want to do is to get the matter properly presented before the com- 

 mittees. He would give more for the evidence of one captain who 

 could say I am the man who caught the fish than for all the florid ar- 

 guments of lawyers. The mere fact that a fisherman went there ask- 

 ing to be protected in earning a living, and then to protect the gov- 

 ernment, would be convincing. No man with American blood in his 

 veins could turn away from an appeal like that. (Applause.) 



Sylvester Cunningham, Esq., said that while on most business 

 questions Gloucester people were apt to work against each other, 

 there was no doubt that to-day a unanimity of feeling actuated them 

 which promised well for success. He did not see that much could 

 be accomplished now except to form an organization with power to 

 act, and if they thought best, to call a public meeting in the City 

 Hall to give expression to the general sentiment of the community. 

 He did not think it best to do that unless they could get some strong 

 outside support. For one he would like to know how our United 

 States senators stood. Whether they were in earnest enough in this 

 matter to withstand Boston influence. He did not want opinions at 

 second-hand, but to know as a fact that they were all right on this 

 question. We have Mr. Thompson and Mr. French, and ought to 

 have the influence of the Representatives ; true the}- do not hold the 

 treaty-making power, but they can exert a good deal of influence in 

 this matter with the President and Senate. We want to make as 

 strong a case as we can. If w T e make this a national question no 

 doubt we shall succeed. 



Col. David W. Low- presented statistics to show the effect of a re- 

 ciprocity treaty upon the American fishing tonnage. After the abro- 

 gation of the reciprocity treaty in 1867 the tonnage employed in the 

 American fisheries was 76,065 tons ; in 1873, at the commencement 

 of the Washington Treaty, it was 109,519 tons ; in 1882 it was 77,- 

 863 tons. 



On motion of Mr. Cunningham it was voted that the chairman ap- 

 point a committee, of such numbers as he saw fit, to represent the 

 different interests involved, to have full power to act on this ques- 

 tion and report at an early day. The following gentlemen were 

 appointed : 



Messrs. Sylvester Cunningham, Andrew Leighton, William *H. 

 Jordan, John J. Pew, Frederic G. Wonson, David Tarr, David S. 



