The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-25
MIR. BAYARD,s SURRENDER.

Intelligent and Expert Comment Upon the
Fisheries Treaty-America Sold Out.
Washington Special
Senator Frye, Of Maine, who will lead the OPP
position to the fisheries treaty in the Senate, in
speaking of 1T, said: ut is an utter absurdity.
It is worthless. / do not believe any fisherman
in America would give the enap of his finger for
it No one can tell from the first eight sections
relating to delimitation whether or not we sur
render the shores secured to us by the treaty of
1918 without carefully examining the map,
treaty in hand, as I shall do tomorrow. But,
taking them at their best. they have very little
value to us. The headlands theory is still
maintained wherever the entrance to bay is
only six miles wide, matter how much wider
the bay may be. But this is not the important
point in the treaty. Our fishermen care very
little about the inshore fisheries Now read
along through the treaty. Tho right to pass
through the gut of Canso is without any
treaty. 1t is an international highway. Then
we come to the seeming concessions Bear in
mind that we claim full commercial rights for our
fishing vessels IN Canadian ports under the leg
islative epactments of 1920 and 1850 Canada
contsnds that they are limited to the four priv
ileges enumerated in the treaty of 1918. Now
what do find? Canada grants cur fishermen
privileges that no barborous nation would deny
the right when in distress, mark you, driven
in by the hand of God, to procure such provi-
sions, repairs and men may be necessary for
the homeward voyage, and upon procuring . Ii
cense flor which no charge 10 made) to pur-
chase on the way home such things as a
trading vessel could bring. Observe, it
Is all intended and limited simply to en-
able our fishermen to get home, and none
of tho supplies which can be purchased are to be
used in fishing. Nothing is be procured
cept for q homeward trip. 1t is just the cour-
teSy Of humanity to those in distress and need.
Nothing more. No barbarous nation would de-
ny us such privileges They certainly ours
by the courtesy of nations pass over the Sec
ton providing for the courtesies in our ports to
Canadian fishing vessels. They have them now
rights we claim for our fishing vessels as we'll
Passing over the intermediate sections come
at last to something Observation-Disclosures grants
us rights to buy bait, ice, seines and other fish
ing supplies; to transship our fish in bond; to
ship crews, etc. These are moro less valu-
aole to u.s. They are the commercial rights We
claim They the commercial rights
the Canadians enjoy to-day in our ports They
buy their bait of us-do not have the CLAIMS at
all themseives-buy their ice and their seines.
and recruit their crews; the Canadian Pacific,
bonded by our Secretary of the Treasury
through the Pacific Steamship Company, takes
traffic away from our transcontinental railroads
every day But wait. The grant is upon con-
fish and fish oil, whale and SEAL free of duty.
Free fish has been their objective point from the
first. Here it il ~ the qud pro quo for the
rights claim. That nullifies the grant. We
will not pay such q consideration for it. Why,
when our committee made it's investigation last
year, there wasn't one of those fishermen who
appeared before us but said: The Canadians
have nothing to give us that is worth free fish,
The fishermen simply. will not have it."