194 
On the occasion of the first hearing, February 17th, 
1892, the friends of the bill were able to create an atmos- 
phere of opinion in their favor, which could not but 
affect the judgment of the Committee. They packed 
the large Committee room to suffocation; they had innu- 
merable large delegations, representing important inter- 
ests from large cities; they had excellent counsel, good 
stenographers, and put in an apparently overwhelming 
case carefully elaborated with models and figures in 
abundance. 
On the other hand, to cross examine without any pre- 
vious knowledge of their testimony, these numerous and 
well equipped witnesses were two solitary gentlemen 
from Boston and New Bedford in Massachusetts. My 
associate, Mr. Palmer, and myself. It is obvious that 
the situation is absurd. Here was the most determined, 
well directed assaults againt the fisheries of the States of 
recent years, backed with an ample treasury, under good 
leadership, and the defence was left almost to go by de- 
fault. 
Well, we did the best we could. Neither of us had 
any official standing before the Committee. Neither of 
us had any compensation, present or prospective. Mr. 
Palmer represented a sporting association upon Buzzards 
Bay, and his expenses, to a limited amount, were gua- 
ranteed by that organization. I myself represented cer- 
tain towns on Buzzard’s Bay, through memorials signed 
by their official representatives, and my expenses to a 
limited extent were paid by private generosity. We 
attended all the hearings and Mr. Palmer, at least, made 
some excellent points. With the adjournment of the 
Committee for a week at a time and their short hearings 
of an hour each week, the rapacity of Washington hotel 
keepers, soon reduced our slender appropriations. A 
council of war was held. Mr. Palmer decided he must 
go home. I determined to stay. All spare time was 
employed in the Congressional Library in the exanina- 
