Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-06-19
The Fisheries 6ummorsault.
Lewiston journal.

Lewiston journal.
Nothing 80 surprising and humiliating
has ever been recorded In the history Of
party obsequiousness to the Presidential
sault which the Democratic party has
taken on the fishery question at the beck
Of President Cleveland. Only one year
ago the President, Secretary Bayard,
every Democratic member Of Congress,
every Democratic newspaper and every
Democrat occupied the same ground upon
this question IA that occupied by every
Republican, and every patriot in the land
The position. ~ voiced In 1886 and 1887
by Secretary Bayard in letters to the
British Minister, was this:
May 10. 1861 ask you to consider the
results Of excluding American vessels, duly
possessed of permits from their own Gov
eminent, to touch and trade at American
ports NJ well as to engage in deep sea fish
ing, from exercising freely the same custo-
mary and reasonable rights and privileges of
trade in the ports Of the British colonies as
are freely allowed to British vessels in all the
ports of the United States under the laws
and regulations TO which have adverted
Reciprocal arrangement of 1880
Among these customary rights and priv
ileges may be enumerated the purchase of
ship supplies of every nature, making re-
pairs. the shipment of crews in whole or
part, (trans-s shipment of catch of fish, and
the purchase of ice and bait for use in deep
sea fishing.
Concurrently, these usual rational and CON
venient privileges are freely extended to and
are fully enjoyed by the Canadian mer-
chant marine of all occupations including
fishermen, in the ports of the United States.
The question. therefore, arises whether
such construction is admissible as would
convert the treaty of 1918 from being an in
strumentality for the protection of the in
shore fisheries along the described parts of
the British American coast into II pretext or
means of obstructng the business of deep
sea fishing by citizens of the United States
and of interrupting and destroying the com
mercial intercourse that since the treaty
Of 1918, and in dependent of any treaty
whatever. has grown up and now exists under
the concurrent and friendly laws and mer-
camille regulations of the respective countries.
June I, lsS6.-I have made instant repre-
sentat,on, accompanied by earnest protest to
the British Minister of this unlawful with
holding Of commercial rights from the fish
ing schooner Alice NJ Jordan seized for
buying bait in Canadian port.
July TO- 1886 Against this treatment
seizure of fishing steamer Novelty for at
tempting to purchase coal and provisions and
to land catch of fish for trans shipment. I
make instant and formal protest as an I'M
warranted Interpretation and application of
the treaty by the officers of the Dominion of
Canada and the Province of Nova Scotia.
as an infraction of the laws of commercial
and maritime intercourse existing between
the two countries and as violation of
hospitality. and for any loss or injury result
ing there from the Government of Her
Britannia Majesty will be held liable.
October 26, 1856 Bayard's Letter to
President Steele of the American
Fishery Union,
As you are web aware, u construction has
been placed by the Dominion authorities up
on the language of the treaty of 1918 be-
tween the United States and Great Britain
under which they have assumed to exclude
American fishing vessels from entrance into
certain described territorial waters of Canada
for any other than the three objects in the
treaty mentioned--shelter, repairs. and to
obtain wood and water-and have insisted
that the words and for no other purpose
whatever" were to be rigidly enforced. &C
cording to the strict letter.
This position, need not say to YOU, is
not accepted by the United States, but is re-
PEELED and denied, and this department is
now endeavoripg to secure such joint in,
terpretion - the treaty in question, con-
sidered in connection with the subse-
Quent legislation by Great Britain and the
United States creating commercial rights in
the citizens Of both countries, as will enable
our vessels, whether engaged in fishing or
not. to enter the established ports of entry of
British North America and purchase lawful
merchandise of any character in open market
T F, BAYARp.
July IL, 1856. Mr.. Bayards letter to
Minister Phelps.
The treaty Of isis related solely to fisher
les. Il was not a commercial convention, and
no commercial privileges were renowned BY
il. 1t contains no reference TO ports" of
which II is believed, the only ones then cx-
isting were Halifax, in Nova Scotia. and pos
sibly one or two more in the other provinces;
and these ports were not until long after
wards opened, by reciprocal commercial reg
ulations, to vessels of the United States en-
gagged in trading.
The purchase of bait and other supplies BY
the American fishermen in the established
ports of entry of Canada, as proposed in ar
ecle I, 10 not regarded as inconsistent with
amy of the provisions of the treaty of 1878.
Nov. IL, 1856. Mr.. Bayard to Minister
Phelps.
The present memorandum also contains
provisions for the usual commercial facilities
allowed elsewhere for the promotion of legit
mate trade, and nowhere more fully than in
British ports and under the commercial policy
Of that nation. Such facilities cannot with
any show Of reason. be denied to American
fishing vessels when plying their vocation in
deep-sea fishing grounds in the localities open
70 them equally with other nationalties. 4"
No construction of the convention of 1878
that strikes at or inpedes the open-sea fish
ing BY citizens of the United States can be
accepted, nor should treaty of friendship
be tortured into means of such offense, nsr
should such an end be accomplished by in.
discretion.
Mr.. Belmont, Chairman Of the Foreign
Affairs Committee of the House, in re-
port agreed to by every Democratic men,
Der Of that Committee and presented Feb
ruary, 1887, said:
The treaty Of 1918 furnishes no more ex-
cuse for the exclusion Of deep-sea fisher
uaa from the port Of Halifax or any other