The Ashburaton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 1887. THE CANADIAN FISHERY DIFFICULTY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1510, 18 March 1887, Page 2

The Ashburaton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 1887. THE CANADIAN FISHERY DIFFICULTY.

For years past there have been from time to time little unpleasantnesses cropping up between British America and the United States on the subject of the fisheries, the fishermen of Newfoundland and Canada resenting the poaching of Americans on their codbanks and other fishing grounds. These have occasionally led to pretty strong ! diplomatic correspondence between London and Washington, but hitherto all difficulties have eventually been adjusted m a friendly manner. Tbe seizure, m May last, of an American smack, the David Adams, for a breach of the Canadian fishery laws has, however, led to a much more serious misunderstanding as between the United States Government and the British and Canadian authorities, and on the one hand we read of fishing vessels going to sea with armed crews, obviously with the view of enforcing vi et armis the supposed rights of either side and on the other that Congress has passed a law of reprisals upon Canada, authorising the exclusion of Canadian vessels from American ports and prohibiting Canadian railway cars, loaded with goods, from crossing the American frontier. The debate upon the Bill m the Senate produced some very violent speeches, the Canadians being accused of having been guilty of "outrages and inhumanities that would disgrace the Fiji islanders," and Senator Ingalls complaining that the measure did not go far enough — he being willing to go to war with England to obtain redress. An exchange says that— s " People need not alarm themselves about the fiery utterances of Senator Ingalls, as m all his speeches, even on the most trivial matters, he uses the most extravagant language." But it is admitted that "he is a good speaker, and commands a certain influence m Con gress," while it may be added that it is significant that tbe Bill was adopted by the Senate almost unanimously, the voting being 46 to 1. It is thus evident that the feeling of the Chamber on the subject is very strong, and n is to be hoped and expected that the Canadian Government, and the Imperial authorities, to whom is the ultimate appeal, will make every allowance for the American view of the situation, and endeavor to approach the solution of a difficult question m a friendly and conciliatory spirit. Mr Frye, of Maine — the State m which reside the fishermen most nearly concerned on the side of America — warns England that " she is following a course warranted to In ing her into trouble," and it is perfectly true that history has plenty of examples of a much smaller dispute than the present developing into a casus belli. But, for all that, we do not believe, despite the angry words of American orators, who are always prone to a little spread-eagleism, that there is the least danger of the dispute developing into hostilities between the t\ro great English-speaking peoples, and are glad to see that the American press treats the subject temperately, and, indeed, ridicules the strong language used by some of the senators. Still it would be a thousand pities, nay a great calamity, if the irritation of Cousin Sam should be allowed to deepen into enmity, or even to bring about an estrangement between two peoples whose ties of blood, race, religion and language should make them the fastest friends and the firmest allies, and it is to be hoped that an international commission will speedily be appointed with a view to revising the Treaty of 18 18 and putting this question of fishing rights and privileges on a clearer and more satisfactory footing. It has been well suggested that the Commissioner to be chosen on the part of the British Government should be some distinguished negotiator of experience, and it has been pointed out that no better selection could be made than that of the Marquis of Lome.