35 



Cold Hill and glance over the town, and ruin and decay stare you in 

 the face. About all the modern improvements at Plymouth is the 

 monument which marks the landing place of the Pilgrims. I some- 

 times think there should be one more monument there to mark the 

 resting place of the once flourishing fishing business. Gloucester, 

 Wellfleet, Province town, Portland are the principal places left in the 

 business. Sometimes I have wondered that the men were found, 

 with sufficient courage, under all the adverse circumstances, to carry 

 on the business. Standing alone, with no protection, no help what- 

 ever from the government. Other governments respect the fisheries 

 and encourage them. Our government placed $5,500,000 in the 

 hands of the English government for something which we did not 

 want and they did, and this amount was distributed in part among 

 the maritime provinces to enable them to increase their number of 

 vessels and encourage their fishermen to remain at home and seek 

 our ports for a market for their products. Our government, instead 

 of aiding us, has placed in the hands of the English government the 

 dagger which has pierced the very hearts of our fishermen. 



What we want is an opportunity to follow our business with suc- 

 cess. How can we do that unless we are protected by wise laws? 

 All we ask, as I understand it, is to be placed upon an equal footing 

 with the maritime provinces, that we can pursue our business at a 

 profit, and show our western brothers that free trade does not mean 

 low prices, but that the destruction of the New England fisheries will 

 mean monopoly, luxury and high prices. 



The committee appointed to report a plan for the future reported a 

 recommendation for a permanent organization, under the name of 

 American Fishery Union, to be composed of one delegate to be 

 chosen by each fishing port, and the officers to consist of a president 

 and six directors, of whom four should be from Massachusetts and 

 three from Maine. The committee recommended that the following 

 should be the officers of the Union until others should be chosen in 

 their places : George Steele, Sylvanus Smith and Wm. H. Jordan 

 of Gloucester : James Gifford, Oren B. Whitten and George Trefethen 

 of Portland ; F. H. Smith of Northhaven. 



The report was adopted. 



VOTE OF THANKS. 



On motion of Vice President Crowell, the thanks of the out-of 



