Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-02-25
NEW OYSTER BILL.
SERIOUS DEFECTS m IT POINTED OUT,
BY AN OLD PLANTER.
Cannot the Legislature Give Title to shore
Property 7-Jeaiousy Of Tongmen-
Natural Rock.
vA reh n lsal

| I see by the papers that bill has been
reported by the Joint Committee on Fish
and Game. with an amendment that II It
IL ascertalned within four months after
| the survey has been registered In any
county that natural oyster-rocks amount
| ing to twenty-five acres in the case OF
bays and rivers. and ten acres In cases OF
| small tributaries. have been left out by
| the survey, then twenty-five citizens In
the county In which such rocks lie may
petition to the court to appoint COM
| mission to have the said shore surveyed,
and II found to be natural rock the State
shall pay the cost OF survey, etc
II seems that amendment has been re-
ported from the business and political as
pect of the case. Now. just so long as
you put politics into the oyster-law, we
will never have a law concerning this
bivalve worth anything for the designing
politician will always leave some gap
down or loop-hole open to please the
tongmen, thereby catching their votes
and insuring his election, while the good
designs Of the people are defeated and the
prosperity of the State retarded.
Now, as far as my experience goes. after
working In the oyster-business In almost
all It's branches for the last fifteen years.
the greatest scourge that the oyster-plant-
er has had to labor under Is that
he never knows when he has any claim
to his planting-grounds. Under the law
II he desires TO occupy n piece of shore
70
inspector for the county in which IL IL
situated for 1t. That officer assigns it to
him as required by law, and he pays all
the fees and rents required OF him.
A GUARANTEE.
He has written guarantee that he can
hold and occupy this shore. so long as he
pays the rent thereon. or at east for a
period OF twenty years. Thinking his
title perfectly good, he plants shells on
1t at a cost of from $l25 IL $40 per acre.
He gets a good catch on his shells. and
then his troubles commence. Jealous
tor gmen and others, who have no interest
whatever in the matter, will suddenly find
that this is a natural rock. and away to
the courts they run. and swear he Is
occupying natural rock. Then would COM
mence litigation. II seems strange that
our Legislature can pass laws making the
sale or lease of real estate or other pro-
perty valid, so that no man or court can
question its validity. but when they come
to an acre of oyster shore under
water 1t seems impossible 10 eive
mar clear tile to L.. Now,
how will this four-months bust
| ness work? Let us say for the sake OF
argument that the survey was sent In
and registered by the LIST OF April or May.
It may then be surveyed and assigned
to the planter, and he required TO pay all
the fees and rent for the ensuing year
at the rate OF 81 per acre. Yet that man
does not own one foot of that shore
until four months afterwards, or the LIST
of August or September. Now. i know
plenty of men or. the Rappahannock river
who were anxious TO plant shells In 1892,
but were afraid Of the law. They hoped
the survey would give them title TO the
shore in 1893, but in this they were dis
appointed. They were certain OF getting
IL in 1894, but now comes in an amend
ment that If twenty-five men will come
forward to the court they may deprive
these planters of this shore, much of
which they have been holding for five or
ten years under the old law. but which
they. for the most part, have been afraid
to develop to any extent on account of
the looseness of their title, and the
jealousy of tongmen. which would be in
stanty aroused should they plant it with
shells, and get II seeded with oysters.
a CATCH OF SPAT.
Remember the oyster commences 20
spawn about the 10Th OF May and ends
about the Goth of July, so shells will have
to be planted within this time to insure
catch of spat. Since. as l have shown
above. no one can under this amendment
pos IDLY get possession Of any shore until
August or September, no shells can be
planted this year again. and the planter
IN
that il. II any one has any shore at that
time to plant them on. Why. five times
twenty-five tongmen can be found to go
In court and swear that every acre now
occupied by planters in this county is
natural rock, and know the same is true
OF almost every county i'm Tidewater.
Have not the planters been harrassed time
and again by these same men? 1t was
hoped that this Legislature would give the
planter a clear title but instead of this
ii opens the gate wide TO more litigation
than ever before. 1t has generally been
conceded that the State must derive four
ffths of her revenue from oysters from
the planter, for the tongmen complain
bitterly OF the present tax OF 81 per year
on them, and will not bear TO have IL in
creased. IL this amendment is passed no
one will have any shore left, so the State
will derive no revenue from oyster-plan-
ing grounds Under the present law each
county court appointed three commission
ers TO divide the natural rocks from the
planting grounds. The work has been
done. the lines have been drawn, and Mr..
Baylor has made considerable progress in
plating the same. Where is the sense OF
appointing another set OF commissioners
to do the very thing that has already been
done, or rather undo what has already
been done?
BUSINESS FOR LAWYERS.
II this amendment becomes a law the
court-dockets will he overcrowded which
will make fat business for the lawyers:
but / assure you IL will be the sounding
OF the death-knell TO the planting OF oys-
tiers in Virginia, for II virtually puts the
planter entirely at the mercy OF the longer
We all know that there still exists In the
breast or the tongman an undying hatred
for the planter. Has he not declared every
acre the planter holds Is a natural rock?
And now under this amendment he has a
chance of taking the last square foot from
him and turning all of his oysters out 10
the public. DO you suppose he will let
such a chance slip by without taking adj
vantage of It? No; never The leading
spirit and sentiment OF the convention re-
Gently held In the Chamber OF Commerce
in Richmond was to protect and encourage
oyster-planting in Virginia. This seems to
be strange way of encouraging It. Ii
is to be hoped that this abominable amend
ment may be voted down and buried In
oblivion forever
If you want TO promote oyster-plantine,
declare the lines as drawn by Mr.. Baylor.
with the cid and assistance of the county
commissioners. to be the legal, undsputed
line between tine planting-grounds and the
II
from this, and then the planters. as well
as the tongmen, will know what 20 de-
pend upon.
BY all means. make the stealing of oys-
tiers felony Throw this and every other
protection around him. and he will be en-
couraged to go ahead and will pay the
State large revenues In the shape of rents
and other taxes. j. G. TOWLES.