The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-08-25
The Fisheries Message.


The Presidents message on the rejection
!, of the fisheries treaty was surprise to the
republican senator's They are not now so
/ sure that they did very shrewd piece Of
/ political work III rejecting the treaty. They
supposed that they had effectually taken
the fisheries question out of the campaign,
except in SO far as they might claim for
their party credit for having refused to
accede TO a treaty WHICH, as they alleged,
was wholly in favor of Canada. They
aimed TO deprive the administration of tde
credit of settling very troublesome CUES
ton, and at the same time to create the i'm
preston among the Irish voters that their
party would rather engage in a war with
England than to make any concessions to
her.
As everybody knows who has studied the
matter, the treaty was as fair to this cOun-
try as to England. If it granted some of
the things claimed by England it conferred
compensating benefits upon this country.
The commissioners on the part OF this coun-
try, who were concerned in negotiating it,
were able and pure men. They knew the
rights of American fishermen, and they
succeeded in getting about all of them
granted.
The republican senators did not want the
administration to succeed in settling the
fisheries question; and they refused to ratify
the treaty for that reason more than for
any other If they had been willing for
the administration to settle the question,
aud get the credit for doing 80 they
would have suggested amendments to the
treaty, and would have delayed action upon
it until it could be seen whether England
would assent to them. They did nothing of
that kind, however. They believed that
the President would not dare to resort to
retaliation, as he is authorized to do by act
of March 8, 1887, because he would do the
people of this country more harm than the
people of Canada, and would, therefore,
make his administration unpopular.
The President knows something about
the relations between this country and
Canada. In fact he shows in his message
that he knows more about them than some
Of the most aatute republican senator's. He
points out how this country can retaliate if
American fishermen are not accorded the
ilShOo W "ulSi Ihoy are uIlIeT Jil6
treaty of 1918. Instead of prohibiting trade
between this country and Canada he sug-
gests that congress shall authorize
him to prevent the Canadians from
exporting or importing goods through this
country in bond, and also TO impose tonnage
duties on Canadian vessels passing through
the Sault Salnte Marie canal or the Saint
Clair flats canal. 1t seems that the Cana
dians discriminate against American YES
sells passing through the Welland canal, st.
Lawrence river canals and the Chambly
canal by collecting toll from them, and
there is no reason why Canadian vessels
passing through American canals should
not be taxed
The plan suggested by the President is
much more simple than that authorized by
congress in its resolution of March 3, 1887,
and in every respect better for this country.
1t strikes at very large Canadian interests
without damaging any interests of the peo-
pie of this country. VIII the republican
senators agree to authorize the President to
execute it in case of necessity If they do,
the purpose they had in view in refusing to
ratify the treaty will be defeated, and if
they do not, and the President acts under
authority of the March 8 resolution, the
country will hold the republican party re-
sponsibe for whatever trouble follows and
whatever damage Americaninterestss suffer.