PERIOD FROM 1871 TO 1905. 899 



part of the United States. Till then further argument on that side 

 would seem to be neither consistent nor proper. 



Still less can the United States Government consent to be drawn, at 

 any time, into a discussion of the subject with the colonial Govern- 

 ment of Canada. The treaty in question, and all the international 

 relations arising out of it, exist only between the Governments of 

 the United States and of Great Britain, and between those Govern- 

 ments only can the} 7 be dealt with. If, in entering upon that consid- 

 eration of the subject which the United States have insisted upon, 

 the arguments contained in the report of the Canadian minister 

 should be advanced by Her Majesty's Government, I do not conceive 

 that they will be found difficult to answer. 



Two suggestions contained in that report are, however, specially 

 noticed by Lord Iddesleigh, as being " in reply " to the arguments 

 contained in my note. In quoting the substance of the contentions 

 of the Canadian minister on the particular points referred to, I do 

 not understand his lordship to depart from the conclusion of Her 

 Majesty's Government he had previously announced, declining to 

 enter upon the discussion of the cases in which the questions arise. 

 He presents the observations of the report only as those of the Cana- 

 dian minister made in the argument of points upon which Her 

 Majesty's Government decline at present to enter. 



I do not, therefore, feel called upon to make any answer to these 

 suggestions; and more especially as it seems obvious that the subject 

 can not usefully be discussed upon one or two suggestions appertain- 

 ing to it, and considered by themselves alone. While those men- 

 tioned by Lord Iddesleigh have undoubtedly their place in the gen- 

 eral argument, it will be seen that they leave quite untouched most 

 of the propositions and reasoning set forth in my note to Lord Rose- 

 bery above mentioned. It appears to me that the question can not 

 be satisfactorily treated aside from the cases in which they arise, 

 and that when discussed the whole subject must be gone into in 

 its entirety. 



The United States Government is not able to concur in the favor- 

 able view taken by Lord Iddesleigh of the efforts of the Canadian 

 Government " to promote a friendly negotiation." That the conduct 

 of that Government has been directed to obtaining a revision of the 

 existing treaty is not to be doubted ; but its efforts have been of such 

 a character as to preclude the prospect of a successful negotiation so 

 long as they continue, and seriously to endanger the friendly rela- 

 tions between the United States and Great Britain. 



Aside from the question as to the right of American vessels to 

 purchase bait in Canadian ports, such a construction has been given 

 to the treaty between the United States and Great Britain as amounts 

 virtually to a declaration of almost complete non-intercourse with 

 American vessels. The usual qomity between friendly nations has 

 been refused in their case, and in one instance, at least, the ordinary 

 offices of humanity. The treaty of friendship and amity which, in 

 return for very important concessions by the United States to Great 

 Britain, reserved to the American vessels certain specified privileges 

 has been construed to exclude them from all other intercourse com- 

 mon to civilized life and to universal maritime usage among nations 



