Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1902-03-22
MOONS PHASES.
THE HAYMAE OYSTER BILL AND
ITS ADVANTAGES.


ON Wednesday night and after long de-
bate was postponed until noon on Tues
day. A substituted the various amend
ments to the bill was offered which to
our minds is even more vicious than the
Hannah bill itself. Indeed, it almost
seemed that il might be the corporation
bin with which Mr.. Hannah threatened
the people of Maryland il the Legislature
refused TO pass his lease bill. The sub
stitute provides for the leasing of the
waters OF the bay from near Chesapeake
Beach 10 Cove point off the. shore OF Cal
vert county, about fifteen miles OF the
bay ON the Western Shore. These fifteen
miles, we are informed by Senator Marsh,
OF Calvert, and Others who know, are
fifteen miles OF as good oyster land as
can be found anywhere. The whole fif-
teen miles, in fact, .ars one continuation
OF natural oyster rocks from which every
season many of the best oysters which
go to market are caught. This substi-
tute lays bare as nothing thus far had
none the designs OF those who favor the
Hannah bill, or similar leasing scheme.
The opponents Of the leasing schemes
have contended all along that no one
wanted the barren bottoms, that it was,
to say the least. exceedingly doubtful
whether oysters could be made to grow
upon barren bottoms. Eyeryoneis, how
ever agreed that all oyster rocks or
bars, whether they now have sufficient
oysters upon them or not to justify and
pay one for resorting to them for live
lihood, can be made to grow oysters sue
cessfully aud at great profit. Further,
all are agreed that worn out rocks and
bars, il we may use this expression, win
and do become valuable and productive
rocks and bars, by natural laws, II given
n few years rest And no one knows
these facts better than the people behind
the leasing schemes. Therefore, it was
that they described natural bar as one
To which people resort regularly for a
livelihood.
A bar may be very productive one year
and the next may not yield enough to
warrant people in resorting to it for
livelihood. The oystermen know this and
they work first on one bar and then on
another. The people who want lease
law also know this and they hope to get
hold of natural bars, which will be easy
to cultivate, and, indeed, If let alone and
protected need no cultivation, but will,
under natural laws, in the course of two
or three years become so productive as
to make fortunes for the lessses. The
amendment offered on Wednesday
night proves the contention of the OPP
ponents of the lease scheme. This
amendment proposes to lease at $500
per acre oyster lands which without a
dellar of expenditure would yield enor-
nous revenue.to the lessees, who could
begin next fall to reap the rich harvest
which the State would be absolutely
giving to them; for $500 an acre would
be absolutely nothing for those oyster
rocks. Every effort is being made these
days to get from corporations some
equivalent for valuable franchises and
IL Is the regret of everyone that so many
valuable franchises have been practically
given away in the past. To lease the
$4,000 or 10000 acres of the bay off the
shore of Calvert county for $500 an
acre would be such a stupendous gift
that all former giving away of franchises
would seem Insignificant. We cannot
understand the position of the Baltimore
San on this question. II is pressing this
giving away of the property of the State
TO private individuals with all the force,
bias and prejudice sf partisan. Why is
thisg Why is it that this great paper can
see nothing but smallness and pettiness
In those who would preserve this great
property to the whole people of the
StateS Are we all really small and I'M
progressive because we want this great
waterway of the State free to all the
people of the Slater Are we all small
because we believe that any leasing
scheme will lead to private ownership
and eventually to trust control of the
oyster Industry If we are small because
of this belief, then it is largely due to
the teachings of the San; for we all read
il and il has taught us that trusts are the
order of the day, that the tendency is all
to do away with the small business and
the small business man, and to create in
their stead the trust and the Captain of
Industry. And no paper in all this land
has spoken in stronger terms against this
tendency and against the trusts than the
Sun.
In view of these things we wonder
why the Sun Is so set against us. 1t does
seem as il the Sun should have pursued
It's usual course and Numbered against
the giving away of the property of the
people to private individuals, against a