The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-01-19
THE FISHERIES QUESTION.
Interesting Discussion in the U. S.
Senate Yesterday.
The Administration Arraigned by
Senator Frye.
The Question to be Further Discussed
To-Day.

WASHINGTON. Jan. 1S.-In the Senate to-
day Mr.. Frye offered resolution relating to
the fisheries, the preamble to which recites
that,
Whereas. the President has recommended Con-
gresS to provide for commission to settle and
adjust the fisheries questions and
Whereas, the fisheries question has been set
tied for tenyears past under the treaty of Wash
ington at cost offive and half million dollars in
money, and the remission OF S6,O0O,OOO OF duties
in that period; and
Whereas, that treaty has resulted in an in
crease of five hundred vessels and 10000 seamen
to the Canadian fishing fleets with correspond
ing decrease in the fishing fleets of the United
States therefore be it
RESOLVED, That in the opinion of the Senate
commission clothed with the powers referred to
ought not to be provided for by Congress.
Mr.. Edmunds was glad the resolution was
introduced but thought word was necessary
in regard to the action of the President had
with Her Majesty's government after the
time had expired when according to the pro-
visions of law the whole fishery matter and
customs matter connected with it had alb
solutely terminated It seemed to be stated,
he said, in the report just laid on the desk of
Senators that the President without any ad-
vice or consent of the Senate had entered
into arrangements with Her Majesty's
government by which citizens of the United
States were accorded certain rights in fishing
in British waters which by existing treaties
and laws of nations they would not other
wise have, and that British subjects were ac-
corded reciprocal rights in the United States.
1t may be, he added, that the arrangement
referred to was not a treaty but in respect to
the end to be obtained by it, it was what
treaty would be and what had never been
supposed could be done without a treaty.
Mr. MORGAN said that undnr the resolution
that had passed Congress instructing the
President to terminate the fishing treaty we
happened to fix the time in the middle of the
fishing season and after people had gone to
great expense in preparation for the week OF
fishing. 1t would be a great injury, he said,
to stop the work of the fleets in the middle
of their cruise and perhaps the President in
conference with the British authorities had
strained point in order to accommodate the
interests and provide for the welfare of that
large class of people interested.
Mr.. Hoar thought he represented a con-
stituency most largely interested in the fish
ing question, and so far as he understood our
fishermen had not discovered that the ar
rangement referred to had been made in
their interests.
Mr.. Dawes said that a years notice in adj
vance had been given to everybody that the
privilege would terminate at a given time.
Therefore the "suddenness of the emer-
gency' had not rendered the arrangement
necessary.
Mr.. Frye called attention to the fact that
while the arrangement, as was claimed, had
been made in the interest of American fish
ermen, yet no American fishermen had asked
or proposed such an arrangement. That had
been left for MI. West, the British minister
to do. For one hundred years Great Britain
had been protecting" the interests of Amer
lean fishermen. The people of New Eng
land, Mr.. Frye continued, desired no
further commission to settle the fisheries
question. 1t had gained nothing by the work
of the former commission, though Canada
had gained immensely by it. The people of
the United States ask nothing Of
Great Britain. Mr.. Frye characterized
vellous piece of business in the way of
diplomacy that any hostility could show
Our fishermen, he said, do not ask the
British minister to interfere to protect them,
but they do ask that the United States of
america shall be self -assertive, and that is
all they ask Our fishermen ask that this
great republic of 56,000,000 OF people shall
protect her fishermen, who, he said, knew
as well as he knew that Great Britain dare
notundertake to defend the course of the
Canadians in taking eight United States yes
sells into colonial ports and trying and con-
demning them on the evidence of colonial
witnesses who stood on the shore and looked
eut to sea and guessed that those vessels
were within the three-mile limit. Let us be
what they were able to be and not be fright
ened to death by the ghosts of dead treaties.
Our executive officers were trembling at the
ghost of the Clayt0n-Bulwer treaty which
Great Britain has regarded dead for quar-
ter of century"
Mr.. Morgan expressed his astonishment at
the vigor and zeal with which the question
was argued. The action of the government
he said, had not been laid before the Senate
except in an informal way and no just criti-
cism of the Presidentor Secretary of State
could be based on the information before the
Senate. H9 was entirely surprised to hear
that the arrangement spoken Of was intru-
sion of power on the part of the executive
department and that American fishermen
were not to be benefited by it. Mr. Morgan
thought the debate had brought the matter
of privileged greed into the States and placed
us in an undignified position before the
world. The sense Of self respect on the part
of the United States government did not re-
quire it to buckle on its armor whenever it
went out to meet Great Britain or any other
government.
After further debate the resolution went
over, Mr.. Conger giving notice that he would
ask to be heard on it tomorrow.