found an
opportunity to seize Canadian fishing
smack, and each country now holds little
boat in chancery in token of its prowess.
This fishery fuss affords as small an occa-
sion for excitement as could well have been
discovered. We are not going to get into
any trouble with England about mackerel.
Each nation has too high respect for the
other to warrant suspicion even that any
treaty provision upon such subject will
not be amicably construed.
There is more likelihood of bad blood
between New England fishermen and those
of more southern waters upon the question
of the mackerel catch. The former have
caused to be presented in Congress a bill
prohibiting the bringing ashore of mack
erel caught in the spawning season; which
sounded well enough until Mr.. Hewitt, of
New York, proceeded TO uncover the little
nigger hidden therein. He said that it would
confine mackerel fishing TO the states of
Maine and Massachusetts, !; because the
mackerel arrive on the coast at the
mouth of Chesapeake bay, about
the end of March, and thence travel
slowly northward, reaching Maine and
Massachusetts in June and June is the
time fixed, by the cunning Maine and Mas
sachusetts fishermen, for the prohibition
of fishing TO cease, the spawning season then
being over. The mackerel spawn upon the
surface of the ocean, one fish producing a
half million eggs. Mr.. Hewitts suggestion
was that, with the numbers of the mack
erel and their eggs, there seemed to be NJ
great necessity for reserving them for tht
Maine and Massachusetts, fishermen.
That seems to be clear. But the sug
gestion springing from the modesty of tn,
demand of these fishermen in this case i!
open to the suspicion that there may bt
as little modesty and merit in the demand
they make of the Canadians, about which
is the present international row. We art
moderately attached to our sharp New
England cousins, but we know them toe
well to be entirely sure that they are
always entitled to what they ask and take
In this case they may have solid case
We do not pretend to understand the ques
tion fully. And it is just as well that it il
to be ventilated in court before we are
called to take on any national ardor about
it. We want the mackerel and propose t.
catch them ourselves all along tn,
shore and probably no one will objec
strenuously to the exercise of the privilege
by everybody, unless it may be these Main
and Massachusetts, fishermen who hav
been caught in their little grab game il
the national legislature.