The Portland daily press., 1892-03-11
MAINE'S HARDY FISHERS.
Their Claims Presented to the
Nations Law Makers.
THE COMMISSIONERS MEMORIAL
TO CONGRESS.

Work Untold Injury AheT Saiue 10
the Nation in Time of Troub1e-Attor-
ney General Littlefield To Be Heard.
WASHINGTON, March 10.-At the close
of the hearing on the Lapham Mendaden
bill yesterday, Congressman Milliken, OF
Maine, said that if the committee did not
decide against the constitutionality Of
this bill, as he believed they would, how
ever, he would ask them to listen to
some evidence on the merits of the ques-
ton involved in rebuttal Of testimony
already before them. The committee
voted to divide the time next Tuesday
equally between Mr.. Jackson and Attor-
ney General Littlefeld, of Maine.
The Maine Commissioner Of Sea and
Shore Fisheries yesterday presented
memorial to Congress against the pas
sage of the menhaden bill. The memo
rial presents great mass of evidence to
show that the use of steamers and purse
seines would destroy the food fish on the
Maine coast and thereby work incalcula-
BILE injury to Maine fishing interests.
Concerning the rights of the boat fisher
men. Ulo COMMISSIONERS Sty
ssThe Commission of Sea and Shore
fisheries feels itself charged with the
conservation of interests, which are those
of people so numerous and often of such
humble circumstances as to preclude
their representation at this distant Capt.
tai of the Nation except by the chosen
officers of their state. 1t is for these In
terests that the Commission desires to
speak.
sit would wish to present the cause,
in the first place, of thousands of hardy
beatmen or fishermen of our coast. Each
of these men, as rule, has invested
very
Large Portion of His Little All
in a boat, weir OF other apparatus, of an
average value of between one hundred
and five hundred dollars. For these
men, such legislation as that proposed
by the Lapham bill would strike
down the strong arm of their state, which
is raised, as it were, to defend them
against most merciless and crushing
competition by combined capital, against
whose improved methods and gigantic
| appliances the simple energies and rude
| devices Of the average poor fisherman
leave him helpless and hopeless.
| Against a feet of 70 steamers, each oper-
ating two seines, both of the average
length of between 1900 and 1900 feet,
and usually 100 feet deep, operated four
OF five times each day by large crews
with the aid of steam gear, from vessels
capable of going in any direction and in
any weather, but small chance is usually
afforded the hardy fisherman, relying
upon his little boat and small seine, and
largely controlled in the use of both, in
dangerous calling, by the stress of
weather. Should it appear that the i'm
proved methods are needful and useful,
and of no
Injury to the Fish Supply,
our fishermen might be forced to yield.
But for the care of these men, among
her most valued citizens, our state has
always shown extreme solicitude, and the
force of facts which would crush SO
splendid race of men should receive
careful scrutiny. 1t is respectfully sub
mitted that the nation has q manifest in
terest in the welfare of this class of men.
1t may well be doubted whether any
equal number of men are equally availa-
BILE in case of need for the merchant or
naval service of the United States.
Hardy, fearless, Injured to hardship and
accustomed to brave the elements at all
seasons, they are an ideal body of men,
particularly fitted by their lifelong train
ing for the service of our navy. They
are essentially q generous class of men
who do not wish any law enacted to dis
criminate in their favor, but who desire
to have-all the citizens of the United
States share with them, all being treated
alike and subject to the same restrictions.
SIT is among the humorous conten-
tions of the Guano Association that their
fleet is nursery for American seamen.
Their fleet, on the contrary, is largely
manned by foreigners of all kinds, while
the pilots and responsible men are in
many instance resident in Maine and
taken from the ranks of the
Rugged Maine Fishermen"
At yesterdays hearing W. T.
Brown of Philadelphia made an able ar
gument in support of the bill. Mr..
| Brown called attention to the various
treaties made with Great Britain, which
| give British subjects power to fish in
| American waters, and asked if the
| United States has no control over the
fisheries as provided for in the treatries
how these rights could be granted. If
the State of Massachusetts, had the right
of excluding anyone and everyone from
| taking fish in certain waters which she
| claimed as her exclusive property, under
| what power did the United States gov
ernment enter into solemn treaty with
Great Britain, which became at once the
supreme law of the land, and give by
that treaty the subjects Of Great Britain
the right to take all kinds of fish, except
shell fish, in all waters, bays, harbors
and creeks of the United States? There
| can be but one reply to these questions,
that there is power vested in Congress
by the constitution to regulate and exer-
! else control over the fisheries. At the
| conclusion of Mr.. Browns argument the
committee adjourned until next Wednes-
day.