Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-02-24
THE LAPHAM BILL.
Tha Views Entertalred BY
Charles F. Chamberlain
On The Needs Of Protection for the
Madhadsn Pish.llsS.
The Subject Treated at Length In Letter
to the Herald.
To the Editor Of the Herald 3.

To the Editor Of The Herald
l, seems 10 me as one, think, of a yer
] large number Of people, that the editoris
} of Feb. 9 current, entitled The Menhade
; Fisheries" hardly displays ths, discrimin
sliDg sbility and full knowledge CT fac;
and considerations which, if you will per
nit me TO say so, usually characterize III
editorial uuersnces OF your paper.
n hsys waited with becoming mcdesty 10
II some more competent person to undertak
the task of suggesting the consideration
which bsye been omitted in your summsr,
of the situation May 1 be permitted &
endesvor to intimate few of them nos:
Ia the first place, YOU have totally mis-
understood. as il seems 10 me, the purpos
AMI effect Of the bill introduced into IN,
House by Mir. Lsphsm Of Rhode lslsnd snl
INTO the Senate by Mr.. Aldrich Of the san,
state. IL is considered by you that III,
question is whether The handhue lshiog OF
The business of manufacturing porgy OF
should give way to the other SIS being OF
greater consequence.
That Is 10 misunderstand The bill rad.
csliy and ismentshly. The bill is one &c
transfer. absolutely and entirely, the regu
isuon of Massachusetts fisheries from the
hands of the commonwealth 10 the hand,
OF the national government
1t would seem that this WAS = matter oi
soma conse qusnce. From q constitutional
standpoint, 1t is doubtful whether Congtess
has tins power. All decided suih ,rily Is
| opposed TO the idea The poser, if II
exists, is under the power ITO Regulate con-
merce, and fish are only, it would seem
articles of commerce after they have been
caught. But Congress, it is extremely I'M
| portsnt to observe, never has exertI sed the
power of reguat ng state fisheries.
| In the meantime, for centuries, the state
With minute care, has regulated them, as
affording
A Most Valued Food Supply
for her people. There are shad Fisheries,
herring fisheries, lobster fisheries and host
Of Others which have received the closest
care of Massachusetts. With q ne hand
and ihoushtfu scrutiny, successive genera
,ious of Legislators have a1sEt,d the modes
aad times of capture of these fish to the
varying meets OF the localities affected, and
with the apparent object Of preserving the
bouniies of nature from the selfish and
shor;sighted greed OF the pot hunter and the
netter.
So long has this continued that pracii
| cslly invaluable interests of property have
| been involved in the continuance Of this
settled policy of the commonwealth, There
| are today thousands OF specis! and general
| laws upon our statute books, and with each
| laws are interests involved, which, whether
in strictness vested or not, merit careful
consideration. The tentacles Of this iee
islstion rsmify into all parts Of the body
| polite.
| The bill OF MIR. Lsphsm proposes to
| change all this. lt is simple evasion to
say that the bill merely concerns menhaden
and msckerel, 1t is, if passed, an assertion
| on the part of the federal government of a
| right and an intention on its part to nulhfy
| and override this entire course of legisls-
| non.
| When it is considered how disastrous
sucb q result might be, a sufficient reason
| tor careful examination Of the premises
upon which it is based apparently is afford
ed.
| Further, it must be obvious that the
question Of the vslue OF the menhsden fsb
cry which you discuss is not OF the highest
| relevancy in this connection Am ! Dot
clearly right ia saying that if those c0nsid-
erstions which you suggest on behalf Of
chose commercially interested in the catch
ing of fish are sound, they may fairly b,
expected to impress themselves upon the
candor and good judgment OF the Legls-
| isture of Massachusetts, and thst, if they
are not sound, such Law, if enacted
would be 10 dictate the policy OF Msssachu
| sets and override the wishes of the Legis
lsture, to whom she has in the past in,rust
| ed the protection of her interests?
Such position may well be considered a
| humilia,ing one for commonwealth like
Massachusetts.
L. is an open secret that this legislation ia
Aimed Directly at Massachusetts,;
that it is universally 30 considered in VAST
! ilFton and else~here.
There is ample ground for such feeling
| How does it happen tina, the dersl power
to fegulaEe fisheries, assuming il to exist,
has slumbered for these many years, and
now is brought forward at the instance oi
Tiverton r L. manufacturers of "porgy
oilf"
Well, that 10 not difficult question il
| you happen to know the facts.
| Buzzard's bay is 4 natural spawning and
feeding ground for fish. Its peculiar con
| fguEatioD, warm shoal waters, gravelly
| bottom, sbundsnt sbeil fsh and fish food OF
| ali kinds make il an idesl nursery for q 50
| 1t is enlightened policy for all states 70
preserve such plscst. II is absurd TO do
anything else.
| Our country has reached that stage OF
| development that If we are to enjoy we
mnst preserve. The same seusele4s rapsc,
! ity which has extermnated our buff 4lo
which has d. stroyed the whale fi.hery
which is aiming to ruin the seal fishery Of
| Alaska; which you'd, unless checked by
legislation, kill all Massachusetts game in
| yesr or two; which has practically elmi-
| mated our forests, vGuld gladly capture all
the spewn bearing tsh and kill all the i'm
| mature ones, providing they could be well
| sold, even ia their breeding season and on
their breeding ground.
massachuseIts, accordingly has preserved
Buzzsrd's bay ever since 1856 more than
= generation. Every one, from any state
can come there on terms Of perfect equality
| hu- no seinirg is SLOWED. Whenever thi.
| legislation hss been affected, it has betu
| TO exterd it.
| There ls occasionally man who wants
| to pluEder these waters who says this ID
| done for sport Every town meeting or
| Bu71uds bay would emphsticsIly deny
| thsG. Preserving that bay for 36 years for
a spAwring ground could not fal to have
| marked incidental results. one has been
the attracting Of millions Of dollars to these
shores in hotel and seashore property, The
maintenance Of this policy is essential to
this property. The good faitn Of the com
monxeslih is pledged to it. To withdraw
/ this tn tn With,
drsvsi, would work immense iGjBtice by
greatly depreciatibg values over large
| part Of the state To tits ciass Of PRO,
pertY-which Massachusetts cannot aF ord
to ignore-the continuance Of the policy oil
Protecting These Fisheries
should hsve all the psrmanence Of rule
Of property, and for precisely the ssms
reasons.
Another natural result incjde atsl 70 thi.
continuous protection Of Bszzsrd's bay as
fish nursery has been the rapid and ex,er.
sive development of the pursuit Of hand
line fishing Hundreds Of hardy ocatmsr
| are engaged iD this business, and have in
| vested much Of their money in bosi,
adapted to this work. Twenty Thousand
dollars in my o-n town Bourne is inveaet
in this Way. The sts,s's good faith is also
pledged to them in the absence Of over
| whelming considerations to the contrary.
Under these circumstances, Massaehu
sets has continued and increased her pre-
lection Of these valuable interests. Tn
natural rssuls Of this wise policy has beer
greatly to Increase the fsh in the bay. Cor
trss.ed with ad scent vaters, denuied b,
nets, and that essilT underst0od process Dc
scribed a. killing the goose Of the gel lei
egg" Buzzard's bsy seemed psrfectl
teemins with fsh.
4 A isrgs profis vili tempt TO much NOR
dissrscefoi offences than breaking 6sl