West-Jersey pioneer., 1871-04-21


With the above sensational headings the
Philadelphia Inquirer of Tuesday last has
over two columns of the most abusive and
insulting language applied to Jerseymen,
that we have ever seen in a journal of that
city making any pretence to decency and
candor. We hoped that the time had passed
when journals printed in Philadelphia and
New York, for the purpose of creating an
unfriendly feeling towards Jerseymen, would
appeal to the passions and prejudices of
their citizens, but if the Inquirer is fair
specimen of their journals, and reflects the
views of the better class of citizens of Phil
adelphia, then we are mistaken. The as
sertions in the hquirer's article are not only
false, but evidently intended to misrepre-
sent, and create bad feeling between
Pennsylvanians and Jerseymen. 1t is sur
prising that paper claiming the respecta-
bility of the Inquirer will descend to cater
to the prejudices of a certain class of their
citizens, while it disgusts another class who
are dependent quite as much upon Jersey
men as they are upon them. The patron
age of South Jersey will not be driven from
Philadelphia to New York by few such
articles as appear in sensational journal of
that city, but if all the solid and reliable
papers of Philadelphia were to join in with
such howl as the Inquirer gives, the eff
feet would be to create very bad state of
affairs. Years ago it was no uncommon
thing for certain sensational journals Of the
large citizies to slur at New Jersey and call
her cities all kinds of hard names, but
they seldom descended lower in the scale of
vituperation and falsehood than has the
Inquirer.
1t encourages the oystermen of Philadel-
phia to throw overheard the oysters from
the vessels of Jerseymen who come to their
wharves, and to sink their vessels. 1t
speaks of Cumberland County as dense
wilderness until made what it is by Phila-
delphia enterprise. This is news to our cit
izens, who were not aware that all the en-
terprise and thrift of Cumberland County
originated in Philadelphia. The extracts
guirer will be news to our citizens who were
not before aware that "twenty years ago
Cumberland County was perfect wilder
ness" Iu rs @r tRs
1t has been about twenty years since
planting in large quantities began in Maurice
river cove. The peculiar adaptation of the
cove was discovered by enterprising Phila-
Ill. ~, l,,c, =
the trade was introduced here, the county
of Cumberland, which now abounds iD
wealth, comfort. and large population,
was perfect wilderness. After the people
of our city had been engaged in this work
for some time, and had found that the plant
ing of the coves improved the oysters to
such an extent that the Maurice river plants
had eclipsed every oyster in the country then
the enterprising Jerseymen got at it. They
began to move and settle in the country, and
the trade, which our enterprisng people had
established there, has actually populated
that district to the extent of forty thousand
inhabitants. From dense wilderness it
has ripened into fourshing and wealthy
county. This trade, from a small matter in
the beginning, has assumed such magni-
tude that it now amounts to Millions of Dol
lars, which is owing to the equality extend
The Philadelphia market alone has been
the market for the sale of them, and up to
the past winter, out of the millions of dol
lars realized from the oysters planted in the
cove, not dollar has been received from
any other source.
The article goes on denouncing us as
"Jersey Spaniards, " 'thieving Jerseymen,"
&C., &C., and asserts that mean acts have
have been perpetrated by the authori-
ties of Cumberland County. "That in Or
der to carry out our schemes a set Of small
nabobs around Mauricetown, who are not
directly interested in the business, pressed
this thing on the Legislature, and got the
oyster law passed" The following extract
from the above named paper displays not
only the ignorance, but the virulent spirit
of the writer:
"The Jersey oystermen would never have
made the Maurice River Cove trade. They
never displayed any enterprise. This great
business was made by Philadelphians, and
they have been instrumental in making
Cumberland County both populous and
wealthy. The cove trade is the greatest
business interest in the county, and all the
other business combined will not amount to
it. In view of this state of facts, some six
or seven hundred men being out of employ
ment and consequently three or four thou
sand women and children, they deem it
right to protect themselves. As they are
deprived from following the pursuit which
they made, and to which they have just
and equal right with all others, the subject
has exasperated them to that degree that,
deeming self-preservation the first law of
Nature, they are determined that Jersey
men shall not come to this market and dis
pose of their oysters while they are deprived
of an equal privilege with them in their
State. Consequently, for the past two
weeks, although, dozen Jersey boats have
come up to the Spruce Street wharf loaded
with cove oysters, not one of them has been
allowed to discharge her cargo. AS soon as
a vessel appears in sight she is boarded, and
IL there are coves aboard she is ordered to
leave. If these orders are not obeyed it is
the intention to throw the oysters overheard
and sink the boat 5f
The above sentiments are calculated to
stir up bad feeling between Jerseymen and
Pennsylvanians-at thing much to be depre-
Gated We might refer our neighbors to
the contemplate manner in which they
treated our volunteers who few to their res
cue when Chambersburg was invaded by
portions of Lees Army-to the insults
heaped upon our citizens by such papers as
the Inquirer, and other outrages for which
the respectable journals of that city and
the better portion Of their citizens are not
responsible we prefer to remind Jer-
seymen that Pennsylvanians as rule have
no unkindly feelings toward us, and it is
only exceptional cases where they unjustly
denounce US.
In reference to the oyster law passed by
our Legislature, it is nothing more than
other States have passed for their own pro-
lection. Why do they not denounce Mary
land and Virginia for protecting their citi-
zens in the oyster trade by law? The In
ousrsr admits that "The only State which
II ..r. DI;lal la1,,lsape fo nnuare in the bus