Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-04-16
THE TWELVE-MILE CIRCLE
PENNsYLYANIA AND NEW JERSEY
RAMPANT,
The Title of this state 20 Twenty
four Nziies of the Delaware. Used
for the Protection of Delaware
Fishermen.

The passage by the Delaware Legisla-
ture of an act prohibiting non-residents
from fishing within the waters of the
Delaware bay or river or tributaries
thereof, the full text of which is printed
elsewhere, bids fair to give rise to great
amount of trouble with the fishermen
of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
One effect of this law will be to prohibit
fishing by non-residents at any point in
the Delaware from Fort Delaware to the
, Pennsylvania line, this being the boundary
of the famous ''twelve-mile circlen from
New Castle, granted by William Penn, and
covering Jurisdiction in the Delaware
river to low water mark on the Jersey
shore. The validity of Delaware's title to
this portion of the river has been twice
affirmed by the Supreme Court of the
United States, and the law of 1871, re-
quiring nonresident fishermen to take out
license WAS finally succumbed to by the
fishermen of New Jersey and Pennsyl-
vania, after q stubborn resistance.
The bill prohibiting all fishing by nom
residents, was reported to the House of
Representatives at Dover, on March Goth,
by the committee on fish, oysters and
game, in response to n petition from II
large number of local fishermen. The
bill was passed the same day, under sus-
pension of the rules. It was read and
referred in the Senate ON March 3lst and
on April lst was returned by the COM
mittee on revised statutes with nm adverse
report and laid on the table. April 9Th
II was taken up, amended and passed.
The law has created quite furore
among Pennsylvania and New Jersey
II. ss, ,a4,
event of its enforcement. The Philadel-
phia Times of Sunday has the following
in relation to the subject, which is incor-
rect in 80 far as it relates to the fatal re-
sults of the controversy over the license
law Of 1871, MS the law was enforced
without bloodshed:
"A delegation of gill-net fishermen,
headed by Captain Whittecar, assembly
man from Salem county, N. j., went to
Jersey City yesterday to hold a conference
with Governor Albeit concerning the en-
forcement of the recent act passed by the
Delaware Legislature declaring it unlaw-
full for any person not citizen of the
State to catch fish of any kind in the
Delaware bay or river, or any creeks
emptying in them, within the limits of
the State of Delaware. 1t is claimed
that, under the original purchase
deed from William Penn, Della
ware has jurisdiction over all the
river and bay below the Pennsylvania
line. Serious trouble has frequently
occurred from attempts to enforce this
claim, and in 1871, when fishermen from
Pennsylvania and New Jersey resisted the
claim, several men were killed in fight.
Commissioners were then appointed from
the three states and they arranged case
to be tried in the United States Supreme
Court, where the matter is still pending.
Yesterday when the New Jersey gill
net fishermen were about to begin opera
tions they were informed that the Della
ware authorities were preparing to en-
force the laws. They became very indig-
nant and telegraphed to Governor Albeit
for protection. An audience was had
with the governor late yesterday after
noon and he has promised to inquire into
the matter and communicate with the
governor of Delaware"