The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-05-30
SENATOR FRYE ON THE TREATY.
An Exhaustive Review Of the LegisIa-
tlon on the Fisheries,
And Eneland's Struggle to Secure
Free American Markets.
He Declares the Negotiators' Work a
HumiIIating surrender.

He Declares the Negotiators' Work a
Humiilating Surrender.
WASHINGTON, May 29.-At LAS, the Sem
ate went into executive session with open
doors, and proceeded with the consideration
oil the fisheries treaty. Senator Morgan
asked leave to make motion, but Senator
Frye who had the floor, declined to give
way.
Thereupon NJ. Morgan gave notice that
upon the conclusion OF Mr.. Frye's remarks
he would move the postponement of the trea-
ty till December.
Senator Frye proceeded to address the
Senate and spoke of the change from closed
TO open doors as an evolution from darkness
to light, being somewhat disturbing to him
as he lad equipped himself for discussion
within closed doors with Senators familiar
with the subject, whereas. now, he suddenly
found himself compelled to invite into his
confidence sixty millions OF Abraham Lin
coins plain people OF the Republic. He was
aware he b ID made no adequate preparation
for the 0cci lion and nothing was left TO do
but to throw himself on the indulgence OF
the Senate and people. so as to blunt the
shafp edge OF criticism. The question be-
fore the Senate was no trifling one. 1t in
volved the dignity and honor Of great Re-
public and the rights Of its citizens. It could
not be belittled by talk of localzation or by
charging that II concerned only New Eng
land industry of but little account; that
Yankee fishermen alone were interested, and
that the wrongs to be righted were only up
on the Northeast. 1t could not be obscured
by the Presidents intimation that, in the
event OF the failure of the treaty, he would
resort to the law Congress had passed, so
as TO put In jeopardy and perhaps
DESTROY ALL THE BUSINESS INTERESTS
of the great North 1t could not be belit-
tied by interviews furnished the Boston
Herald, nor letters written to a banquetting
party in New York. in which it was declared
that every man who opposed the ratification
of the treaty was either controlled by per
sonal prejudice, partisanship or profound
ignorance. Nor could it be belitted by adj
ministration papers flippantly and jeeringly
suggesting that it would be better to buy up
the Yankee fishermen and their fleet. The
question before the Senate was: Should the
citizens Of the United States, fishermen put
still citizens, be protected against the injus-
tice, wrong and outrage inflicted by neigh
boring nation emboldened only because 1t
rested lunder the aegis Of a mighty power
beyond the seas?
Senator Frye proceeded to pay glowing
tribute to the valor and patriotic services Of
the Yankee fishermen" in the wars Of the
revolution, OF 1872 and of the Rebellion. and
asked whether such men were entitled to be
treated with contempt. He recalled the
British campaign against Abyssinia for the
rescue oI one English subject and said his
admiration OF such an incident almost tempt
ed him to forget the injustice and wrong
that that great country inflicted day by day
on its own subjects. He declared that this
powerful Republic utterly neglected the
rights OF the fishermen and then detailed
the history OF fishery legislation, saying that
Great Britain had accorded us the right Of
fishing on the Grand Banks and other banks
over which she had no more control than
over the mid ocean. She never surrendered
anything that was her own.
SHE HAD WANTED AMERICAN MARKETS
since 1912, so that Canadian fishermen might
be quadrupled, and SO, when she needed sail
ors she would know where to go to find the
brayest and best in the world. Therefore,
Canada commenced, by every conceivable
outrage, wrong and injustice, to drive our
vessels away. Senator Frye detailed these
long continued 0utrages at length, and said
that under the treaty of 1854, we were per-
mitted to fish within their waters and they
within our waters, and they were permitted
free entry to our markets, and thus got all
crease In the Canadian fishing feet and the
gradual decrease of our fishing trade down
to nothing, as the result of the right of the
entry Of Canadian fish free, and alluded to.
the successive doubling OF the license tax
upon American vessels as further means Of
crippling our commerce.
He declared that the m0dus riuendi only
secured to us, upon the payment of dollar
and half per ton, commercial privileges
which we were already fully entitled to-
(,OnDrQCo m hQ nf nf na Ii nj
retaliatory law in response to a petition from
the fishermen of New England. when diplo-
macy was again resorted to, resulting In the
treaty of 1871. England wanted southern
market, and SO favored the South and joined
France in the attempt to build up mon
archy in Mexico. She sent troops to Canada,
built vessels and armed and equipped them,
and sent them out upon the ocean
TO DESTROY OUR COMMERCE
and then refused to pay damages until she
secured another treaty which stipulated that
If there was any balance due Canada for the
privilege she had given us of the right to fish
we should pay it, and that commissioners
should be appointed to see If anything was
due. We also give them free market for
fish. Our commissioner was weak old man
unfit TO cope with Sir John Mcdonald and
Sir Charles Upper. The umpire was Del
fosse, OF Belgium, man owned by Great
Britain. Through the commission we paid
Canada five and half millions Great Brit
ain had so good a bargain that she refused to
allow us to abrogate the treaty. In twelve
years, we remitted over six millions of Cana
dian duties, making eleven and half mill
lions the cost of the treaty. During the
whole time we caught about seventy thous-
and dollars worth OF fish and the capture
cost us million and two hundred thousand
dollars. During the last three years of the
treaty there were not a dozen American fish
ing vessels in British waters and when the
day came when notice could be given
TO terminate this lnlquitons treaty, it passed
the Senate unanimously. The President gave
the notice in 1885, and then we had no treaty
except the treaty of 1850. IL we had taken
the manly course, this thing would have end
ed then. But Secretary Bayard had an
itching palm for diplomacy. He was pro-
foundly ignorant of the fishery matter. But
sir Lionel West was not. He persuaded Mr..
Bayard that the conflicts between fishermen
might lead to
WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN
and Bayard said: what can do? l will
do anything you say" and he granted a
modus rirendi clearly without any consttu-
tional right. The nub of the treaty was
this: THAT the President recommend to
Congress the appointment of commission
TO settle fishery rights" The President sent
q resolution declaring 1t the sense OF the
Senate that the United States wanted no
fishery commission. The resolution was
unanimously passed. Peace was once more
broken and in the next year and a
half, 20 American vessels were seized In
those waters under every conceivable pre-
tense Vessels were driven to sea in storms,
and refused hospitality. They were treated
so barbarously that Democratic Secretary
of the Treasury declared the treatment bru-
tai. Senator Frye cited number of illustra-
tions. Seyenty-ive years ago such treat
ment would have resulted in war. yet sixty
millions of people submitted to it at the
hands of five millions. The succor asked1by
these vessels would not have been refused by
the most barbarous island of the sea. The
schooner Molly Adams rescued seventeen
dying men and took them to q Canadian
port. but was refused the privilege Of buying
flour to feed the starving crew, and this 0c-
Cured in the 10Th century in a country called
civilized and christianized.
THIS TERRIBLE ACT OF INHUMANITY
was committed to get American markets.
Seventy-fye years ago Capt. Quigley, who
illegally seized the Marion Grimes, would
have been Immediately displaced by the gov
ernment or there would have been declara-
tion Of war,
Referring to retaliatory measures, Senator
Frye declared that all the Republican mem
bers meant by that was that the President