, 1854-11-11

R6- The following communication has
been received and remained on file for sew
eral months, to the consideration Of which
we would now respectfully direct the atten-
ton of the members of approaching leg
islatiye assembly:
SHoALwATER BAY, May |, 1854.
Mr. EDIroR-Accompanying this you
will find the proceedings of a meeting held
by the citizens of this Bay, for the purpose
of taking into consideration the action of
the Legislature of this Territory upon the
Oregon Oyster law.
As many of the people of this Territory
are not acquainted with the origin of the
law, will endeavor to inform them The
so called Oregon Oyster law was originally
got up by a few persons for the purpose Of
preventing others from entering in the bu-
siness, | suppose. The most dishonorable
means were employed to insure its passage,
one of which was, getting up q petition
and signing the names of people to it with
out their knowledge or consent. | was as
sured 10y one of the honorable members of
the Oregon Legislature, that a petition had
been sent in with many names attached,
and that mine was one. This was news to
me, for knew nothing of the matter until
after the law was passed. The law, with
the amendments, is particularly obnoxious
to every inhabtant of this Bay, for it com
pletely paralizes their energies, and de-
prives thrce-fourths of them of the means
of support. In new country like this, it
would be more judicious, / think, to pass
laws for the encouragement of industry,
than to prevent it,
sec by one Of your late papers, that a
memorial has been sent to Washington,
praying for some peculiar privileges, for
the purpose of inducing emgrants to settle
in this Territory. five wish for assistance
from others, we will get it more readily by
Applying our own shoulders TO the wheel
first. This inducing settlers to come here,
and then passing laws to prevent them from
sending the products of their labor to mar
ket, is very much like holding man up
with one hand, for the purpose Of knock
ing him down with the other
If the stock of Oysters in this Bay was
small, then there would be some consistency
in preventing the people from shipping
them during the summer months, but this
is far from being the case. This Bay is
thirty-fve or forty miles in extent, from
north to south, and from three to ten miles
wide, and there are eighteen rivers and
streams emptying into it. Many Of these
are navigable for miles, by vessels drawing
from eight to fourteen feet. At the mouths
Of many Of these streams are immense Oys-
ter beds; also others equally as large upon
the flats between them. From this your
readers may judge Of their abundance
When there is danger Of their being ex-
hausted, the inhabitants will he ready
enough, think, to have a law passed for
their protection At present they do not
need one-at all events they are the ones
to decide. At present this is Territory,
and there are many restrictions placed upon
US by the General Government-we are
not even allowed to vote for the President,
or choose our Governor If this was a
State, then the State government might
restrain the people, if it was the wish Of
the majority, from cutting down trees, ex-
porting Oysters, or catching Herring or
any other fish, during the summer months.
But as this is not the case believe that
any citizen of the United States has the
right to fish in these waters whenever he
chooses. If we had a representative in
the Legislature, have not the least doubt
but that the law would have been repealed
long ago--as it is, we are powerless.
In the vicinity Of this Bay there
is now population of upwards of three
hundred inhabitants, and emigrants are
Aocking in from all quarters. These
things should not be overlooked by the
Legislature in passing laws.
Want of space and time prevents my
saying more at present, but in short time
| will write to you again.
Yours respectfully,
a1 G. j. W. RUSSELL.