Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-06-14

The Fishery Treaty and tho Providence
Renegade.
The Boston journal deserves credit for
its faithful exposure Of the thoroughly un-
fair and disloyal course Of the Providence
Journal, once Republican newspaper OF
high character and an able opponent Of the
pernicious dOgnas and vicious influences
Of the Democratic party, but now .eryile
organ Of that political organization. The
former newspaper clearly shows that since
its Providence neighbor has become an adj
vocate OF the Democrats, the latter has
exhibited "all the proverbal zeal Of the
new convert, IA naturally immensely
pleased by the circumstances that our
Bank fishermen have found their salt clam
bait failure and that some Of them are
obtaining licenses under the modus vivendi
and purchasing fresh bait In Newfound-
land. II even accepts the experience of
the schooner Druid and others "a con
elusive testimony that our Bank fishermen
must have Canadian bait; that they can
not by any possibility get along without
It, and that the only thing which remains
Tor US to do Is to surrender at Canada's
impudcnt demand and pay good round
price for the enjoyment of commercial
rights which have belonged to Us for half
q century.
Our contemporary makes two serious
mistakes. In the first place, it has not yet
been proved that Canadian fresh bait is
absolutely essential to profitable prose
cution OF the Bank fisheries by our New
England feet. The experience of this
season would seem to show that salt CLANS
are an unsatisfactory substitute,
but that does not exhaust the
resources OF our fishermen. The
champions of our fishing interests have
consistently maintained that the free en-
Joyment of commercial privileges in Cana
dian ports was not IA necessity to our
vessels. II Is Il mere convenience, that is
all. But In the second place they have
maintained, and do maintain, that these
rights belong to ia by virtue of the re-
ciprOcal commercial arrangements of 1890.
These rights are not, as has been said,
Of the very first Importance to our fisher
men, but they are ours, nevertheless, and
1t Is puerile to argue that they should be
surrendered at the command of Canada
because our fishermen can get along very
well without them. When Mr.. Bayard
contends that this treaty gives us all we
are entitled to, he simply eats his own
words. In his correspondence with Minis
ter West during the summer of 1856, when
the Canadian policy of ''harassing the
Yankees" was at its height, Mr.. Bayard
maintained precisely the same position in
regard to commercial rights which Sena
tors Frye and Edmunds aud the other de-
tenders of our fishermen hold today. This
Is circumstance which has not been for
gotten by the people, though the Jealous
Administration organs have found il con-
venient to ignore it.
The Providence journal. not content
with its iniudicious and decidedly dis
creditable exultation over the assumed
"absolute dependence" of our fishermen
on an unfriendly people for the means to
modus vivend as a highly desirable ar
rangcment. A good idea of the actual
workings Of this shrewd British device
which our Free Trade friends are so
anxious to have us adopt, is afforded in
the following dispatch from Halifax, I'M
der date Of Monday:
"A cable message from the United States
Consul at st. Johns, Newfoundland, Tonight
TO Consul General Phelan says the captain
and crew of the Boothbay schooner Ambrose
II. knight have been arrested there for sell
ing bait obtained from Newfoundland waters
70 French fishermen at st. Pierre. Consul
General Phclan thinks the Newfoundland
authorities have made grea: blunder The
captain and crew gave n bond, and they. to-
gether with the vessel. were released. so the
Consul understands"
That Is, II seems that when our fisher
men 70 to the trouble and expense of pur-
chasing license and then buy bait under
II, they do not really buy the bait outright,
but the Canadians reserve the privilege of
determining the precise use they shall
make Of II. st. Pierre Is French port,
and the impudent Blue Noses are no more
entitled to interfere between American
vessels and their customers there than
they are to step in between couple of
Boston or Providence merchants and die
tate what the one or the other shall buy
or cell.
The real fact Is that under the modus
vivendi, the Chamberlain treaty or any
similar arrangement the Canadians will
contrive some way to harass the Yankee
fishermen. They and the British Tories
are stolidly set now, as they were hun
dred years ago, on nothing less than the
complete Gripping of our deep sea fisher
les, which they envy as a profitable pur-
suit In times Of peace, and hate as a form
liable source of strength in time of war"
After this complete exposure of the |
course Of the Providence newspaper in |
relation to Cleveland and Bayard's fishery
arrangement, it is to be hoped that no Re
publican newspaper will make the mistake
Of referring to that journal as a Repubh-
can sheet. In point of fact, it is one of |
the most unfair defenders of Cleveland
ism.
&c. Flood, the San Francisco million
aire, may safely be said to have the most
dazzling country place In America. The
estate Is At Menlo Park, Call, and covers
1000 acres and IA under tho ,ccs..n,