The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-02-18
THE NEcoTiAToRs' EFFORT.
Attempts of the British Side To Sc
cure Reciprocity in Trade.
Rights Not in Dispute Reported to
have been Traded Away.
What Congressman DingIey and SEN
ator Frye Say About the Treaty.

fisheries treaty still remains in tine
possession of the President His failure
TO send it to the Senate yesterday is ex-
plained ON the ground that he desires to ac-
company it with message, practically plea
In its behalf.
Governor Dingley speaking Of the treaty
Yesterday said: 81 cannot for moment i'm
agin g that the treaty as published coming
through Mr.. Tupper has been agreed to by
the American commissioners. If such a
thing is possible it is certain that it will
never 90 step further. The idea of giving
a tonnage tax as a return for o privilege Of
touching and trading, which the Canadians
owe us now, would be absurd As for say
ing that this tonnage tax Is to be given up
when we put fish on the free list that caps
the climax. cannot credit any such state-
ment Such treaty would be worse fail
ure than q convention. Talk about its being
a victory for American fishermen, it would
be yielding further than we have ever done
before"
Senator Frye had heard almost nothing
about the details of the treaty, but thought
that if the only surrender BY the United
States was the right to fish inshore in parts
where we now enjoy that privilege under
the treaty, it would not be very Objectionable.
1t is reported by those most interested In
the fisheries that the treaty is not as advan-
tageous as supporters of the administration
claim. Here is one point of disadvantage to
the United States. AS treaty is compro-
mise, it was, of course, necessary for the
United States to give up something. By the
convention of 1918 Americans are allowed to
fish within three miles of the shore on the
south coast of Newfoundland from Cape Ray
to the Rameau Islands; on the western and
northern coasts from Cape Ray to the Qulr-
pom Islands; on the southern shore OF the
Magdalene Islands and on the coasts, bays,
harbors and creeks from Mount Jolly to the
Southern coast of Labrador, to and through
the Strait of Belle Isle and thence north
ward indefinitely along the coast. By the
new treaty it is understood the United States
gives up these rights. This surrender Is
made with the idea that the privileges given
up are of no value to American fishermen,
and that they will not, therefore, object to
being shut out from the shore at points
where they have heretofore had liberty to
fish, 1t remains to be seen, however, wheth-
er American fishermen will be content with
the surrender of rights which have never
been questioned by Canada or Great Britain
in order to secure rights which we claim TO
be ours by the plain terms OF the ex-
isting treaty. At best, this part of the agree
ment has very unpleasant, though exceed
ingly familiar, feature-that of the surrender
of rights that are not disputed IN order TO
secure recognition of those we believe our
selves entitled to without paying anything
for them. 1t is the old story over again.
The right to purchase bait which has been
claimed by our fishermen is given up. The
Canadians insisted upon this, on the ground
that their fishermen, being required to pay a
duty of two cents pound on Canadian fish
landed in the United States, while American
fishermen are relieved from 1t. It is not fair
that special facilities shall be afforded to the
latter to enable them to take fish at less ex-
pense than otherwise. This is clean sur
render of right which the United States
government has always claimed for its citi-
zens, not only under the provisions of the
treaty of 1918, but in accordance with the
principles of international law. The rights
TO land and tranship fish, to have the COM
mercial privileges OF traders accorded
to fishermen, and to navigate the GulJ
of Canso, are understood to be agreed
to by the British and Canadians in
the treaty on condition that the Amerl-
cans shall submit to tonnage tax Ihese
are rights which the United States could not
whether the conditions Will be satisfactory
or not remains to be seen. The Americans
claimed for themselves and the Canadians
denied to them under the treaty OF 1878, first,
the right to fish in the coves or bays more
than six miles wide at their mouths; second,
to purchase bait and other supplies In Cana
dian ports; third, to land in Canadian ports
and tranship fish; fourth, to enter Canadian
bays and harbors for the purpose OF prepar-
ing to fish and of cleaning and packing fish;
fiffb the RIGHT n the anInVmaDf of CONNER
cial privileges accorded traders and sixth,
the right to navigate the Gulf of Canso.
The British and Canadian Commissioners
were willing to recede from their interpreta-
tion of the treaty on all of these points pro-
vided the Americans would agree to recipro-
cate free trade in fish, salt, coal, lumber, and
other articles, and finally insisted only upon
free fish, offering in exchange therefor not
only to recognize the rights claimed by the
Americans as enumerated above, but in ad-
dition to open the inshore fisheries where
they were definitely closed to our people by
the provisions of the treaty, free tlsh being
the ultimatum of the British and
Canadians. When it became apparent
whose mem bers had been selected with a
view to a favorable report on this question,
could not put it into their bill without plac-
ing in jeopardy their whole. scheme OF
revenue reduction, the commission despair
ed of reaching any agreement and was on
the point of breaking up, but Mr.. Chamber
lain as well as Secretary Bayard had the
strongest personal as well as political rea-
sons for desiring that the commission should
accomplish something. 1t would be much
better for either of them to sign treaty
that was likely to fail to be ratihed than by
adjourning without an agreement of any
kind confess to the world their utter inabili-
ty to solve what seemed to most people a
simple problem. The treaty accedes to. the
American view upon five of the six points
oh mn fA6 an a N n
the United States one of the rights hereto
fore claimed, and surrenders other rights
that have never been called into question,
and which have been enjoyed by the Ameri-
cans ever since 1888, but which are now said
people. 1t is said that Sir Charles Tupper
signed the treaty under protest, and that the
delay on Thursday was caused by the time