Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1891-07-03
Maryland oyster Bureaa.
Baltimore. dare 3oth, 1891,

and is richness heretofore known under
the mos; favorable circumstances. where
nature has alone provided 'nians fer
growth aud reproduction, eau be multi
piled IA hundred Ull by the aid Of man
si'h his hblr and ingenuity.
TIE proposition made at the cys,cr
meeting in the Cuncorlia Opera Hal.
by Col. Page, Mr.. MoDtco aud Mr..
James A. Pearce in his letter published
IN the Baltimore SIN. is that the susie
shall add to its kindness heretofore ex-
tended 90 the people who have exhaust
ed her rich deposits OF oysters, IN add
tional Kindness in the SHAPE n large aF-
propriat ons for recuperating and re-
plenishing the beds. Shells are to be
planted at various places, and the people
engaged in the business are to be allow
Cd to take them as heretofore. II would
seem, 10 an unparalleled observer, that
when public privileges Of such great
value ire allowed 10 be mohopoized by
class of the population, that class
ought to pay something for the privi-
legs. Heretofore the oyster licenses
have not been equivalent TO the policing
Of the waters and keeping cut non resi-
dents and unlicensed vessels, so that
practically the oyster people Of the state
have never paid a cent of what inay
properly be called REVENGE for the PR
vilegcs which they have enjoyed. They
now propose to take an indefinite SUN
from the treasury which Is to be added
to the wealth which they have already
destroyed and to come from the labor oil
persons principally who never enjoyed
any Of the benefits Of the oyster wealth
Of the State.
In The last Legislature, Captain Vim
II. Thompson, who as one Of Grn1 u
oyster commissioners, enjoys the privi.
lege Of compelling every oyster sold il
the city of Baltimore to pay attribute d
one cent per buohel to himself or one o.
the other Of the oyster commission firms
intro uced a bill in the last Legislature
in which he fixed the sum to be cxpend
ed in this way, at five hundred THOUSAND
dollars.
Even If this were done. the result
sought could not be reached 10 this way
The system of having all oyster ground:
in common is radically detective Il
compcls those engaged in the business i
they would prosper individually TO b'
enterprsihg and active n their work
1t leads n actoal pracice 10 their be
ginning work long before the close o
the season h ever. I; leads them 10 q
into forbidden ,wdtst;. Ead worse char
either, it leads them Va take oysters il
their earliest infancy, and etea th'
shells. until the bed is entirely bare 0
ri cultch from which ahy forure siocE
can he expected. The ind,Tiduat inter
est Of each man engaged in clustering Il
~ mucft grester than the public Interest
al tirat man ~ the oyster business. ana
his present ftt,rcst Il. taking a large
sGmber Of buzEiels Il so much more nm.
portant to him 'fsm any possible fdlnrc
interest he may have in ogsors that
Would grow Eudcr the proper working
a the grounds, sha; the puhffc and fu-
tuto OF tie beds suffer greatly for N,
sake Of the individual md q Tic presch.
This money, therefore. It expended
Sosid he expended in vain as long as
this vicio,2e system, r'SfIsaisly wrong, /:
suffered TO cnrfrrol entirely the taking o
oysters in this Ssta'c.
Bat tie proposition is wrong for an
ofher reason. If~sss. 4-p...S.sis = s NJ
iliiot sSstssSi ff'Sseif, 1t ought is justice &c
be afosel to perish. There IS no rca-
SON or justice in the pfof ssition that
those Who are noe engaged in the bust
aess cad Rave not derived ary advantage
rom it should be ,aFFed nson TO- :cntrlb-
ate Ae taxes earned BY the3r labor aad
assessed upon their property te pep foi
sIe wicked aud willful waste ShicA' cys-
seT catctrers have com Eaitted BIZ: the
oyster busfaeSs is seltsupporsing order
proper system. There. Is 10 occasion
lbr it to- die unless the STATE is to be gov
crned by mnatics aatF We are ah to be,
come equally insane. II wiz 6ot bt
suffered to die. becassee' Fbcre is profit il
4, By the exercise Of psepcr wisdom anu
Ar'ight aad tie ssOper inpestrnesc- o
capital, far beyond any profit to BE de
rived from working on the and In.
scad of depleted oystc7 beds and po~er
~ stricken oystermen, Under the system
which hss heep ttist not onip ia' Fraact
and Geraeny aad Great prisin. bu
also in Rhode Island, Connecticar, = v
York, New Jersey. Firgin;ss. ar,a lSrtt
! Carolina, the business can be made
source Of great and uafalling prost fol
cle privileges Of which men of enterpris,
and energy, worthy citizens. are willing
to pay the State an adequate and hand
some revenue. Each acre given ~ t.
private enterprise will be adeqIatel.scom
pe1sated for by handsome, rcmcaers.i or