DESPATCHES, REPORTS, CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 801 



injuring France, the clear perception of right which will induce our own people, 

 ami the rulers and people of all other nations, even of France herself, to pro- 

 nounce our quarrel just, will be obscured, and the support rendered to us, in a 

 final resort to more decisive measures, will be more limited and equivocal. 



There is but one point in the controversy, and upon that the whole civilized 

 world must pronounce France to be in the wrong. We insist that she shall 

 pay us a sum of money which she has acknowledged to be due, and of the 

 justice of this demand there can be but one opinion among mankind. True 

 policy would seem to dictate that the question at issue should be kept thus 

 disencumbered, and that not the slightest pretense should be given to France to 



persist in her refusal to make payment by any act on our part affecting 

 482 the interests of her people. The question should be left as it is now, in 



such an attitude that when France fulfills her treaty stipulations all 

 controversy will be at an end. 



XVI. BY THE DELIMITATIONS FIXED IN THIS TREATY WE YIELD NOTH- 

 ING THAT IS OF ANY VALUE TO OUR FISHERMEN. WHAT WE YIELD IS 

 OF VALUE TO THE BRITISH PROVINCES AS A MEANS OF CONDUCTING 

 THEIR LOCAL GO"V ERXMENTS. THE TREATY IS A JUST AND FAIR SETTLE- 

 MENT. 



The treaty now before the Senate wisely and reasonably provides for 

 the settlement of all disputed questions that have been under discus- 

 sion by the two Governments, and adds greatly to the privileges of 

 our fishermen in the British-American ports. 



In a published letter of the chief counsel of the "outfitters" and 

 owners of fishing vessels Mr. Woodbury he says, that " the right 

 to fish on the coast of Nova Scotia, within the 3-mile limit, our fisher- 

 men consider of no value whatever." 



The report of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations of Janu- 

 ary 19, 1887, on the value of inshore fishing rights, and the right to 

 take or buy bait, to which reference has been made, shows conclusively 

 that they are of no value to our fishermen. In their report, the com- 

 mittee say : 



From the investigations made by the committee during the last 

 summer and fall, and as the result of the great mass of testimony 

 taken by it and herewith returned, the committee believe it to be 

 clear, beyond all dispute, that the right to fish within 3 miles of the 

 Dominion shores is of no practical advantage wh<it< ></ to American 

 fishermen. The cod and halibut fishing has been for many years 

 almost entirely carried on at long distances from the shores, in the 

 deep waters, on banks, etc.; and it is believed that were there absolute 

 liberty for Americans to fish, without restriction or regulation of 

 any kind, within 3 miles of the Dominion shores, no such fisherman 

 would ever think of going there for the purpose of catching cod or 

 halibut. 



As regards the obtaining of bait for this class of fishing, the testi- 

 mony taken by the committee in its inquiries clearly demonstrates 

 that there is no necessity whatever for Amei-ican -fishermen to re-sort 

 to Canadian waters for thai }>t>/'/>ose. Clam bait is found in immense 

 quantities in our own waters, and there have been instances, so fre- 

 quent and continuous as to amount to a habit, of the Canadian* them- 

 selves resorting to American water* or jiortx for the jxirpoxe of 

 obtaining it. The squid bait is fonin! on the vcrij bank* win-re the 

 fishing goes on. So that the instances irould be extremely rare when 

 any American fishing /v.s-.sr/ would wish to resort to a Dominion 

 port for the purpose of buying bait for this kind of fishing. 

 92909' S. Doc. 870. til-3. vol 4 61 



