The North-Carolina standard., 1849-01-17

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"A aoyant and fl hope; aRa although oar grossefs
s in the atnfs, in reference 20 the fate Of this bill
the realization of our hopes, may seHm TO be
ebscpredby thedeloquent and ingehious Temarks Of
gentleman on the other side this hall yetithe
meris of this bill the intrinsic merits Of this doetrfna
the greatest COED to5be maioTity with the least ns
rg to theninotitys abnndantly recommend themF
selves to the unbiased judgment OF this hoHseieab
ta But it will be eontended that the great dinlnuioD
ofsh In the various rivers emPtyingiato the soundt
is to be aseFbed the fact that several lnles
through which the fish passed. are now closed.uAt
- stFue that several Of them have been closed teE
years. yet there are others open and hsEe been
informed that within the last thFeey avery large
one, known as the . Oregon Inlet has been openedi
thus aoIdiagt the fish direct into sounds
and thence up the rivers Agai9sit has been argued
asa farther evidence sustain the eouectness efthe
above asdged eanse that since the closing of thess
inlets, the water has become freshn the eastern part
ofthe sounds, and that the fish in, Qbeyipg an if
stinctiYe impulse, never progress far fresh war
ter. tt is fact, eaetis paribs, that the higher up
the rivers the water becomes salt or bFackisht the
farther the fish ascend But there are causes snss
eeRibie ef the highest preof which, prevent then
from passing beyond certain point in the SQUADS
and rivers they actas barrier, as efectua as though
every inlet the coast closed SO far as their
passage beyond thesepeipts are And these
large seins constitute the barriers It is well known
all who live in the eastern section of this Satey
that the nlets continually closing and others
becoming open; that some years the commnnication
between the sound and the ocean freer than others
the bill, lit would follow matter of couTse, that
the quantity of fish would vary according to these
circumstances. But what is the faetR Why 5there
has been regular decline for pubeT Of years past,
consequence of this monopoly Increasing year after
year and suppose there ten fisheries now where
Ethereawasoue a few yearsagoi Again, in the year
1874 OF ls45, ap which, the water was
braekish higher these rivers, than had been for
fifteen or twenty years previously and 1t IS noto-
rods fact That il was so mach so, that immense
quantities Of crabs were caught great distance from
the mouths of these rivers and according to the
Arguments of those opposed to the bi, there ought
to have been greater number of fish caught remote
from the mouths Of these rivers. .,asosi af,I1
But what was the fact2 ThereTwer as few If not
fewer than had been for number of previous years.
My impression is and it has been confirmed by close,
observations and many enquiries made in referenca
TO this business, that notwit the comPaFaz
lively small namber Of fish taken our rivers Of
late years, yet including the sounds and rivers there
are nearly as many, in the aggregate, caught of
season as formerly. But the greater the number
engaged in the same enterprise and the greater the
competition, the more meagre must be the profits -,
But, Sir, admit the fact, that there is manifest
diminution in the sounds, does not common sense
teach every man. that there must still be greater
+dimnution the rivers, in consequence Of the non
opo!y carried on in the sonads and near the mouths
of the rivers, by fishermen with these large seinsf
If enc seventh part or that is the proposed Iestric
tion) OF the hsh caught by these seins were alowed
difference in the fishing interest remote from the
sounds. s" 80 Hst-
But however much or little one llay-day may affect
the sound fisheries, onT greatest and most .snisst
sounds labor, IS in of the incessanthau
ing of the seins at and contiguous to the mcths Of
these tributary streams. What does the history OF
this business for the last forty years teach u.s.
Sir, from the most authentic information which We
have been enabled to acquire, in the year 1903 there
were only about ten seDs hauled IN the waters Of east
tern North Carolina Including the Albema1e sound
and It's tributaries. What has the intervening period
accomplished a new and powerful impulse has
been given to this species OF enterprise, conse
quenee of its lucrativenes. And while the atention
OF eastern capitalists has been directed to this great
and important interest and thereby concentrated the
benefits upon the few, by literally eviscerating the
Sounds and rivers, Of the teeming myriads, by one
united and systematic monopoly thodsands upon
thousands are deprived of their portion of the bours
ties of nature. Sir, the genius and spirit of our
government monopolies Of all kinds.
And while the rights of one class restricted for
the benefit of the many. as have shown, let not
Others claim freedom from the restricting power of
the law for the blessings of government " like the
dews of heaven should fall equally upon all = 81
: The time has been when our small rivers and
creeks distance from the Sound were alive with.
these blessings of Providence; when the citizens Of
the central and western portions of the State, could
be supplied with little labor and expense for am
informed that every year. with the inconvenien.
ces and disadvantages of the distance, hundreds,
thousands and millions of fsh, are transported from
the Seaboard to the mountains in wagons. The
time has been when the poor and indigeht residing
near these rivers could supply themselves as it were
at their DOORS But since the overrung c1pidity Of
men, aided with their pecuniary resources, has act
ated them to establish this oppressive monopoy their
supply has been cut off. In many of our small
streams, where few years ago immense quantities
Of fish were caught, numbers of fisheries have been
abandoned entirely, in consequence of driving them
from their accustomed haunts - s--'.ht 80
Tie pecuniary emoiuments arising from this bus
mess, excite in the bosom of men of capital
spirit of continual competition, and while seins are
multiplied and every eligible foothold is seized upon
to be converted into fishing, this interest," am sure
in the whole eastern part ofthe State, necessarily
suffer materially in few years if laYdays be iIn-
posed. In consequence of the tnidty the herring
and shad, if there was general suspension of op-
erations all the waters of eastern North Carolina
for two years. verify believe the whole fishing CONF.
munity would be benefited. But it has beensaid BY
the gentleman from ChoWan, that if an embargo is
imposed it may depreciate the value Of real estate
ers. Sir, has the gentleman taken into serious ac-
count, the losses sustained by persons owning those
fisheries above referred to, long since having been
abandoned Is not the information fresh in his
memory, that year after year numbers of fisheries are
abandoned, and if not deserted entirely, have greatly
deprecated in consequence of suppressing the pas.
sage of fish, and sir, where thousands upon thousands
of dollars have been unfortunately expended; in c
der to carry on their operations, without the power
OF retaining those advantages which they then pcs
There are hundreds and thousands OF persons re.
siding in those counties bordering on the streams
tributary to the Abemarle Sounds, whose chief EN-.
ployment in the spring, Is fishing with small sens
nets and weirs. and whose dependence is on that
small portion of their stream, which they have atther