Morning journal and courier., 1888-09-13
MESSAGE TO CONGRESS.

The discussion came to a close and Mr. Georges amendment was ordered to be printed.
 MESSAGE TO CONGRESS.
 The President to-day sent to the Senate response to the resolution introduced by Sem ator Hoar, calling on the President for copies of all communications that have been ad-
 dressed by his direction to the government of Great Britain demonstrating against dis crimination against American vessels passing through Canadian canals and American yes.
 sells engaged in the fisheries. With respect
 to the inquiry, so far as it relates to the ca-
 nals, the President transmits copies of cor.
 respondence between the Department of
 State and the United States Consul at Ottawa,
 between the Department of State and the
 British Minister, copies of the orders of the
 Canadian officials in regard to this subject
 and the answer of the acting Secretary of the
 Treasury to the Dfngley resolution laid be-
 fore the House on July 23.
 On the subject of correspondence which American fishermen of the right of transport tation of fish or other eargoes in bond, the President says: It will be remembered that though the fishing articles of the treaty of 1871 expired on the 1st of July, 1885, tenn porary arrangement was made whereby the privileges accorded to our fishermen under said articles were continued during the re-
 
 instance of refusal by the Canadian authori- ties since July 1886, up to the present time to allow the entry at Dominion sesports of American cargoes other than fish for trans- portation in bond across the territory of Can ada to the United States has been made known to the Department of State.
 REGENT DETERMINATIONS.
 The President says that the Senate com- mittee on foreign relations has already been supplied with list of cases of alleged ill., treatment of our fishing vessels in Canadian waters and as relating to the subject of the
 resolution he quotes the 'spoint in passage" from MT. Edmunds' report in which it is
 stated that nothing in the treaty of 1S18 ex- cludes an American fishing vessel from ship ping cargo by rail from some Canadian port into the United States, but the Domin- ions laws may make such distinction and it is understood that in fact the privilege of so shipping fish from American vessels has been refused during the last year.
 In answer to the concluding inquiry as to what instances have occurred since March 3, 1887, of wrongs to American vessels in the ports of British North Amer
 ica and what steps have been taken in that respect the President says: No case has been reported to the department of State wherein complaint was made of un- friendly or unlawful treatment of American fishing vessels on the part of the Canadian authorities in which reparation was not promptly and satisfactorily obtained by the United States consul general al Halifax THE BRIDGEwATER CASE.
 In conclusion the President explains the most recent case, that of the ship Bridgewa- ter, which was made the subject of com munication to the British government June 22, 1888, and to which no further reply has been received. The case of the Bridgewater, to which the President refers as the subject of a communication June 25, 1888, from Sec retary Bayard to MT. Edwards of the British legation, was disabled by storm and on April 5, 1887, put into Shelburne, N. S., for repairs, was condemned and her cargo dis charged. While repairs were progressing ! the vessel was seized for non-payment of duties, but was subsequently, internationally released. The secretary says: A claim for $20, 900 damages has been presented to the government at Ottawa, but the claimant I has failed to secure it's recognition and has been informed that he has no redress in the courts again the officers of the crown. Should the facts be found as stated, it is hoped the justice of the claim will be recog- nized and proper compensation awarded. The communications with respect to the Welland canal comprise reports from Com- mercial Agent Hotchkiss at Ottawa, who for wards orders in council governing the rates of 1 charges through the canals, letter from the secretary of the treasury to the secretary of state dated July 10, 1888, in which he calls at. | tention to "that part of the report of the commissioner of navigation relating to an al- | leged discrimination by the Canadian govern ! ment in the matter of the navigation of the WelIand canal and says it is understood the \ discrimination still exists; letter from Sec ! retary Bayard to Minister Weat dated July | 21 last complaining of an infringement of ! Art 27 of the treaty of Washington. The | last document was letter from MT. West under date of August 13 last explaining that | charges on all American and Canadian vessels ! passing through the St. Lawrence canal are I the same.
 MIR. sPooNKR's CHARGES.
 MT. Spoonsr offered 6 resolution reciting \ the fact that Joseph Hoffman of Brenham, Washington county, Texas, a prominent Re | committee on privileges and elections, had been shot down in cold blood in that city :; | that his assassination was believed to be dis | rectly attributable to hts political views and | activity and to the fact that he had given | strong testimony before the committee in in-
 vestigating alleged election outrages; and | that it is ofssthe utmost importance that wit nesses before congressional investigating com- mittees may, without danger to their lives, | freely and fully testify; and instructing the committee on privileges and elections to in- I vestigats the circumstances of the killing of Hoffman with special reference to ascertain I ing whether 1t was due in any sense to his l testifying before the committee.
 l The resolution gave rise to an extended and | heated political discussion, the speakers be- | ing Senators Spooner, Pugh, Coke, Teller, Evarts and Reagan. The discussion turned | largely on the question of whether the killing f of Hoffman was political crime, the Repub- liean senatorssarguing that it was and the Democratic senators taking the contrary posi- tion and pressing the fact that a prominent Democrat, MT. Holt, was killed by the same discharge as shat by which Hoffman was shot down.
 The discussion was interrupted to permit the Preaident's message, printed elsewhere
 in reply to & resolution calling for copies oi the correspondence with the British govern, ment in reference to the fisheries and dis crimination of tolls on the Cannadian cauals
 to be presented. It was read in full and re. ferred to the committee on foreign relations DEBATE ON MIR sPooNER's RESOLUTION.
 The discussion as to the Texas matters hay
 ing been resumed Mir. Blair declared that fol
 the existing condition of things in that State
 education was the only remedy. He there
 fore asked in regard to such investigations
 I of what use were they?
 Mir. Salisbury suggested that the question
 l was not what good such investigations die
 but what harm they did. He regarded 1t a
 l a disgrace to be constituting the Senate. | Mir. Hoar treated the remarks of Mr. Ssuls
 bury as an unconscious admission that tn , putting a stop to political murders at tn South and the establishing of g free ba1lo and fair count there was to the advantag , of the Republican party. The Senator iron , Delaware was quite right in that. He denie' that the outrages in Texas, Mississippi an,
 Il other states were the result of a race eontro
 versy; they were the results of Democrat efforts to maintain supremacy of that party , Mir. Coke said: We do not pretend to b , better people in Texas than elsewhere. W have got large amount of human nature il
 us. It was wrong that these negroes wer
 taken out of jail and hanged, but it was don . because they had assisted in the murder c
 young Bolton. There was nothing politics
 in it.
 At the close of Mir. Coke's speech the resc lution went over without action.