Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-01-19
FISHERIES OFF CANADA.
A BRlSTLING DEBATE ON THE
TEMPORARY ARRANGEMENT.

! WIN ONethtepplub MS foWefa-MFs
Frye Grows Warlike.
WASHINGTON, Jan. ls.--In the Senate
to-day MIR. Frye offered a resolution rela-
ting to the fisheries, the preamble to which
recites that
WHEREAS, The President had recommended
! Congress tO provide for 81 commission TO settle
and adjust the fisheries question. and
WHEREAS, Tue fisheries question had been
I settled for ton years past under the treaty of
/ W Arlington az q cost OF SJ,500,000 in money.
and the remission of S6,ol00oo Of duties IN
WHEREAS, That treaty mad resulted m an
| increase Of $40 vessels Nnd TO- coo seamen TO the
| Canadian lshing acets with cOrresp0ndlpg
/ decrease IN the fishing fleets of the United
/ states, therefore. bent
RrNoloed, That iu the opinion Of the senate
/ u commission clothed with the powers re-
lerred TO ought nOt TO be provided for by Con-
sres5.
ACTION or THE PRESIDENT.
Mr.. Edmunds was glad that the res0lu-
/ tion was introduced, but thought word
/ necessary In regard to the action Of the
/ President had with Her Majesty's govern
ment. After the time had expired when
according to the provisions OF the law the
wa0le fishery matter and the customs
matter connected with il had absolutely
/ terminated, IL seemed TO be stated, he
! sald, in the report just land on the desks
] 1
/ out any advice or the consent OF the
! Senate, had entered into arrangements
with Her Maiesty's government by which
| citizens of the [ uitcd States were ac-
corded certain rights in fishing in British
waters, which by the existing treaties
and the laws OF nations they would not
otherwise have, and that British subjects
were accorded reciprocal rights in the
! United States.
GRAVE QUESTION.
! 1t that was what was meant by the
statements of the report and he spoke of
it with reserve, becaus4 be had only just
seen the report ), II certainly presented
very CARVE question as to the eXertiOn of
| executive power in the matter Of enter
| ing into arrangements with foreign
| powers affecting the rights OF citizens OF
| the United States in the face Of the con-
stitutional provision that gives the Presi-
dent power to make treaties "by and
with the advice and consent Of the Sen
! ate" 1t may be, he added, that she ar
| rangement referred to was not "A treaty,
but in respect to the end to be obtained
by it, it was what a treaty would be, and
what had never been supposed could be
done without treaty.
Mr.. Morgan inquired whether any right
had been given British fishermen by the
arrangement referred TO that they would
not have had without it.
MIR. EDMUNDs' UNDERSTANDING.
Mr. Edmunds replied that if the state
ments of correspondence meant what they
seemed to mean (and he read some Of
them) the powers granted could only he
| granted, as he understood the cOnstitu-
tion, by a treaty made by the President in
the constitutional way. He only called
attention TO the matter, and did that in
the best possible spirit, as he desired to
speak OF the President with every re-
spect.
Mr. Morgan SAID that under the resolu-
ton that had passed Congress instructed
the President to terminate the fishery
treaty.
POSSIBLE EXPLANATION.
We happened to fix the time in the mid
die Of the fishing season, and after the peO-
pie had gone to great expense in Drepara-
tiOn for the work OF fishing, it would have
been "A great injury, be said, 10 stop the
work OF the fleets in the middle of their
cruises, ana perhaps the President, in
conference with the British authorities,
had strained the point In order 10 accom-
modate the interests and provide for the
welfare OF the large class of people inter-
ested.
Mr.. Hoar thought he represented the
| constituency most largely interested In
the fishery question, and, as far as be un-
derstOOd, our fishermen had not discovered
that the arrangemCnt referred TO had been
made in their interests. The fishermen of
the United states did not agree with the
Senator from Alabama.
NOT A SUDDEN EMERGENCY.
MIR. DAVIS said that a years notice in
advance had been given to everybody that
the privileges alluded to would terminate
at given time. Therefore the sudden
ness" OF the emergency bad not rendered
the arrangement necessary.
Mr. FRYE called attention TO the fact
! that while The arrangement was claimed
/ 10 nave been made In the interest Of
American fishermen, yet no American
fisherman had asked or proposed such an
| arrangement. That had been left for Mr..
West, the British Minister. TO do. For
one hundred years Great Britain had been
protecting" the interests Of American
fishermen.
NO COMMISSION WANTED.
The people Of New England, Mr.. Frye
continued, desired 10 further commissions
90 settle The fisheries questions. The
United States hHd gained nothing by the
I work 0f The former commission though
Canada had gained immensely by 10. The
people OF the United States asked nothing
OF Great Britain. Mr. Frye character
iZed toe Arrangement rcf rred 20 as the
most marvellous piece OF business in the
way Of diplomacy iuHi our history could
show. sour fishermen" he said, ''dO not
AK the British Minister 10 interfere 10
protect them hut they do ask that the
nited states shall De seli-asaertive and
that is all that they ask. our hanermon
ask that this great republic OF 66,000,000
people shall protect her fishermen IN their
rights"
FIRM Foley DEMANDED.
They demand tnat instead Of yielding TO
Great Britain, as bias been done every
time. We shall stand By our rights. The
Fishermen, be said, knew as well AZ he
knew, that Great Britain dare not under
take t0 defend iuc course Oi The Canadians
in taking sO United states vessels into
Colonial ports aud trying aud c1ndemning
them 90 the evidence OF Colonial Wit
neases. who stood ON sHOre and iDOked out
90 sea, aud fupssed That Toe vessels were
within the 3.mile limit. Let the United
States he what they were able 20 be. and
NOT De heightened 10 death bY the ghost Of
decd treaties. Our executive officers we're
trembling at the ghost Of The tlaytOn.Bul.
Wer treaty, which Great Britain bad rc-
gafded az dead for quarter ~ u century.
'i.et ua assert our fivnts,p said Nr.
frF, aud there Will be no war. but our
people 0n the Canadian coast will have