New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-23
uoRE FISHERY SEIZURES.

T. 10 gratifying TO know that the Government
is moving energetically for the procurement OF
trustworthy information concerning the drcum-
-.,,oos If the recent seizures of American fish
mo vessels by the Canadian cruiser Dream
Tbe owners of the vessels and the fishermen
in them declare that they were at work IN
American waters when the Dream came up and
a,ros,ed them. Congressman BOutelle has sat
isfed himself that this claim is true ana cle-
cons Of Eastport confirm his assurances. Inc
Government has instructed ON consul al o.
stephen, n. B., thoroughly to investigate INC
facts and has sent revenue cutter 10 ''9SiS'
him in that work. The presence OF the revenue
cutter will do no harm. A few OF tnose YES
sals would have served useful purpose three
or four wears ago when, just after the explra-
ton of the Treaty of Washington, Canada be-
oan it's discreditable and unfriendly attacks
mon our fishermen. If the independent III
veshoatons of our officials demonstrate that
tho sly fishing boats seized on July Is were
cantured ON this side of the line, proceedings
sbould he taken which will repder their prompt
recovery certain. No judicial delays should DO
tolerated. 1t will be no answer to our speclho
assertion as q matter of fact that the CANADIAN
court is without jurisdiction to say that inc
Canadian court will presently consider that
ouestion. 1t looks as If there were no SUCH
question for it to consider, and as II It's pro-
ceedings were matter of no interest to the
United States. In that event we want the
boats. and not diplomatic evasion.
Canada's course in reasserting view OF the
Treaty of 1918 which is not in the least neces-
sary to the protection of her fisheries, and the
greater part of which was distinctly repudiated
hv Great Britain in conformity with Mr.. web
Slows contentious. is intoerable. Neither the
seizures she has made nor the tax she now
Ievies in lieu of them can be considered honest
mr. decent. The seizures were just one remove
from piracy, and the tax is entirely similar 70
the old Algerian practice iof maritime black
mail. The Cleveland Government, in agreeing
TO .he modus vivendi under which this tax Is
levied inflicted serious damage on the Amen-
can controversy That agreement lasted for
only a single year, and 1t has never since re-
ceiyed approval or even recognition from the
Washington authorities. On the contrary, when
Canada proposed to renew It for the season OF
1889 MIR. Blaine distinctly said that he would
have nothing TO do with it, and that 1t was
matter of total Indifference to him whether
Canada passed a Renewal Act or not But 1t
WAS not a matter of Indifference to Canada. 1t
provided her with large revenues more than
enough to pay the expenses Of her Fisheries De-
nartment drawn from American fishermen as
the condition of letting them alone in the honest
pursuit of an honest calling 1t was not with
out pIausibility that Sir John Macdonald argued
that tho American Government having once
admitted the propriety of the modus vlvendl by
becoming a party to it, thereby admitted that
the acts made lawful by the payment OF tax
to Canada wero unlawful without the payment
of such tax. The American position was thus
recklessly compromised by Secretary Bayard
The present unsatisfactory condition OF our
| fishery arrangements cannot long continue. This
| is one of the subjects which the Tory Govern
ment proDoses shall be discussed at Washington
| next October, and it is to be hoped some good
| will come of the discussion. Mr.. Blaine did
! wise thing in announcing, when this conference
was first suggested that before formal COM
mission could be appointed to consider the
framing of a treaty some preliminary under
| standing must be arrived at. There is no use
| in discussing if Canada is going to maintain the
position she has recently held concerning the
fisheries The difference between her views
and ours of her rights under the Treay of
1918. as well as of the form of reciprocity she
desires to arrange, is irrecOncilable. Before any
common ground of discussion can be reached
she must at least admit that our fishermen are
entitled in her waters to the ordinary courtesies
extended by civilized nations the world over
to the merchant vessels Of a stranger. If she
cannot come at least so far as that toward har
mcny with modern ideas, the time spent in
negotiation must be wholly wasted