The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-03-25
OUR OWN OYSTER.
Senate Defends Him Against
the Piracy Of Other
States.

TRENTON. March %. 1885,. 81 morn
ing session Of the Senate was taken III
mainly with a discussion of Mr.. Rogers,
Dill which prohibits any person who has
not been for six months an actual residen
of the State from gathering oysters, clans
or shell fish on the natural oyster beds.
The feature of the discussion was the
speech of Senate Stokes Of Cumber-
land, who is one of the ablest speakers
in the Legislature. 1t is seldom that he
speaks at length, but when he does he
is always listened to with great interest.
For over an hour this morning he held
the attention of the Senate chamber,
which was crowded to it's utmost capa-
city with Assemblymen, State officers
and citizens. When the bill came up Mr..
Rogers, who is a wholesale oyster dealer,
moved that the enacting clause be stricken
out, and in support of his motion pre-
sented a petition from 14S captains of
oyster boats, who, he claimed, could not
secure sufficient help to man their craft
among the oystermen along the Della
ware. Mr.. Daily claimed that the bill was
unconstitutional, as no one from one
State could be prohibited from obtaining
work in another.
Then Senator Stokes took the floor. He
asked the indulgence of his colleagues,
because of ill-health, and then he proceed
ed to state In a masterful manner the JUS
tice of the bill and necessity for its pas
sage. He brushed aside the arguments
OF Senators Rogers and Daily, and quoted
numerous decisions, both of the United
States and State courts. to show that the
measure was a just one. He showed by
statistics that the oyster industry of the
State was worth 100000 annually. far
in excess of the revenue derived from the
wheat crop. These lands, he held, belong
to the Whole people, and the bill was
simply for the protection Of the thous-
pended for a livelihood on the passage of
the measure.
For almost 200 years. he went on. the
bill was enjoyed by the people of this
State, and to show its justice he referred
to the act of 1892. which gave the identi-
ers, who are guarded against the compete
ton of foreign boat owners.
III this for the capitalist" he said,
was forced into competition with a class
illustrate he Senator from Cumberland
zenback. of Baltimore. who offered to
furnish any number of men. white or
black. for s2 a month or less, If the
This is the kind of competition that
We desire. to save the husbands and
fathers of. four States FROM" he went
on. They lave lived here all their lives
and have an inherent right to come to
this Legislature seeking protection, yet
the Senators from Camden and Hudson
by the way, is o favorite argument of the
enato from Hudson, and we all know
that he is not always correct. 1t is not
long ago since he sat here with a little
band of ten Senators and In a N eloquent
speech, declared that this little band was
and only when the courts declared other.
wise. did he admit his error. / nave quoted
judicial decisions now to show that he
is in error and trust he will view the sit
uation as / do.
"A motion IS pending to strike out the
it will not prevail. / do not appeal to
Senatorial courtesy, for that is dead, and
its epitaph was written in the inaugural
address, but I dc appeal in the name of
justice to the citizens of our State"
When Senator Stokes concluded HIS,
Mr.. Rogers congratulated him on it.
Then Mr.. Rogers proceeded to show
that the arguments of Senator Stokes
were not tenable. The legislation was mar
row, he commended. and he was always
opposed to legislation of that character.
who fathered the Garb bf1?" asked
one of his colleagues, sotte voce. A vote
was then taken. and the motion to strike
out was lost by IA to 4.
MIR. Rogers then tried various amend
ments, all of which were lost by the
same vote, and the bill was about to bs
taken up on final passage when Senator
Rogers objected.
would make the measure a special order
for tomorrow morning.