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immodialcly rciluccd ; and, added to all tliis, that the competition of frr h fisli is fast 

 driviiif; it out of use. With all these condilions to bo ascertained first, who can ever say 

 wiiat proportion of duty is paid by the producer, and what by the consumer, or if any is 

 paid in- the latter? 



I do no'. Iiiiicve it is possilde to do it, but if it were possible to do it, you cannot 

 make it an oll'set. If voii undertake to make an oll'sct of it, h-t us know wliat it is. We 

 state our account. We lake this statement, ami we ^ay, * In tl'.o year 1874 tlic duty 

 remitted wm ;],")o,'.»72 dolhxrii." Now wliat are you ^■()in<; to f>et oil' against tliat ? — an 

 opinion, u theory, a Ijelief, a speculation to weigli it down with? If you are going to 

 set cir dol!:u-s auaiiist tlial, tell u.s how many dollars, in 1874, you are going to set od 

 against that. How are yt)u going to find out? How can you ever tell us? Hut if the 

 gentlemen's llu'on is right, tiiey have not converted it into a practical theory that you 

 can ajjply. it they will . ndeiiake to tell us, " In 1S74 and '75, we will show you a 

 rcihietion of ]>riee in mackerel to a certain number of consumers, to the amount of 

 liDD.OOO dollars or 'JoC ()0U dollars,' strike the balance. lint you cannot strike the 

 balance with an oiiinion. Hefore they can m;ike this claim they must submit that 

 statement to us. Hut I do not intend to dwell upcm that, for this reason. The jirinciple 

 that I iiold ouglit to 1)0 applied to the solution of this (piestion, is this : that it is one with 

 uhich, imder tin- Treaty, you have nothing on earth to do. If oi •• friends on the other 

 side coidd show dollar for dollar that every dollar of the ;55.'),OflO dollars remitted by the 

 renewal ot' the liiuy was 305,000 dollars to the benefit of the American consumers, you 

 could not reckon it. 



Now, let us look at the Treaty : — 



" AliTicM XXIT. — liiasimicli as it is asscitcil by tlio Odvcrniiicnt of Her liiitniiiiic Ji.ijvsty that 

 tlip privili'i,'i'>i ■.UTiiuV'A til rlir rifi:iHs (if tin' I'liilid Slaftx, imdfr ArtU-le A'VIII vf this Treaty art' of 

 groiiter value lliiiii tlmsc iiccurded liy Articles XI. \ ami XXI nf tliis Treaty to the suhjeets (.'" Iter 

 Uritaiiiiic Majesty, ami tliis assertion is not admitted liy thi^ (ioveriniii'iit of thi^ I'nited States, u is 

 further ai,'reed lliat Cnninii.^sioners shall he aiiiKjiiiled to deteriiiiiie, luivinj,' rej.'ar(l to the jirivileges 

 Hceoideil liy the I'liiled Slates to the siihjeets ol' Hit ririlaniiie Majesty, as stated in Articles XIX and 

 XXI of this Treaty, tin' amount of any eomiiensatiun wiiich, in their opinion, ougiit to he paid hy tlie 

 Government if IKr Ihilannic JIajestv in rdi'rii/ur tlu pririkijes accordal to the citizens of the United 

 Stales under ArlkleXrill." 



Now, under this Trcatv tlierc stands befon; you to-day a balance, on one arm of 

 which hangs the .WHltli Article of the Treaty of 1871, and on the other the XlXlh 

 and XX 1st Articles. You cannot add to either scale one scruple, one pennyweight, 

 which the Treat} has not ptit there. You cannot transfer weights from one to the 

 other. You can only look at. the index and see whether the register shows that one is 

 lieavior llian the other, and liow much heavier. What are the advantages conferred by 

 the XVHIth Article of the Treaty of 1871 on the citizens of the United States? 



" It is agreed l>y the High Contraeong Parties, that in addition to the liberty secnred to the United 

 States' tishi-rmea iy thi> Convention between (Ireat liritain and the United States, signed at London 

 on the 2t)lh day of Oildbi r, IHIS, of taking, (turiug, and drying ti,sli on eertuin coasts of the British 

 Norlli Auieri(';in Cclonie- therein detineil, thi' inhaliitants of the I'nited States shall liiive, in common 

 with the siibji'i'ts of Her liritaniiie Majesty, tlie liberty for the term of years mentioned in Article 

 XXXIII of tills Trraty to take lish of every kind exeejit shell-tisii, on the .sea eoast.s and shores, and 

 in the Imys. liarliours, and creeks of the I'lovinces of tiiuehee.Xova Scotia, and New Ihuns wick, and the 

 Colony of I'riine Edward's Island and of the .several islands thereunto adjacent, without being restricted 

 to any distaiici; troni the sliore, v, ith ]ieriuission to land ujion the said coasts and sliores, and islunds, 

 luid lilso ujiuii the Magdalen l.slands, for the imriiose of drying their nets and curing their fish." 



That is flie only advantage which is given to us by the XVI Ilth Article of the 

 Treaty, and it is the onl} advantage so given to us lite value of which you have any riglit 

 to estimate. I iini perfectly willing lo admit a set-oflof this kind, which is provided for 

 apparently. It is agnied in Article XXI that for the term of sears mentioned in Article 

 XXX III of this Treaty, lish-oil, and fish of all kinds (except fish of the inland lakes and 

 of the rivers falling into them, and except fish preserved in oil), being the produce of the 

 fisheriis of the United States or of the Dominion of Canada or of Prince Edward Island, 

 shall be admitted into each country respectively free of duty. 



Now, if against the 350,000 dollars of duty remitted upon fish and fish--il imported 

 from the Hnminion into the United States, you can set off any duty on fish and iish-oil 

 imported from tht; United States into Canada, you will have the right to do it ; but that 

 is the extreme limit to which, luuler the words of that Treaty, you have a right to go. 

 It is notliing whatever to you whether the advantage to us is great or small of the 

 remission of that duty. It is a positive advantage to the citizens of the Dominion ; it is 



