Smyrna times., 1893-03-15
For the Smyrna Times.
A Sumptuary and Infamous Law.
pEAcH aRowERs LOOK our M

PEACH GROWERS LOOK OUT II!
An act was introduced and read be.
fore the House of Representatives now
in session at Dover on the oath of Feb.
ruary last, and has received its second
reading, to make tho shipping of any
premature or diseased fruit" illegal.
and punishable as a misdemeanor.
The intent of the act is obvious. IL
is aimed expressly against the ship
meut of premature peaches. 1t comes
quite straight that this is a pet scheme
of the Sussex county fruit growers.
They think that their trees are not
much diseased with the 'yellows" but
that the orchards of middle and upper
Kent and New Castle counties are all
seriously affected, and therefore if the
peaches of these sections of the state
could be kept out of the market, their
(Sussex) fruit would command big
prices, and that all to themselves they
would reap rich harvest. What a
mean, contemplate spirit: to try to
break down growers up here, to build
up those below! In their fancied
security they are deceiving themselves
The deadly "yellows" is marching on
to their territory as steadily as an
army.
But if they could keep out the Kent
and New Castle peaches they would
still have to compete with the mixed
fruit of Maryland. The legislation Of
that state will certainly not prohibit
her citizens from marketing such fruit
as they grow, and if there should be a
general crop of peaches, Maryland
could throw into the city markets
such large quantities that the dwarf
trees of Sussex would look smaller
than ever, and the result of the pas
sage of the act would be to benefit the
Maryland growers at the expense of
the Kent and New Castle, and Sussex
men too.
all our farmers believe that our
peach orchards are doomed; in very
short time they must come out. Why
are the trees standing in tho ground ?
Evidently in the hope of realizing
crop and its market value. Shall the
farmer trim and till his orchard aud
buy baskets and then be ordered bv
the legislature TO keep his frnit at
home? Oh yes, says the man below.
Well, why? Because your fruit is
nearly all premature. Well, we an.
the proposed legislation means, if there
should be peach crop, simply the loss
OF thousands of dollars to the two upper
counties.
Now notice the words of this act :
1T is unlawful to sell or ship or to
otter to sell or ship, any diseased or
premature fruit"
What monstrous prohibition these
words mean You shall not sell AT
home any such fruit you shall not
dare to offer it for sale at home. The
mere Offering it is a crime. No person
can ride into a peach orchard and huv
q basket from you. Would it not be !
as sensible to add, that you shall not
give it away and shall not eat it YOUR |
self? Certainly, because it is a sump- |
tuary law
Then it says you shall not ship" to |
the cities. Who is to be the Judge of |
the condition Otthe fruit? The farmer |
can't be; his hands can't: they have |
no rights. There can be no inspectors !
to test the the fruit as it goes to the |
boat or cars-at least the act provides |
none. But by section , anyone can
inform against the farmer, and he |
could be stopped with his load in town
and brought before a magistrate and |
fined $l00 and costs, and if he did not
pay the fine, be imprisoned for three
months.
But the hardship and oppression
does not stop here. If the peaches are
shipped and arrive in Philadelphia
or New York, then the commission
men, those very gentlemanlv and hon
est men ~ have the right to Judge and
condemn your fruit and allow it to be
dumped into the river, and present the
bill to you for freight. Yes. these
same commission men will be the in.
qulsltOrs-these men who have taken
away the baskets and have lately
taken away the berry crates
But now comes clause that is Der-
lectly fearful: ITO pick, pack or offer
for sale or shipment, fruit of an inferior
quality or kind, mixed with good or
superior fruit, with intent to deceive
the purchaser thereof" This is too
absurd. To pick mottled peach is a
crime, to pack one is a crime, to let one
fall into a basket of good fruit is a
crime. How are they going to tell if
there are such in the middle of the
oasketP Why, like the old huckster.
they must shake up the baskets and
bring them to the top. Who shaker
the commission men, of course. Thew
are to ascertain the condition. If this
IS not the worst sort ofinquisitorial leg
slation we fail to see what is.
snail this outrage upon the rights of
Tho farmers be perpetrated? Whv
should the state be anxious to protect
,he people Of the large cities outside of
ler borders, against the acts other own
Who pays the taxes? Whv
not as we'll pass a law to prevent the
'ale of mixed or unsOund eggs?
1t is said to be e fact that the com.
mission men are quietly using their in.
iuence for the passage of this act
moving that it could not be enforced
md that it would give them the on
lortunity to dispose of the fruit To
heir advantage. We believe that if
proper representations are made TO
'ur legislators they will put no such
burden on the backs of our farmers.