Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-06-27

al LAY ~ I''biEC - - -fH&''
Against fhe l!n.a" tountFy than France
-"G., Figaro" untitc Situati"n-sn" News
Gathered from All ua~:rrs.
\ Bar st. George snedial says: / have
Just reached this ott-ot-waH place after a
Geo miie VOYAGE in .h@ steamer from st.
Johns, at the other end of the island OF
Newfoundland. This is a Guies little
fishing vii age. now koown all over the
world as the scene OF the recent troubles
between the French aud the resident fish
ermen. threatening a wtr. Sllshter causes
have led Great Britain into Wal before this,
aud ii she is SLOW to resent injuries TO the
property of her subjects now,l 1t is probably
because she must see what a gigantic
bland. + the treaty of Utrecht was. giving
as it did France control of the fishing
along 500 miles of the Newfoundland coast
ana taking away the livelihood OF many
British subjects.
/ find tue feeling here much stronger
against the home country than against
France. This is because of the apathy in
not trying to modify the fisheries treaty or
at least to compel France to adhere strictly
to it. All is quiet here now and for the
present season, SO far as st. George is
concerned. the crisis is over. The French
tishirg vessels have all gone and the ma
tives are left to fish in peace. There are no
French warships in the harbor; the Peli-
can. tie British warship, Capt. Riddle, is
the only one here
The threatened lobster war, which was
feared as the next trouble, will probably
not occur this season. Capt. Sir Baldwin
Walker, of the British war ship Emerald,
issued orders, dated May 10. at Halifax,
that al lobster factories opened since July
last must cease work according to the
terms of the modus yivendi. The Pelican
arrived here May Is and served notices to
shut up the factories. There are twenty
six along the bay at st. George, all of
which are owned by British subjects. All
but one or two obeyed the order, but have
gradually reopened, ONE after a day or
two and some after a fortnight. Now
nearly all are i'll operation in defiance OF
orders.
There is much indignation here over the
modus viyendi, and ominous troubles are
reported. News has just reached here Of
an outbreak at Lascie, a small fishing viii
lage on the northeast coast, within the
French treaty limits. The inhabitants
attacked a French fishing establishment
consisting of bateau or fishing boats, net
sheds, drying flakes and other property
left at a place by French fishermen since
last year. They set fire to the place and
destroyed all the property. Local magis-
trates were powerless to interfere.
The people are not violent, but are de-
termined in their opposition to French in
reference with the fishing, which is the
peoples only livelihood. The French
fishing vessels had not yet arrived at
Lascie for the seasons work, and the
property destroyed was not valuable, but
the occurrence is significant as showingth the
intense feeling of the natives against the
French.
The Newfoundland fishermen are re-
markably law-abiding and orderly, and it
is only under great stress that they COM
NIT overt acts.
Lascie is several hundred miles from
here, beyond the telegraph. The outbreak
occurred May Is, and the news has just
been brought in by a fishing boat. Quite
likely similar affairs have occurred around
the north and east coast and the northern
half of the west coast, where there is no
telegraph, but it may be weeks before a
chance fishing boat brings the news.
1t is not likely that France will make
any claim for damages. If she does they
cannot be maintained, as under the treaty
of Utrecht French fisherman are not per-
mitted to have permanent structures on
the strand, and must take away their
boats, ETC., when they go at the end of the
season, but for years they have been in
the habit of leaving boats, etc., in the care
of the Newfoundlanders during the winter.
The French Feeling.
La Figaro, in an article on the New
Foundland fisheries dispute, declares that
Salisbury, the British prime minister, will
not accept arbitration, and that France re-
fuses to accept pecuniary compensation for
the treaty of Utrecb, and will open negotia-
tons for a new treaty, giving the French
to a reasonable extent cod and lobster
fishing grounds, aud to colonists exclusive
rights on the coast and banks.