New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-24
A MO,SJROUS PROPOSITION

4 MOtSTROUS PROPOSI1ION
Senator Fryc's incisive structures upon the
Fisheries Treaty will have great weight with
his colleagues. lie is acknowledged to be
master Of the subject and TO be thoroughly
conversant with all the technical questions In
dispute between the two countries. When he
traverses the Presidents message and after
demonstrating that American fishermen have
not gained any substantial benefit from the
convention, anaigns the Administration for de-
libcrately sacrificing to Canada what belongs
TO the country by right and law, he virtually
decides the fate of the treaty. The Senate need
not waste time in discussing technicalItics over
which Secretary Bayard has been splitting hairs
with the Commissioners since November AL
the clauses relating to the thrcc-mile limit, the
hcadlands method Of measurement and the four
privileges Of the Treaty of 1878 may be put
aside as of secondary Importance. The core OF
the convention is Article XIV. This contains
a complete schedule of the demands of the
American fishermen. They want the CONNER
cial privileges which Canadian fishermen ENJOY
in American ports, namely: the right to buy
provisions. bait and supplies OF all kinds; TO
ship surplus cargocs under bond by rail and to
recruit their crews. These privileges are not
conceded but withheld. Furthermore, the
enjoyment of these commercial rights is made
contingent in future upon the remission Of
duties on fish amounting to nearly Sl,0OO'OOO
annually. This is a monstrous proposition
which the Senators should reject without I'M
necessary delay,
Under the Treaty of Washington the free
market for fish, with the award of the Halifax
arbitrators. was made the equivalent for the
unrestricted privilege of fishing anywhere on
the Dominion coast. The award Of $1,000, 900
for term Of years was justly considered en-
tortionate by Americans. Secretary Evats
in paving it had no difficulty in demonstrating
that the RENTED duties exceeded in amount
any rational estimate that could be formed of
the value of these fisheries to Americans. Lord
Salisbury in his correspondence with Secretary
Bayard a year ago offered to return TO tho
Treaty of Washington without a pecuniary
award Whereas under the Halifax decision the
Americans were forced to pay S5,5OG,00O for
the inshore fisheries after taking of the duties
on Canadian fish amounting to nearly 100000.
Lord Salisbury proposed that the free market
alone should be an offset TO the right to fish
anywhere in Canadian waters What does
Secretary Bayard now think Of the British
Foreign Offices proposition which he rejected
year ago?
II is simply amazing that the State Depart
ment should have been duped into signing
treaty with that XVIII Article it's central
feature The free market for Canadian fish is
thereby declared TO be an equivalent Tor the
boggarly privilege of buying bait and scines
and shipping surplus cargoes and seamen. Ii
Lord Salisbury could have had his way Amer
lean fishermen wOnld have had unrestricted
commercial and fishing rights in return for
the free market He sends Mr. Chamberlain
and Sir Charles Topper to Washington to drive
a much harder bargain. They have obtained
Secretary Bayard's signature to the monstrous
proposition that the free market for Canadian
fish is worth no more than the right to buy bait
and to ship fish under bond few hundred
miles. Do the Senators consider that good
business agreement? DO they regard Amer
lean rights as proper object Of barter for fish
ermen's bait?
What renders this proposition fairly gro
tesque is the contrast between the Administra-
tons spendthrift dealings with Canadian rail-
ways and the ngeardly treaty prohibition OF
the fshermens privilege of shipping fish under
bond to the home market. The Canadian
Pacific is allowed by Secretary Fairchild to
carry freight thousands of miles from San
Francisco to Portland, Boston and New-Yorll
without payment of duty. This is an enormous
privilege which promises to place that sub
sidizcd political enterprise on remunerative
basis When Canadian monopolists go to
Washington for favors they get anything they
want. When the fisherman asks for
his petty privilege of shipping few
hundred dollars worth of fish half days
journey across the border he meets with no
sympathy either at Ottawa or at Washington.
His commercial rights are not granted at sight.
Those rights are reserved by treaty as part of
the equivalent for opening American ports to
his rivals and driving him ont Of trade