Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1899-07-15
To NV Fellow Citizens.

TO Ny Fellow Citizens.
Acknowledging the confidence and
generous support heretofore accorded
me by the voters of AccOmack,
hereby announce my candidacy for
reelection to the House of Delegates
subject to the nomination OF the
Democratic party. If again chosen
to represent you, can only reafiirm
my pledge to serve the best interest
of all the people, honestly and fear
lessly.
My official record as representa-
tive is before the public. BY that
record l am willing to be judged.
Whether or not l have stood con-
stantly at my post, to guard the in
terest of the people from vicious leg
islation, and to promote in every
possible way the welfare of my con-
stituents, that record will show, and
to it the public is respectfully referr-
ed. 1t is well known that during the
last session of the Assembly 8 serious
and even dangerous crisis was reach
ed in the concerns of our oyster and
fishing Observation-Disclosures that EN-
brace perhaps third of our county
population, and third of our prop
erty values. This crisis reached the
danger point when an attempt was
made to lease out to syndicate OF
ter men for $4,000 for a term OF fifty
years $4,000 acres of our public rocks;
TO open our planting grounds to non
residents; to increase the rental-taH
or the sea side from 25 cents to S1.OO
per acre, ana to tax all fish. net di-
vices from $1,000 TO $4,000, measures
which earnestly opposed and helped
TO defeat.
While it is evident that no full de.
tail OF my official service can be pre-
sented here, l may be permitted,
among several bills of special
interest to our people, to refer TO
a few. with which l was more or less
actively concerned:
The new oyster law, now ap>
parently giving universal satisfaction
TO the State; and which, without in
creasipg the burden of taxation upon
our oysuermen, is yielding a hand~
some net revenue to the treasury;has
satisfied the sectional demands of the
western counties, and removed the
oyster question for a long time we
hope from local and State politics;
q bill which received my active and
hearty support in the House.
,. The Standard Barrel Bill; in
troduced by me at the request of the
farmers; designed, as is well known,
to secure the sorely needed benefits
of uniform and standard package
for our trucks, to restore our lost
standing and reputation in the mar.
kets and TO remove in a measure all
excuse on the part of commission
men for unfair and unsatisfactory re.
turns for our shipments.
3. A bill amending the I'd hand
clothing act, by reducing the license
tax on dealers from $500 to 500; as
considered not unfair to our mer-
chants, and rs a simple act OF justice
to many poor people of the county
desiring to avail themselves Of cheap
clothing.
4. A bill introduced by me to COM
pei railroads to fence their tracks, or
pay for stock killed or injured; law,
the want of which, heretofore has
given rise to most expensive law suits
and which has been sore hardship
TO our farmers; and l may add, a law
which seems to be working well.
5. 1t is doubtless we'll known that
| gave my hearty support to joint
resolution directing the Attorney
General to institute the suit to recover
certain oyster and grabbing ground
adjacent 10 Fox Island, and which
has heretofore contributed for years
to the support Of our bay side oys,
termen and crabbers.
AS to the matter OF State patron
age coming to Accomack land in the
efforts to secure which, as your rep
resentative, my earnest endeavors
were joined with those of my col
leagues) l Iced hardly refer. 1t
is we'll known that our present cir
cult judgeship now filled by Judge
John ". Il. Blackstone, the chair
manship of the State Board of Fish
cries now held by DR.. Frank Fetch
er, the clerkship of the Board of Ed
ucation filled now by Frank P. Brent,
ESQ.,, and a representation on State
prison force, all OF these have been
given 10 this county, are evidences
Of the activity and influence of your
representatives.
THAT l have to regret my inability
&c measure up to the wishes and de-
mands of all my constituents, must
so without saying.
Some requests made of legislators,
reasonable enough in themselves, are
not always practicable, at least for
the moment. The enactment ofsuch
legislation as that pertaining to
dredging oysters on private grounds,
and other new ideas or theories in
regard to such matters are still sub
ject, for the present, to careful con-
sideration. They are experiments to
which the Legislature has hesitated
to commit itself without further de-
liberation. Moreover, have even to
admit, that, as happens to most men
in public life striving for the greatest
good to the greatest number, l have
made enemies of former friends, and
must now confront the opposition of
certain respectable and influential
gentlemen whose measures l could
not endorse, and whose wishes Icould
not serve, without injury in my
opinion to public interests.
in M Ipiua