American Fisheries Society. 115 



Nothing but good can be obtained from a uniform, harmoni- 

 ous protection maintaining all interests in this way- In this age 

 the depredating, contentious, "grasp-all-you-can" principle should 

 be relegated to oblivion, and unity of purpose will redound to 

 the mutual advantage of all parties living along the borders of 

 these great international highways and receptacles for food-fish 

 supplies. Kindness and mutual reciprocity usually work to the 

 advantage and interest of all parties concerned; and in this mat- 

 ter, if in no other article of commerce, we should aim to obtain 

 these uniform concessions on the part of all States and countries 

 adjoining each other. 



In regard to uniformity of laws for the streams running into 

 the interior of the country from the large sea, lake or gulf areas, 

 I believe that the United States Government should formulate a 

 protective plan of extending not only over the commercial end 

 of the streams, but that laws protecting the tributary divisions 

 of those streams should be passed, and the enactments kept fully 

 operative. I maintain that there is strong ground for govern- 

 mental supervision of these waterways, inasmuch as the local laws 

 of one individual State cannot be enforced in the adjacent com- 

 monwealths, and the great difficult}' which has existed and wdiich 

 it is almost impossible to overcome, as to how these various State 

 enactments can be made entirely harmonious and uniform, it 

 seems quite a necessity to resort to the method of inter-state pro- 

 tection by national enactment, and especially over all the national 

 waterways. 



I would like to impress this pcjint still more forcibly from 

 another standpoint, and that is that it is the duty of the govern- 

 ment to do all in its power to advance the interests of the citizens 

 of the United States, and enact laws which will be for their gen- 

 eral good, and add to the prosperity of the country. The addition 

 of many million dollars' worth of food in this shape to the country 

 is certainly not only laudable, Imt it is quite important for the 

 government to provide this increase of provisions, and the in- 

 creased value which would thereby be secured. 



These laws should be enacted at a very early day likewise, 

 because of the reckless impoverishment which is going on all 

 over the country, in this as well as in various directions, such as 

 forestry^ interests and the valuable land grants which the govern- 

 ment and the people have so lavishly turned into the hands of 

 reckless speculators. 



It is not too late to reform this matter, and measures should 

 at once be instituted for the uniform codification and adoption of 



