178 WITH MR. CHAMBERLAIN IN THE 



NO SURRENDER ON EITHER SIDE 



Now I will venture, with some knowledge of the 

 subject, to say to you that there has been no sur- 

 render at all on either side of anything which 

 national honour and national interests demanded 

 that we should maintain (cheers), and I will say 

 that in this Treaty both sides have substantially 

 gained what they contended for, and that the only 

 concessions that have been made are the concessions 

 which honourable men would gladly tender if they 

 are endeavouring to settle a difference between 

 friends, and are not endeavouring to gain an unfair 

 advantage over opponents. (Cheers.) 



Now, if you will bear with me, I should like to 

 take this opportunity of saying a few words as to the 

 principal provisions of this alleged capitulation 

 (cheers), and at the outset I want to call your 

 attention to this very important fact. I have alluded 

 to the irritation which was caused by the proceed- 

 ings of the Canadian Government in 1886 and 1887. 

 We have gone to the roots of that irritation. We 

 have removed its causes ; and I can tell you that if 

 this Treaty had been in operation in the beginning 

 of 1886, of all these cases of interference with Ameri- 

 can fishing vessels, there would not have been six — 

 I do not believe there would have been two. 

 (Cheers.) Now that is at least an important fact 

 to bear in mind when you are told, as you have been 

 told, that we have settled nothing, and that Canada 

 has conceded nothing in order to secure friendly re- 

 lations with the United States of America. (Cheers.) 



