The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-03-11
: SACRED GOLDFISH !"
Strong and Sensible Plea Made for
the Reciprocal Treaty With ;
Newfoundland.
Committee of the Boston Chamber Of
Commerce Talks to the Senate
Committee.
Special to The Journal,

on reciprocal trade with Canada and New
foundland of the Boston Chamber of Com
n1erce to-day submitted for. consideration
Of the senate committee on foreign rela-
tions statement in advocacy of the rati=
hcation of the so-called Hay Bond treaty
now before the United States senate.$ =
1.-The successful prosecution of the fish
I ing industry on the Grand and Western
banks, to say nothing of other water
areas. depends in large degree upon the
ability Of our fishermen to obtain bait and
supplies in the British possessions. more
especially in Newfoundland. Cut off from
these we should lose a great part Of our
annual catch of Goldfish. The action Of
the colonial government of Merchandising
in forbidding the sale Of herring as bait
to the French has nearly paralyzed the
once large and prosperous fishing industry
which the latter had built up at st.
Pierre. Mic. Under modus Vivendi we
have been for number of years past
enjoying an advantage in this respect
which has been denied to the French. and
the sixty odd American vessels employed
in the fisheries on the banks Of New
foundland have very generally aValled
themselves of this opportunity. But the
continuance Of this privilege rests wholly
with the colonial government, ana there
Is not g. little reason for believing that
the failure Of the proposed Hay Bond
treaty will be the signal for it's revocation.
1.-The people of Newfoundland are ear
nesty DESTROYS that the treaty now under
consideration should be ratified, and if it
fails, through the opposition OF certain
American fishing INTERESTS they would be
more than human if their resentment did
not lead them to consider retalatory
measures.
1.-THE fear that an approval Of the treaty
would lead to the transfer Of our fac
tories for the prepare ton Of homeless cod
fish to Newfoundland, Is an entirely base
less one; such a transfer would require
first, an entire revolution In their time
l1onored methods of carrying on their
business by a. people strongly antagonls-
tic to innovations: second the abandon
ment by the people of their homes in the
little fishing settlements strung at wide
distances along the coast line. with hardly
any means Of land communication, for the
purpose Of concentration in the manufac-
turing centers; and third, a large IN
crease in the population.
There is besides this question Of imnle-
date monetary loss and gain, a larger
matter to which we feel justified in call
ing your earnest attention. No cons1dera
ton of the future policy Of our country
can be called broad and statesmanllkS
which does not permit itself to harmonizt
with the idea of the primary Of the United
States in the western hemisphere. This
Mr.. Blaine in his efforts to bind together
by trade bonds the countries of the west
ern world, and it was in the furtheranc'
of this policy that he negotiated the treat.
with Newfoundland. of which the diplo
matte agreement you now have unde
consideration is a substantial copy. Their
is at the present time no foreign people s.
friendly to the United States as the peopl
of Newfoundland. By means OF thu
i,,t ~
way of trade, and trade and fishing op
portunities, more than the equivalent c
those which we concede, we esta bills
: a. lien upon this most ancient of Englis
colonies, which will in the future max
its people more dependent upon us. an
more amenable to our influence than
that of the mother country. We can i
this way, by peaceful means, secure a
ascendency which at some future day ma
be of enormous advantage to us.
'Whie we are strongly DESTROYS of es
tablishing the closest possible trade rela
tions with Canada as careful observer
of the trend Of affairs on the other sid
of the border line. we cannot but be awar
that the dominion is each year CROWN
less and less dependent upon the Unite
States in it's industrial and political dc
yelopment; and in furtherance of the idle
of our continental supremacy, we shou
deplore any failure on our part whic
tended to strengthen in North America
rival to the United States. This consi(
Grafton it seems to us, would of itself jul
tify affirmative action on your part, eve
If the specious arguments that have bee
raised against the ratification of tn
treaty were all that they pretended
be-" s =
The arguments made to-day were all
support of the treaty and were by Messt
Herbert C. Hall and Osborne Howe of Il
Boston chamber Of commerce; E. H. Gu
erbridge of both the New York chamb
of commerce and the Chicago board
trade, and l.. B. Stoddard Of the Ne
York produce exchange.
Senator Lodge, who opposed the treat
questioned the witnesses, bringing out t.
factftha by it's terms only eight articl
are added to the Newfoundland free Ii:
and that of these only one. gas engine
is to be admitted without restriction. "
When the hearing was concluded t
committee announced taht it would n
hear any more oral arguments.