410 MISCELLANEOUS 



make arrangements by which the United States would let all our 

 green fish in duty free. 



This would take all our bank, and all the early catch each season 

 on the Western Shore. The output for the Mediterranean and Brazil- 

 ian markets would be considerably relieved say a third of our 

 catch and the price would go up and keep up accordingly. Let the 

 American fishermen in, then, not only on the West Coast but all 

 round the island, wherever people have herring, caplin, squid and 

 ice to sell. Driving them out was a stupid mistake in the first place, 

 and one, it is feared, that the whole country will have to pay for 

 dearly, before Hon. Elihu Root is done with our Government. Should 

 the colony at this particular juncture be compelled, by the terms of 

 the international arbitration, to pay several hundred thousand dollars 

 in compensation to the Americans, for interfering with their treaty 

 rights, it will be doubly disastrous. 



Goodness knows we have troubles enough already without this ad- 

 ditional one cropping up. If the colony had gained anything, or had 

 a prospect of gaining anything, by this fight against the Americans, 

 it would be some kind of satisfaction, but we have made ourselves 

 ridiculous in the eyes of the two nations concerned, and kept our own 

 fishermen and business people from their rightful opportunities of 

 earning money by the sale of herring, etc., to the New England 

 fishermen, and, after doing all the mischief that we could, had to go 

 back to the place from whence we began. 



Patriotism is a grand thing, and we all admire the man who stands 

 up for the rights of his country, but when it degenerates into suicidal 

 folly, and brings nothing but disaster in its train, it needs to be called 

 by some other name. Let us hope and pray for the sake of our com- 

 mon country that the affair will not turn as bad as the present cir- 

 cumstances indicate. 



