2'2 



ada's enforcing that clause from 1866 to 1873 it is so now. If it was 

 as has been claimed an injury to her people to buy supplies, bait and 

 ice of them then, it is so now. And the day that sees the fishing 

 provisions of the treaty of Washington terminate will see her enforce- 

 ing that clause to the letter. 



The treaty of Washington was fondly expected to be the panacea 

 for all the difficulties that afflicted the two nations. The prima! feat- 

 ure was the settlement of the Alabama claims, and to succeed in that 

 was the ambition of our commissioners. The fisheries again played 

 the part of make- weight ; and Great Britain accepted and paid the 

 Geneva award, holding the almost assured fishery award of the Hali- 

 fax commission as an offset. Fifteen-and-a-half millions were paid 

 under the award of Geneva ; and fourteen millions five hundred thous- 

 and dollars were claimed for allowing our fishermen the privilege to 

 take fish from the ocean within three miles of iheir shores. How far we 

 availed ourselves of this privilege I will show before I get through. 

 Suffice it to sa}- that we take neither halibut or codfish, speaking in a 

 generic sense, (and which comprises three fourths of the Atlantic fish- 

 eries) in British waters. We buy our herring, capelin and squid en- 

 tirely from the local fishermen, paying them in cash or its equivalent, 

 and the only fishery of theirs that is available is the mackerel fishery, 

 and what few of them we take, (I show by sworn statements of the 

 captains of the vessels) cost us nearly two dollars for every dollar 

 received. 



The composition of the Halifax Commission was not calculated to 

 do justice to the fishing interest or to the United States. The Brit- 

 ish claim was guaged by the Geneva award ; and if there had never 

 been a Geneva award there never would have been a Halifax award. 

 Sir Alexander Gait, the Canadian Commissioner, was by far the ablest 

 man upon the Commission. Mr. Kellogg, the American Commis- 

 sioner, was not fitted by training or experience for the position ; and 

 Mr. Delfosse would naturally be more deferential toward English in- 

 terests, from the facts that the national existence of Belgium owes 

 its life to English prestige. I call to mind the remark of the late 

 Judge Foster, one of the noblest men I ever knew, and who had 

 charge of the American case, assisted by Hon. R. H. Dana and Hon. 

 Wm. H. Trescott of South Carolina, when informed of the names of 

 the Commissioners : "I had rather," said he, " have put the decision 



