BRITISH, COLONIAL AND OTHEE CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 463 



the fact that the effect of the bill would be to destroy the winter her- 

 ring fishery. He declared the fact that the people of Newfoundland 

 would have to pay too dearly for this measure. If the people of the 

 country understood that, and consented to pay the price, then he 

 was not responsible, for he had done his duty in pointing out the 

 facts. He was not to be considered an American advocate because he 

 stood in his place in the House of Assembly and explained the nature 

 of the rights which the American people had on the coast of this 

 island, because of a treaty with His Britannic Majesty. Some mem- 

 bers of the house seemed to consider it their duty to allow measures 

 to pass without explaining the price that would have to be paid 

 therefor. The measures were passed, and the people hurrahed; but 

 there was no hurrah when the price came to be paid. The patriot 

 will explain the price which has to be paid, even if he were to be 

 stoned for his courage. There was one more subject on which he 

 would like to touch before concluding. The Premier had gone out 

 of his way to state that a Mr. Whitman, of Canso, had put up a bait 

 house at that place for the purpose of supplying Americans with bait. 

 Mr. Whitman was a private business man, and has as much right to 

 enter into the bait supplying business as any of the gentlemen who 

 are in the bait supplying business at Petty Harbor. Then it was not 

 good grace on the part of the Premier to attack Canada for not help- 

 ing Newfoundland in dealing with the Americans. The Bond-Blaine 

 and Bond-Hay treaties were both attempts to sell out Canadian 

 interests. Why should not Newfoundland enter into negotiations 

 with Canada to receive and give help in this matter? Canada was 

 not helping the Americans against us. In the long run Newfound- 

 land and Canada must come together for a mutual enforcement of 

 their fishing rights as against the Americans. Instead of the Premier 

 trying to make separate arrangements between Newfoundland and 

 the United States, let the Premier advocate a British North America 

 policy an Imperial policy. All the British people would help to 

 bring it to a satisfactory conclusion. Just one word in conclusion. 

 There is one thing certain, if this bill becomes law, and is put in 

 force, the winter herring industry will be utterly destroyed. The 

 same number of herring will be caught, the same number of herring 

 will go away from this country, but they will be caught by Ameri- 

 cans ; and the people of Newfoundland will be driven to take the beg- 

 garly wages paid them by the American fishermen. Let no member 

 of this house say that he did not know the circumstances in connec- 

 tion with the matter, or that he was misled by the Premier's state- 

 ments in connection therewith. No member can say that, for both 

 the law and the fact has been put before him. He, Mr. M., was pre- 

 pared to stake any little reputation that he might have on the accu- 

 racy of his statements. He challenged the Premier to put the matter 

 before any competent tribunal for decision. The Premier knew in his 

 own mind that that would be the effect of the bill. Let that portion 

 of the bill which dealt with the Treaty Coast be abandoned, and the 

 policy of the government settled on a permanent basis with respect 

 to that part of the coast over which the Newfoundland Government 

 did have control, and he would support the measure. For fifteen 

 years the Premier had been failing to conclude negotiations with the 

 United States for this reciprocity treaty, and though he, the Premier, 

 well knew deep down in his own mind that the principle upon which 



