The Portland daily press., 1886-08-26
FRYE ON THE FISHERIES.
The Trouble With Great Britain Re-
viewed from the Beginning.
MIR. Bayard's PusiIIaninous Course
Compared With What Mr.. Blaine
Would Have Done.

EAsTPoRT, Aug Ex-senator Frye spoke
to a large and enthusiastic audience here
last evening. He dwelt on the record of the
Republican party, on the attitude of the
Democratic party towards the shipbuildng
industry, and on the fisheries. This is what he
said on the last subject:
For hundred years we have been having
q row about fish. Yet in the Morrison bill
the Democrats put fish on the free list. When
we were a part of Great Britain we could
fish anywhere we pleased. Then we fought
her and beat her and got Free But Great
Britain did not think of Furnishing, us, for
Banks, a locality over which she had no con-
troll. Qaughter) Things ran along and
Great Britain proceeded to stop our vessels
upon the high seas, and if she found any
man who had any brogue of the Irishman
she impressed him upon her own ships. We
again. She then said we had forfeited our
right to fish anywhere, and we made the
treaty of Client, and the strargest thing of
all was that in the treaty we never men,
toned one single word about fish. 1t ran
along for a while and we made the treaty of
1918, and surrendered all our rights to fish
in Canadian waters, reserving to ourselves
only the rights of hospitality, and not
another single thing on the face of the
earth.
NCAb GllC DIlllSlt L Sdlu bucy
should insist upon the three-mile limit from
headland to headland, which, in some cases,
whould keep our fishermen thirty miles
from shore. When our markets became val
liable she undertook to negotiate for them,
But we did not negotiate. Then she began
to seize our vessels wherever she could find
them. She seized thirty or forty of them
and tried them in her co lonial courts and
condemned them upon the evidence of men
who stood on the shore and guessed where
49, %1nIx (afvY
We sent men-of--war down there during
these times, and while they were about, the
Canadians behaved themselves. But when
we took them away she went at 1t again, and
she fairly drove us into the reciprocity
treaty, which was as one-sided as jug, and
we finally abrogated it. What did She do
then? She said we must pay license upon
the tonnage of our fishing vessels, and she
increased that each year till our vessels
could not afford to fish in Canadian waters
and so ceased to pay the tax. She then be-
gan to seize our vessels and we finally pro
vided for commission to settle the matter.
Great Britain had her commissioner and also
had Mr.. Delfosse, whom she owned body
and SOUL We had for a commissioner
broken-down old man. With the help of
allowing our vessels to fish in Canadian
waters where there were no fish and the
right was not worth three cents. The result
of that settlement was that it has cost us
two dollars for every dollars worth, of
mackerel we have taken within Canadian
waters. Well, that ran along and the num-
Der of Canadian vessels was constantly in
creasing, while ours were continually de-
creasing. About two years ago was look
ing into the matter and saw that the treaty
could be ended by giving two years notice.
Accordingly offered a resolution giving the
President the right to terminate it. The
treaty ended, every one supposed nothing
could revive it, but to our amazement, Mr..
Bayard went to work and made new treaty
with Mr.. West, the British minister, in
which he agreed that the Canadians might
fish within our three-mile limit and we
might fish within theirs. He also agreed
that the President should recommend the
appointment of another commission for the
settlement of the matter. ] offered another
stuff, and it was passed by a two-thirds
vote That made Mr.. Bayard mad and from
that time till now Canadian cruisers have
been seiZing our vessels. We seized one of
theirs for violation of our laws, but the Sec
retary of the Treasury, as soon as 1t was
brought to his notice, remitted the fine and
let the vessel go free. The Canadians don't
allow our vessels to go into their ports or our
men to go ashore and see their families.
They do this to compel us to make another
treaty by which they can get the advan-
tageS of our markets. In all treaties with
Great Britain she has gotten the advantage
of us, but it has remained for the Demo-
cratic party in its Morrison bill TO offer to
give the Canadians for nothing what we
We have been giving Great Britain every
thing else, and now the Democrats propose
to give her free fish. If Mr.. Blaine had been
President, or even Secretary of State, we
should have heard nothing about any
trouble with Canada. (Applause)