Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-08-17

that one opinion. | would take
the twelfth article and read IT, but
take it for granted that every
Senator here is acquainted with 1t.
1t is the shortest article, ] think,
in the whole treaty.
| recolect that since this matter
came before the Senate in open eX-
ecutive session the governor of
Florida has expressed an opinion
upon Il IN which he said that the
coast of that state would not be
safe from the ravishment of the
I Canadian fishermen. | know that
that has been the general opinion
expressed by prominent men along
| the Atlantic coast. know that
that is the opinion expressed by
prominent gentlemen and men who
have given thought and study to
this subject in regard to the Chesa-
peake and Delaware Bays-men
who have something else to do than
consider who may possibly be elect
ed the next President of the United
/ States, men who think as intelll-
gently as the Senator from Ala
bama Mr.. Morgan did year ago
before special messages were sent
in here, men who were studying
the rights and interests of their
peOple-have said that the twelfth
article of the treaty would give the
Canadian fishermen the very rights
which Judge Woodbury. says can
not be denied by judicial tribunal
under the treaty; and that, more
over, it annuls the power OF the
States under their constitutions
and laws to prohibit any interier,
ence with their rights in these bays
and these rivers, and along their
coast and that the Democratic
party of the Senate proposes to
give away tho last vestige of right
that the States have to protect
their own interests against Great
Britain and against Canadian fish
ermen. | am not surprised at it,
Mr.. President.
AS | said in the outset, | do not
propose to discuss this question in
detail. That has been done by
Senators who understand it but |
propose to say something upon its
bearings upon other questions,
upon other matters, its political
effect, because the politics OF this
country is the essence of the liberty
of its citizens. / know that the
word "polltics" is sometimes used
as OpprObrium but the last anal
ysis of it is that it means the great
eat number as it is expressed.
| find that in reviewing these
papers, while we were shut up here
in executive session, deliberating
as to whether we should open these
doors, there went forth to the peO-
pie of Great Britain, on the other
side of the Atlantic, and | may
say, to its subjects on this side,
from the mouth of Sir Charles
Upper, a statement which has
never yet been denied, that
Secretary Bayard assured the conference
that if the fisheries irritation were allayed
there would be no obstacles to arranging
for free interchange Of natural products
in accordance with the policy of the Demo
cratic party.
That IS in quotations.
What has happened
This is a contin uance Of the
quotation:
Already we haye the American chairman
Of Ways and Means Introducing a bill to
make free number of articles that we
send to the United States, and on which
we paid last year duties amounting to
81 100000.
Is any Senator prepared to deny
that Mr.. Bayard, the Secretary Of
State, made a private contract out
side of that which was submitted
to the Senate, as Secretary Of
State, carrying with him all of that
authority which seems to belong to
that high Office | ask, has any
Senator denied that statement! ! If
not, then it means that the fisher
les treaty intended to lead up to
free trade, and that being the case
we have right to consider the en-
tire free trade question in consider
ing it.
But while | am on the matter of
the conversations and correspond
ence of the Secretary of State, |
have in my possession copies of
two letters for which think
| can vOuch. One is dated GlOu-
cester, Mass, April 2S, 1885, and
it is as follows:
GLOUCESTER, Mass, April y, 1886.
SIR The officers of the Fishery Union
desire 10 present the interests of their
pursuits in tins emergency to the atten-
tion of yourself personally or to the
President. GEO. STEELE,
President Fishery Union.
The reply OF the State Depart
ment Is as follows:
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
Washington, ID. c., May lsSj.
SIR The interests which your assOci-
alton represents have already received
and shall continue to receive the most
earnest and abundant consideration on
the part of this Department; and know
ing this you will probably see little need
for incurring the Inconvenience of send
ing lust now a personal delegation to
Washington to present your views.
y. L. BAYARD.
GEORGE STEELE.
There are two other letters which
! [ have read In manuscript, but
which do not appear in the message
and documents, one addressed to
gentleman in Canada and one ad-
dressed in turn from that gentle
man to Mr.. Rayard. Those letters
do not appear here. ! haVe read
them, and, as | was led to believe,
in their original manuscript. / tele-
graphed for them yesterday, but !
have failed to get them up to this
time. repeat | have read them,
and il they are not genuine letters
thsn ] was misled. | am told that
this book, "Eyeeutive Document
No. 49," has been revised. | am
not prepared TO say that that IS
true, and that Of all the documents
which we're in the original those
Two letters are the only ones that