not obtrude myself in connection with this matter but for some relation which I had in the early days to the Smithsonian Institution and my regard for the gentlemen who have been associated through that institution with the Fish Commission. Professor Baird, as we all know, became, after the death of Professor Henry, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. He received a salary, but not from the Government. He was a beneficiary under the will of an Englishman-James Smithson. When we undertook, through the agency of the Government, to investigate the propagation of food-fishes in America, a measure was passed by Congress on the 9th of February, 1871, authorizing the President to appoint, for the purpose of taking charge of this work, someone connected either with the Smithsonian Institution or with the Government. Professor Baird at that time was connected with the Government "National Museum." He was an employee of the Government. Being an enthusiast in relation to the propagation of food-fishes, having a thorough scientific training, he entered upon these researches con amore. He was selected by the President to undertake it. He undertook it without pay. The pay he received as secretary was perhaps adequate for his running expenses as a citizen of Washington in such an eminent position, but he died a comparatively poor man, and his family, consisting of an infirm wife and an infirm daughter, are living in a house which they must sell or give up, unless they are more or less supported from some other source than remained to him at his death. After all his gratui tous and beneficent services for the Government, they must yield up that comfort which they enjoyed while the husband and father was serving the Government. But of that I may speak on another and more fitting occasion. I do not wish to discuss the question whether there is any necessity for this bureau. It exists. The only question now is, whether we shall sustain it in its present efficiency. Professor Baird inaugurated the inquiry to which I have adverted in 1871. He continued his service until the last year, when he died. On his decease Professor Goode was called to take his place. He was and is in frail health. He had been an assistant to Professor Baird and has been receiving $5,000 as such Assistant Fish Commissioner. Professor Goode, at the express request of the President, took charge of this trust temporarily, as understood. He is not able to keep up his relation with the Smithsonian and the Museum and with the Fish Commission also; so that he is likely to resign that position as Fish Commissioner. Now the question comes up whether we shall continue this bureau. It does not call on us to pay any more money out of the Treasury as salary than has been paid to the Asssistant Commissioner. This was well stated by the gentleman. We propose to give the same sum to the officer created under this act as was paid to the assistant, namely, $5,000. The business of propagating our food-fishes is well appreciated by the people all over our country. Since Professor Baird began this work there has been sent out by tank, cans, and otherwise, throughout the land, from Texas to Maine, and from the Columbia River to the St. Johns, one hundred millions of young fish, or spawn for the propagation of this food. The report of Professor Goode (H. Mis. Doc. No. 39) to the present Congress shows the cost during the last fiscal year of the production, transportation, and distribution of these hundred millions from their sixteen hatching and rearing stations. The propagation expenses was $130,000, the cost of fish ponds and distribution was $45,000; and the same sum for vessels engaged in the service. There are existing other appliances for the founding of this extensive and humane object, which I will not now dwell upon. The time has almost come prophesied by Professor Huxley, when an acre of water will almost produce as much food for the support of human life as an acre of land. The science of fish propagation is one of the marvels of our time. It is one of the miracles of physical culture. We have understood, appreciated, and encouraged by law this wonderful multiplication of food-fishes. If I am permitted to refer modestly to my travels, I will say that when I was coasting around Norway a scientist informed me--pointing out over the Arctic Ocean, which we were inspecting-that there had been the year before a shoal of codfish near the Loföden Islands 1 mile in superficial extent, containing 150,000,000 cod; and that those codfish had fed on 420,000,000 herring. There is no limit to the wonderful infinitude of these finny creatures of the deep. Professor Baird saw with generous vision this result of natural law. Although I believe the invention or discovery of this remarkable fecundity and mode of propagation in fish was made at an earlier date than 1871, still he utilized it. To be just in this connection, I may remark that before Professor Baird undertook this service, Dr. Garlick, an Ohio man, discovered the process. His is not a happy name, but his discovery was felicity itself to millions. Is it not a curious fact that Ohio always seem to be a little ahead of other States in certain affairs-political or otherwise? Excuse my seeming forwardness in speaking of Ohio products, for I was born there myself. Nevertheless, Mr. Speaker, there never was an interest in this country so cared for by the Government as this of fish. Our first efforts, at least in New England, began with fish. When our ancestors-I refer to New England where I was educated-when our an cestors went to King James for a charter to go across seas and colonize Massachusetts, the King asked the Puritans— "What is your object? What do you intend?" Their answer was: "To worship God and catch fish!" Then the king rejoined: "I give you the charter. 'Fore Gad! it is the Apostle's own calling!" Why, sir, even in the early churches of New England the early and pious Puritans used to sing: Ye monsters of the bubbling deep, Your Maker's name upraise; So that in early New England the cure and care of fish was concomitant with commerce, liberty, and sanctity. In later times New England has obtained Congressional enactments giving free salt for her fish, while the miserable man in Chicago can not get free salt for his pork. Congress has always had a kindly word for the fishermen. For many decades it gave bounties at so much per cod. These fishermen have not become less tenacious of their rights since the bounty ceased. They are a power in numbers and influence. They number a million or more of men constantly engaged in their hardy and hazardous occupation. Their calling is associated at the present time with some curious wriggling in diplomacy. But wherever they are, and wherever they adventure, they should be cared for by the fostering arm of the Government. The main object of this bill, sir, is not to assist the fishermen so much as the consumers of fish. It would send out the seed broadcast, that food harvests may grow in all the waters of this land. I trust there will be nothing done here to impair the usefulness of this Bureau. I trust, as this bill takes no money out of the Treasury, that no further objection will be made to its passage; that the President may be able to select a good, practical man of science and energy, whether he be a Democrat or not, to occupy and honor the position. I am not sure but that there may be found some good scientific Democrat in the country to administer this office. All the sciences can not be monopolized by the Republican party. There may be a Democrat discovered with the qualities of a good scientific fisherman. The President will find him. The President himself is somewhat of an expert in that line. At all events let us by this enactment enable him to select the right man for the position. So far as I am individually concerned I am not over eager whether he selects a Democrat or a Republican to carry out the humane and beneficent provisions proposed by this bill reported by my honored friend from Arkansas [Mr. DUNN], to whom I tender my thanks for the privilege of these desultory remarks. Mr. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, I trust that the committee is now in the humor to rise and report this bill to the House; and I make that motion unless some other gentleman desires to be heard upon it. The motion was agreed to. The committee accordingly rose; and the Speaker having resumed the chair, Mr. SPRINGER reported that the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, having had under consideration the bill (S. 261), had directed him to report the same to the House without amendment. The bill was passed. July 17, 1888. Statement of G. F. Edmunds to Committee on Appropriations Mr. JAMES B. BECK. To what part of the bill do you wish to call the attention of the committee? Mr. G. F. EDMUNDS. I propose that you shall insert an amendment to pay Mrs. Professor Baird $50,000 for the fifteen years and a half of unrequited service that Professor Baird did for the United States; and this is my statement as a witness, which I have condensed as much as possible, to save your time: By the act of 9th February, 1871 (vol. 16, p. 594), Revised Statutes, section 4395, page 851, it was provided that— There shall be appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, from among the civil officers or employees of the Government, a Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries, who shall be a person of proved scientific and practical acquaintance with the fish of the coast, and who shall serve without additional salary. Section 4396 The Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries shall prosecute investigations and inquiries on the subject, with the view of ascertaining whether any and what diminution in the number of the food-fishes of the coast and the lakes of the United States has taken place, and, if so, to what cause the same is due; and also whether any and what protective, prohibitory, or precautionary measures should be adopted in the premises, and shall report upon the same to Congress. From this it will be seen that the scope of the duties of the Commissioner was limited to a purely scientific inquiry into an existing state of things, and it is apparent from the language of the statute that it was to be a temporary affair. Under this act Professor Baird (who was then assistant secretary of the Smithsonian Institution at a salary of dollars) was appointed Commissioner to make these investigations, and he immediately entered upon the vigorous prosecution of his duties, and after his report Congress, in 1872, made provision for continuing the inquiry; and by the act of 10th June, 1872 (vol. 17, p. 350), it extended the duties of the Commissioner to the entirely new work of the introduction of shad into the waters of the Pacific States, Gulf States, and the Mississippi Valley, and of salmon, whitefish, and other useful foodfishes into the waters of the United States to which they were best adapted. This enactment changed the character of the duties of the Commissioner from that of mere scientific investigation into an extensive and most important administrative work, involving time, labor, and responsibility many times greater than the inquiry to be made under the act first above mentioned into the causes of the decrease of foodfishes. From 1872 down to the time of Professor Baird's death, in 1887, his work was continually increasing under the provisions of the acts of Congress passed from year to year, enlarging the area of his labors in respect of the hatching of fish and their establishment in all the waters of the United States, as well as the shipment of eggs and young fish to other countries having similar establishments, etc. And in addition to all this Professor Baird was required to take the responsibility of and provide for the exhibition of the fishery products, etc., of the United States at the Berlin International Exhibition, at the British International Exhibition, at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, and at the New Orleans Exhibition, and he was also required to devote a great amount of time and labor in the preparation of statistics and furnishing facts for use on behalf of the United States before the Halifax Commission. And yet it was not until the year 1883 that provision was made for his having any responsible and official assistant. In all this work, scientific and administrative, he made himself familiar with every detail and gave many hours of nearly every day in each year to the personal management and supervision of it, to the great advancement not only of science and scientific knowledge, but to the successful development of the scheme of restocking the waters of the United States with fish as provided for in the acts of Congress; and his management of the fishery exhibits of the United States at the various exhibitions referred to conferred the greatest honor upon his country. During all this period of more than fifteen years I was a near neighbor and intimate friend, and saw him and his work almost constantly from week to week, and so I can state from personal knowledge that in my deliberate opinion his work as Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries occupied not less than six hours on an average of every day of the whole period. During a large part of this time he had his office at his house, occupying rooms set apart and devoted exclusively to these purposes, and he had the almost constant assistance of his daughter in the examination of the very voluminous correspondence, the writing and revision of letters, and in all such incidental ways as that most competent young lady was able to help her father; and a few years ago he H. Doc. 732- -67 |