Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1895-11-01
How Of This, Oystsrmen /?
Here's HeE the Republicans Would
BeffieHd You.
WOULD LEASE The OYSTER BEDS.
LEADERS AND NEWSPAPERS IN
FAVOR o. THE PLAN.
Hudson, Kecsmas and the American
Urge the Sehsms-The Party
Pledged to L.

The Baltimore American last
week criticised Comptroller Smiths
speech made in Easton and says he
did not give that papers true posi-
ton on the question of leasing the
oyster grounds. Then it says:
VIII Comptroller Smith give the
names of all prominent repu blicans
who have favored this thing And,
lastly, will he kindly show us when
and where the American has urged
the sale and leasing of the oyster
beds
The same statement relative to
the republican position on this ques-
ton has been made before, and
here lie the answer to it:
AT the Packers meeting held in
Baltimore Academy of Music on
the 18th of March, 1891, Colonel
Thomas S. Hodson, the chairman
of the Republican State Central
Committee, was one of the chief
speakers; the private ownership of
oyster beds was strongly recon-
mended, and the main sentiment of
the speeches was that the control
of the oyster grounds should be
transferred to private individuals,
THAT the land under water in the
Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries
and the other waters of the State
should be made private property in
oyster grounds, and that there
would be two classes of oyster lots,
one large, where large capital would
be required to cultivate with seam
dredges, the other smaller, and
these lots to be sold by the State. I"
Col. HOdson, chairman Of the Re-
publican State Central Committee,
IN his speech said al am satisfied
that a good oyster planting law
would increase the revenue from
the oyster trade. / hare only en-
dedUored TO set the ball in motion. II
these real facts are known and un-
derstood by the people | do not fear
that this revolution (private owner
ship and planting) will stop short
of the grandest possible success. !"
Ex-Congressman Louis Z. Nc
Comas, republican leader of West
ern Maryland, where they have no
oyster bars nor oystermen voters,
was chosen chairman of the conyen-
ton and said in so many words That
he favors and his party on both
sides of the bay is pledged to have
laws that will protect the planting
OF oysters in the water of the same
as the planting of grain on land.
How? By selling and leasing the
oyster beds 10 pirate individuals,
corporations and syndicates.
As to the American.
The Baltimore American in its
issue of September IL same year
had double loaded editorial on the
same lines as Col. Hodson. Mr..
McComas and others. The Ameri-
can said "There is but one GER
tain way to preserve the oyster beds
OF the Chesapeake and its tribute
ries and make them sufficiently
productive to meet the needs of the
public, and that is to lease them to
private parties wherever practicable.
For the people to hold property in
common is very attractive to some
minds, but it is glittering delu-
sion; the experiment has been re-
peatedly made to hold lands in
common for the whole community
with the unvarying result that in a
short time the lands have gone to
waste and the community has dis
banded. No sound reasons can be
urged for making a discrimination
in favor of land covered 5y water,
and the experience of those States
where the sale and leasing OF the
oyster grounds and oyster planting
has been adopted is so absolutely in
favor of leasing the grounds that
the opponents are compelled to re-
sort to the demogogic plea of an ef-
fort to deprive the oystermen Of
their livelihood"
The republicans not only say
that il, is right to sell the oyster
bars, but say that whoever treis to
prevent it are demagogues, thus ad-
ding insult to injury. The Amer
lean thus continues '.Nor is the
NhAk