Morning journal and courier., 1888-08-03
Fiftieth Congress--First Session.
WASHINGTON, Aug.

SENATE.-After the transaction ot some unimportant measures MT. Sherman moved to proceed to the consideration of the fisher ies treaty in open executive session. The motion was agreed to-yeas 24, nays g (a strict party vote)-and the fisheries treaty WAS taken up, the question being on Mir. Morgan's Oem. Ala.) motion to postpone its further consideration till December next.
 MT. Riddleberger (Ind. Va.) opened the de- bate and in the course of his remarks said that the fisheries treaty was intended to lead us to free trade. He arraigned the admins tration and the Democratic party which backed it as pro-English organiz ation, and he proceeded to read extracts from English periodicals to prove thatthe Mills bill and the Presidents tariff message were in the di rection of free trade; and that the Presiden- tial electoral contest was conflict between free trade and protection-and nothing else.
 MT. Morgan proceeded to address the Sen- ate in reference to the phase of the case cov- cred by his resolution declaring that in the opinion of the Senate the treaty has been authenticated and is lawful and valid, and that the time has not passed for negotiation on the subject of the fisheries. He was asked by MT. Hoar: Do you think that the treaty of 1918 would have been improved if it had contained provision that the trial of our fishermen, while exercising their own rights, should be before Canadian tribunals, with the burden of proof on our fishermen?
 MT. Morgan-I think that the treaty of 1918 is greatly improved by the present ne- gotiations.
 Mir. Hoar-That is not an answer to my question.
 Mr. Morgan-Perhsps not. do not pro- pose to answer auy irrelevant question.
 MT. Evorts-Suppose the treaty of 1918 were abrogated by the United States or by Great Britain what would be the subsisting arrangement between the two countries re- specting the 6sheriesi
 MT. Morgan-Inasmuch as ours was pet- ual renunciation of fishery rights, except as to certain area, judge that we should have no rights in respect to the fisheries, and that was the misfortune with the tresty8of 1918. I will vote for its abrogstion after denounc- ing it as being violated by Great Britain, as it has been. We have opened negotia- tions and the President has submitted the re- does not accept our amendments, that ends the matter. If she does accept them, then we have treaty which will be satisfactory to two-thirds of the senate" Commenting upon the statement in the majority report that the time for negotiations terized it as a piece of "outrsgeous presumption" and said that the committee on foreign relations had no more right to instruct the President to cease negotiations than it had to require him to resign his office. He paraphrased the closing para graph in the report in this manner: "We beg your majesty that you will not take this abortion which the President of the United States has negotiated with your commissioners and its rejection being evidence of hostile purpose on the part of the United States, but that you will pros ceed in such way as that our fishermen shall have full commercial privileges and enjoy the same rights and advantages on your Canadian ports that your fishermen enjoy in ours."
 Referring to the Senate committee report on the treaty MT. Morgan said: What right had five senators representing the whole peo- pie in the matter of diplomacys The consti- tuition gives no such rights. It is an arro- gant act of presumptuous importance. That is all.
 MT. Evarts-I only object to your reading the text and calling it a petition.
 MT. Morgan-What else is iti will read it again. "The committee cannot but hope" it might just as well have said "praY;" that is what it means. denounce it as an military affairs, or the postofice committee, had just the same right to make that argu- ment to Great Britain as the committee on foreign affairs had. The constitution of the United States fixes our functions here; and, so far as we are concerned with this treaty, we have nothing to do with it except to rat ify it, amend it or reject it.
 Mir. Teller obtained the floor and the Sem ate resumed legislative business. The cre- dentials of Senator Chace, of Rhode Island, were presented and placed on file. The Sen. ate after a brief executive session adjourned until tomorrow.
 HoUsE.-The deficiency appropriation bill inspired very animated debate on several topics to-day in the House. Messrs. .Hovey and Holman discussed a bit of pension history and the records of the two parties on this ques- ton.
 MT. Mckinney then declared that no rebel flag should have been returned except by Re publicans, and referred in that connection to Adjutant General Drum, whose letter to the President on the subject he proposed to have printed in the Record.
 Mr. Boutelle inquired if the gentleman was as sure of the fact as he was of General Drums republicanism.
 MT. Mckinney insisted upon the accuracy of his statement.
 Mir. Boutelle undertook to say that no flag was ever returned by any Republican official to any person connected with the late Con feraey and invited the gentleman to elabo- rate the point. MT. Mckinney declined to be interrupted. and repeated his assertion that not a single rebel flag had been given mp by this administration except to the loyal or- ganizations from whom they were taken. He then proceeded to contrast the course pur- sued by President Grant with that of Presi- dent Cleveland in the matter of pension leg islation, instancing vetoes by the former which were, he maintained, precedents for those written by President Cleveland. MT. Cutcheon, replying 10 Mir. Nc Kinney, said that the gentleman had con tended that the Democratic administration had been g better friend of the soldier than had the preceding administration. He de- clared thst every man, woman and child whose names were on the pension rolls owed their position to the Republican party and not name had been added by the Democra- | tic except of those persons whose names had been restored to the rolls after participating | in rebellion against the government. All pension legislation with that single exception I was of Republican origin.
 Tbe consideration of the bill was then rs.