Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-02-27

nsnin2 whatever IN mat bay. ExpeTIerCeG
navi gators say that during the pas. twenty
| one years no fishing vessel has been in that
bay except in transit for some place else.
'Of all the bavs and creeks thus conceded
to Canada, the only one which contains any
| ,>ait or fishing is ChaieUr Bay. Americans
do not want it, and could never use it for
fishing purposes, and under the treaty it
will be at their disposal for all the use they
| will want to make of it They can enter
1t at any time as they can enter all other
Canadian ports and bays for water, GOOd,
shelter, or repairs. Chaeur Bay is possibly
, about twelve miles wide at the entrance,
50 that We give them concession over and
above the ten mile rule established for
other bays"
The correspondent called the Secretary's
attention to Article 5 of the treaty, which
says: The three marine miles shall be
measured from low water mark, but at
every bay, creek or harbOr not otherwise
specially provided for i'll this treaty, such
three marine miles shall be measured sea-
ward from = straight line drawn across tbs
bay, creek or harbor, in the part nearest
the entrance at the first point whern the
width does not exceed ten marine miles,
and inquired if the drawing OF the stra ght
line at the ten mile width was not a reten-
ton of the hcadiand theory of the Cana
dians. The Secretary said it was not The
headland theory Of the Canadians, for in
stance, would draw q straight line from one
end of Prince Edward Island to the other,
enclosing semi-circle piece OF water forty
Or fifty niles in width and many hundred
square mi - in extent or from one fork Of
Cape Briton TO the other, which would have
q similar effect
The ten mile width was simply conve-
nient extension OF the six mile width, for.
r,,a ttrft, fr,rr mol
shore no United States vessel could enter
bay six miles wide at the entrance. One
Of the reasons for drawing the line at ten
miles is that the American fishermen lose
nothing thereby while the terms of the
treaty are reciprocal: the Canadians are to
have the same privileges iii our bays that
We have in theirs, and as We have perhaps
ffty large bays for their one, the ten mile
width suits us better.
As 10 article Is of the treaty, which stipu-
lates for larger privileges in Canadian
waters on condition that the United States
remove the duty from Canadian fish and
fish oils, Secretary Bayard says the treaty is
complete without it The British and
Canadian plenipotentiaries were eager 10
have the duty removed and To give quId
pro quo. But the American negntiatorS
firmly declined all along to stipuiate for
any change in the tariff, or even for any
recommendation to Congress to make any
change in the tariff. And while this hypo-
thetical provision is inserted III the treaty
where it can do no harm, but where it in
,ures a quid pro quo should Congress make
the change referred to, no communication,
no recommendation will be made 10 Con-
yress on the subject.
Ii is for Congress to do lust what it pleaSes
,bout the matter without any suggestion
from the executive, for the MOdus NivPndi
which is To endure for two years. Secretary
Bayard takes no responsibility. 1t was
freely given by the other side and nothing
IS asked in return. II calls for no legisa-
ton or our part II is entirely for the bene-
lit of our people and 10 be executed entire
!y by the other side.
The Secretary, however. believes that
many of the United States fishermen might
find it very profitable to pay $40 per ton
for the advantages offered them. The privi-
leges of trans-shipment, he thinks, might
be very valuable, and the average tonnage
OF the vessels, he SAYS is not over seventy
tons.
All the waters secured exclusively TO
Canada by the treaty, the Secretary says
do not contain as much a. one per cent. of
the fishing open to the United States fisher
men, and he refers to the testimony of the
late Professor Spencer F. Baird, that these
same exclusive waters of Canada have no
value whatever for the fishermen of the
United States For fishermen with the
purse seins used by the United States fisher
men, it would be protitleSs and positively
dangerous TO fish in the shallow waters and
among the rocks of the Canadian Earbors.
Secretary Bayard will transmit 10 Con-
gress in a few days some additional cores
pondence which will shed more light upon
the diplomacy on the whole affair. In the
meantime the Secretary is very well satis-
ned with the treaty.