The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-03-12
TUESDAY..........MARCH1 II, 100
Weather fo1 ecGSt for Fred
e7ickSburg and Vicinity.
Fair and colder Tuesday.
SOME OYSTER TALK.

Virginia possesses vast sources OF
wealth i'm her oyster beds. That her in
terests in them have not been protected
and guarded az they should he. by wise
and judiciOus legislation, seems To he
generally admitted. 1t is to be hoped
that suitable action on this subject will
be taken by the Convention, so that here
after this. the property of the whole peo-
ple. shall be administered SO that they
will derive full benefit from it.-A. Moore,
Jr.. in Clarke Courier.
So the oyster question is to come up In
the Constitutional Convention. Ii fol
lows that the Democrats of Eastern
Virginia ought to send TO the Convention
their wisest men. That done, any dis
cussion that takes place may he made
educational and infOrmatOry, and prob
ably would remove from the public mind
some of the erroneous impressions which
exist. with respect to the oyster industry.
Richmond Dispatch.
Good for the Dispatch. Therenever
was a question as little understood
by people who have a financial IN
terest at stake as is the oyster ques-
ton by the up-cOuntry people. Nearly
every new man in the Legislature is
sent there by his people with 2 f6lk.
up his sleeFaMf6 stalwart attempts
. 70 drive it home he finds out that he
is beating the air, and, ii not wise
enough to 90 at more moderate
GAIT. he becomes the laughing-stOck
of the body. He soon learns that
there are several sides to the question.
and he settles down to study it up.
1t is not long before he comes to the
conclusion that the oyster people are
the best ones to settle the question.
and he turns his talents to another
channel. How he answers for his
stewardship to his people we do not
know. Some have been shrewd
enough to get back to the Legisla-
ture; Others fall by the waysideearly
i'm their political life. Hon. T. C..
Pitcher. the "Old Cochin China OF Eau
auier. has remarkable record in this
respect. He is thorn in the side OF
the oyster people, and probably
that is one OF the secrets why
his constituency invariably re-
turn him. He has outlived any OF
the other oyster agitatOrs-probably
because his keen wit has saved him
from being jeered from his position.
He is getting to be pretty well posted
on the subject, though he is averse
to becoming closely acquainted with
the "oyster pirates AS he calls
Tidewater people-and their methods
of doing business. Upon one occa-
sion he was pouring hot shot indis-
criminately into the TidewaterPeOple
before a committee when he was cor
rected i'm some of his statements by
an Eastern man, who invited him TO
come down to the bay and learn
something about the oyster subject.
Pitcher retorted that he did not want
to know anything about it, and be-
sides he wouldn't dare go down there,
because he knew they would throw
him overheard if once they got him
in a boat. On the whole, though,
the Fauquier statesman plays lair
when shown he is in error.
The whole thing often reminds us
of the race agitation, as between the
North and the South. AS the South |
ern people alone can solve this, so
the oyster question must be left to
the people who live in the midst oft.
The question is being fast solved.to
the satisfaction of the whole State.