Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1896-02-08
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY s, 1896,
Entered at the Postoffice at Accoma,
Q. H., Va, as second-class matter.


An unusual interest in oyster legis
lation has been manifested by mem
bers of the Legislature remote from
the oyster grounds this session, and
many bill of an impracticable kind
have been iutroduced-so visionary
and proposing such radical legisla-
tion-that the Tidewater members
have been dumbfounded by the sug'
gestions they contained. Rut de-
ceived as they have been into be-
lieving, that there is millions in our
oyster beds" it is hard to conceive
that they would have bill passed
by our Legislature, recently intro
duced by Mr.. Jones, of Highland
county, which not only throws open
certains bottoms of the Chesapeake
to all the world, but gives to non
residents privileges not accorded to
her own citizens, as will appear from
following clause in said bill:
No person shall be deemed resi-
dent of this State within the mean
ing of this chapter who is not tax
payer in the State and shall not have
resided therein twelve months next
preceding the time when the offence
with which he is charged has been
committed, unless he be bona tide
purchaser of land in the State and
has actually settled thereon. Where
the penalty is incurred by reason of
the defendant being non resident
the burden of PROOF as TO his resi-
dence shall be on him. But this sec
tion shall not prevent any person
who rents from the Commonwealth
one hundred or more acres of the
Chesapeake bay, Or any person or
persons who become bona fide set
Accomac county Of this State, from
becoming residents within the mean
ing of this section.
In other words, in accordance with
the provisions of the above section,
it is proposed to make any man a
citizen who settles on FoX's island,
belonging to Ellinger, who declares
his intention to become a citizen of
Virginia, and to allow him the privi-
lege of taking oysters in Virginia i'm
mediately, but all other non-residents
settling on lands in Virginia, though
bona fide citizens of Virginia, have
to remain one year before they have
same privileges. So much for this
one section of this bill-it has other
provisions equally odious, which we
have not space in these columns to
point out, because OF the late hour at
which the bill came into our hands
but the section quoted is sufficient to
disclose the fact that NJ. Jones has
been imposed upon and that Ellinger
is the real patron of the blinded
information received by us. reason
ably certain, is to the effect that it
was drafted by attorneys employed
by Mr.. Ellinger in his interest.
Such being the case it is proper to
submit for the information Of the
members of our Legislature, who Mr..
Ellinger this great champion of oys-
ter legislation is and what interest
he has in Virginia-and briefly told
Hepays taxes to the amount of 1922 on
all his property, in Virginia, real and
personal, including oyster shells-he
gives in for purposes of taxation no
oysters; he pays taxes on 1877 acres
of land, but has in his possession,
according to the computation made
by practical surveyor 1929 acres,
the greater portion Of which is below
low water mark and the best crab
bling and oyster ground, which by
imposing upon the members Of the
Legislature, was acquired by him
under acts of assembly passed Feb
ruary Goth, 1894, page 46, acts 1S93-94.
With such statement of facts, it can
be readily seen, that he is an expert
in oyster legislation, as he represents
himself to be, but always in his own
interest, and to the detriment of the
great body of the people Of Virginia
interested in the oyster business
and in view of these facts the
query is pertinent, shall this squatter
on Virginia soil, Unidentified in no
way with the best interests of her
people be allowed to control oyster
legislation, or will the people in
Tidewater Virginia who have always
had the best interests of the State at
heart be allowed to have q voice in
the matter? If the answer of the
legislature should be for Ellinger
and not the people, it would
not be hard to conjecture what the
result in Tidewater Virginia would
be at the next election. The 1900
Democratic majority in the county
of Accomac would certainly be a
thing of the past. we call upon the
members of our Legislature to con-
slider these things and to investigate
especially the assignment made to
Mr.. Ellinger under the Act above
recited.