New-York tribune., 1890-06-27
IT IS FIGHT OR STARVA
CRUEL SITUATION OF THE NEwFoUNDj
LAND COLONISTS.
RUINED BY THE FRENCH SYSTEM OF BOUNTIHsv
DEVELOPMENT OF TIRE ISLAND IMPoS.
SIBLE UNDER EXISTING CIR
CUNSTANCES.
FROM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE tribune.


St. Johns. Newfoundland, June l9.-When you
ask Newfoundlander who is not also politician
what he will do if the French refuse to agree to
vacate their shore, his answer almost invariably
is I'VE will make it hot for them He means
by this nothing more nor less than that he viii
fight, and don't doubt but he will. The Colonial
fishermen are q lot of big, strong, good-natured
fellows, Injured to every sort of prvatOn and hard
ship They are of two NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
from the West Country and Lishmen from the
South OF Ireland. The present generation OF them
is native-born. immigration ceased fifty years
ago The families of the greater part have been
in Newfoundland for more than century, and
have never moved from the granite cliff, or the
Sheltered cove, where their forefathers first made
a home. A Drawer people could not he found,
but their simplicity, their utter lack or ambition
and their long-continued wedlock with poverty
have taught them to suffer the extremes of misfor-
tune with patience. The evils Of which they COM
plain to-day have existed for fifty years, but 10
is only within the last six months that they hava
begun to use the language of menace. Now they
speak up frahSIy. They have gradually acquired
a knowledge of what the old treaties contain, how
they came to be made and what the interpretations
are which the contending politicians put upon
them, and they do not hesitate to say chat they
will endure them no longer One of the fisher
men. an intelligent old chap, with frame OF
iron and face as gentle that of the great black
dog which Law on the " flake" beside him, put the
case in this way:
1t we're all well enough, sir, in them days be-
cones before me an me fourteen chllder was
borned at all, fer Chin two ould kings TO patcR
up their quarres by slicn up Nuffunlon betwNu
'em. Ay. it were all right thin, dye see? Buu
now, me an me fourteen chider is here, an We
couldn't help bein' here, none of us, an bein'
here we've our livin' 10 mex, an we don't give
a dom about thin deadan' gone kings, nor what
they said"
This is the humor of the people, and now that
they have walked up, every day increases their
resolution They are neither able nor wiling
to count the cost of an outbreak. There ara
three classes in the population-the merchants
the planters and the fishermen. The merchants
are n small, compact and powerful body of men
in St Johns the rulers of Newfoundland. They
maintain great mercantile establishments, wherein
they sell everything. from a big banker that
is n schooner suitable for fishing on the Sreau
bank beyond the island-to yard of calico ana
a napcr of pins They are generally men OF
education and wealth. The planters are what
we in America would call brokers. They ara
n class OF nliddcmcn who deal between the mer.
chants and the fishermen. Fishing on scale
large enough to bc profitable is an expensive
business Ii requires considerable outfit. or
plant This is procured by the planter from
the merchant, and sold To the fisherman on credit
the settlement to he made from the proceeds OF
his voyage His catch is taken from him in
bnlx by the planters and disposed of to the mer-
chant, who finds a final market for it later.
Practically an these people are engaged in the
one business Newfoundland produces Goldfish, and
but little else There is a brewery in ST. JOmss
a tobacco factory. u rope factory and ore or two
other small establishments of the manufacturing
sort There is also the Labrador seal fishery.
which furnishes comparatively large and proht
able business in hides and OIL LITTLE and
very little. agriculture is carried on, but the
season is SO short that nothing but garden vege-
tables can be depended Oh to grow, unless IN
the interior and along the sheltered western
shore and the interior is an unexplored country
and the western coast is held by the French.
The cod-iishery supplies therefore, the daily
food of all these 200, 600 people. IL Is their all.
ANYTHING that limits the catch or that cheapens
its value takes from these coonists just 50 much
in bread aud fuel and clothing. This is all they
pet under the best of circumstances Under
th., worst and the worst are now prevalent, they
get nothing but misery.
IT, cannot be denied that the operations OF the
French have had cruel results 10 the Newtound-
londers. In the first place, their occupation Of
tho western shore entirely prevents diversified
industries Within recent years the western coun-
try has been quite thoroughly explored and sur
yeyed. and it is known that gold, silver, lead.
copper and coal exist there in paying quantities.
Several copper and coal mines have been opened
and vast quantities of the product have been got
ont and now lie upon the dumps waiting for
means Of transportation. No less than $4,000.
oro mans money, has been locked up that way
ror twcuty wears. The French will not allow
,yharf along their shore on the ground that 1t
scares the fish away" They will permit no
sawmils. because the Dust escaping through river
20 bav. rots in the water and ruins it as hshinx