Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-12-08
THE OYSTER TONGERS
A Review Of The Changes In the Law
Urged BY Them.
MERITS OF THEIR PETITION.
MERITS OF THEIH
should the Tongcrs Have What Thes
Ask,-our Correspondent says mo
and Gives the Reason for the Faith
That Is I'm Him.
r0 N. rdltor Of the pispatch:

Cor consideration by the virginia S'a'7
League OF Oyster-Tongers the following
proposed changes In the oyster-iaws' To-
he presented to the Legislature In the
form OF petition.
The ran,d d struc ion Of our oys;er-rocks
suggests to every well-ordered mihu
the necessity OF arresting 1t at once. III
q, can be shown tina. the proposed changes
will hasten this destruction, useiui
nurnose viii be served To render TINS
service is the object of the following
review. which will be governed by one
general proposition. and guided by FOUR
rules;
The general proposition is that the DOT
toms OF the Chesapeake, productive anu
barren, are the property Of virginia al"
hence that this property shall be so a"-
m,nistered that all the people OF the Coih-
mouwealth alike shall enjoy its usufruct'
The rules adopted harmonic. " IS
lIeyed with the general proposition s'a'eu'
and are:
That productive bottoms shall not %
made barren.
That barren bottoms shall be MADE
productive.
That oystermen are not entitled to
exceptional privileges.
4. That the bottoms being the property
of all the people. the making OF oyster
laws and the selection OF officers Tor ther
enforcement shall not be determined by
the votes Of part Of the people
THE PETITION.
The naragraphs Of the petition VIII be
considered In their consecutive oroer'
"Paragraph No /. To require the oyster
inspectors TO be elected By the vote Vi
the people OF the several counties anu
cities at the general elections OF the
county and city officers IN such coun'es
and cities respectively. and 10 niane
the official bonds Of such inspectors sL'OVV
instead OF IS. coo, as now required by law.
",rhe inspectors are now appointed by
tho iudees. The reduction In the bond Is
asked for the reason that no inspector
ever has In his hands at any one time
near the amount Of the present bond.
THE above conflicts with the rule that
the selection OF officers shall not be de-
termined by the vote Of part OF the
people. Even though this did not OBTAIN
II must be shown that our county judges
are unfit or unfair. and that lower
bonded Inspector would be an advantage
20 Justify the changes suggested.
RENTAL OF GROUNDS.
paragraph Q. To require that the
notices OF application for oyster-plant-
ing-grounds shall be filed In the clerk
Office OF the County Court Of the county
in which the lands applied for lie, and
he recorded by the Clerk Of the Court.
The rental Is to be % cents per
acre for planting-ground. instead OF
per acre, as now. This change Is asked
in order that the tongmen can know, by
reference TO the records, of all applications
that are made, and thus have an oppor-
tunity 10 protect their interests. The re-
duction Of % cents an acre Is
asked for In order that the tongmen, who
are frequently small planters, may be
put on an equal footing with large plant
ers who can, at present. lease ground
at rs cents an acre after a certain num-
her Of acres are leased at 81 each"
This paragraph suggests a niger In
the woodplle The Baylor survey Is
final, and determines the area OF the oys-
ter-rocks and barren bottoms The pre-
tence that any particular method OF APP
plication or record affords protection to
any one runs counter to the sense OF
the survey, the lines OF which are as
unerring as the course Of the stars, by
whose position II can be traced. Any le-
gislatlon which presupposes doubt as to
its efficacy furihers agitation
against II. II. on the other
hand. the purport Of the legislation sought
by oystermen is to hinder. harass. or
delay applicants for barren area II Is
against public policy, and should be
given short shrift. If the proposal for
reduction OF rental Is intended TO apply
10 all alike, It can be considered on its
merits; If for the exclusive benefit OF
oystermen, II Is repugnant to the rule
that oystermen are not entitled to ex-
ceptional privileges.
SALE OF SEED OYSTERS.
mo. 3. Permission will be asked to sell
seed-oysters out Of the State in the spring
months The tongmen claim that under
the present law they are prohibited from
selling seed out OF the State in the spring,
while the large planters are not thus
prohibited: that the planters buy the
seed-oysters from the tongmen, throw
the oysters overheard on their Dlanters')
ground. then recatch them soon after
ward and sell them out Of the State
at large advance over the price paid
the tognmen. Under law permitting the
sale of seed-oysters out of the State in
the spring. the tongmen believe that the
prices they now get for seed will be
largely increased"
In this instance the FISHERMAN seems
20 be governed entirely by the question
OF price II planters outside OF the State
buy seed-oysters. competition results. and
the object OF the oystermen Is attained.
III nothing else were involved. the propo-
stion might be considered. but what are
the real facts? The law forbds catching
oysters under 2 l-2 inches. hence the
planter. to buy at all. must buy oysters
OF or over that size. He cannot afford
70 do So because the scarcity OF oysters
caused by reckless catching In the past
creates an active demand for them at
Baltimore. Norfolk and other points.
This also establishes the fact that for
this class OF oysters oystermen neither
seek nor desire markets outside OF the
State. What. then. Is the size of the
oyster for which market is sought out
side OF the state? The reader is referred
TO an answer to paragraph 6, which
asks for the removal OF the prohibition
OF taking oysters less than i-2 inches
In size. II the answer Is found there one
can account for the difference between
the subject and the object OF the para
graph under discussion. The interests
OF Virginia imperatvely demand that the
object sought shall be refused. Oysters
under IL inches are unripe fruit and
should not be plucked. The right OF
planters 10 sci their seed outside Of the
State Is founded upon the same principle
which governs the farmer who sells and
ships his wheat or corn anywhere and
to whomsoever he pleases. When oyster
men once recognize that they handle the
property OF the State. and not their own.
II VIII help them very much to reach
proper conclusions
IN" To make lawful the taking OF
oysters between the LIST day OF September
and the Sisi day OF May Doth inclusiye).
inAlead of alI.lA hnt .loa.. a. LIZ. -