The aegis & intelligencer., 1902-06-20
THE DEER CREEK IDEA,

THE DEER CREEK IDEA
"The Importance of good roads to the
| farmer is now universally understood. The
farmer knows he needs roads above all other
| wants. The cost of them is the trouble. He
| can stand no more taxes. During discussion
| in this club of this matter OF roads some years
| ago it suggested that the roads of the
| State of MARYLAND might be built from the
revenues which the State could get by leasing
| the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay and its
! tributaries for oyster culture. have always
| called that the Deer Greek Idea 1t was
| here in Hartford that the cause of good roads
and the cause of oyster culture were united.
| The represents a great need: the other
represents a vast source of wealth. which
might be applied to that purpose The only
thing in the way of leasing the bot tom of the
waters of Maryland and applying the revenue
to road building throughout the State is our
present antiquatcd system, or. better, no sys-
TEN of oyster laws.
DEFECTIVE OYSTER LAWS.
"Our present oyster laws recognize no pri-
vate ownership in the lands under the waters
of the State. This vast body of land forming
the States water front belongs in common to
all the citizens of the state. Only few. how
ever. make any use of this princely domain.
These are the drcdgers the scrapers the tong
erS and the oyster navy the State fishery
force. The oyster laws forbid the dredgers,
who are the owners of the big boats. to
dredge in the tributaries. They allow the
tongers and scrapcrs to work in the tribu-
taries and in few shallow spots in the
Chesapeake Bay. The use of the oyster
navy and its sole use. is to keep the dredgers
away from the tongers. The license fees of
the dredgcrs 20 to the State: of the tongers
and Scrapers partly to the tdewater counties
and the rest to the State. The license money
is used to pay the expenses of the oyster
navy SO far it will go. When the ex-
pense of keeping up the oyster navy is greater
than the revenues the rest of the State foots
the bill. The tongcrs and scrapers regard the
dredgers with much the same sensations a
trout regards a shark. The dredger considers
the oyster navy n shark does a swordfish.
This is the whole game The swordfish chases
the shark and the shark chaseS the trout, and
h,tt tHarf, l1sN,Yt oh ra1
greatest industry of the State beyond it's
borders.
LIGHTS THAT FAILED.
Two laws were prepared and presented to
the last Legislature; one an oyster law. and the
other Il road law. The Oyster law did not
int erfere with the dredgers or tongers, but
asked the State to give its citizens the right
to take up such portions of the land under
the bay as are of no use to anyone now. The
land was to be leased and not sold. No boat
mans livelihood was intertered with. No
was proposed. The road law provided for
the distribution of the rentals from oyster
culture among all the counties ofthe State, in
to the population, for the benefit
ot the roads of the State. This was the whole
plan.
FARMERS SHOULD UNITE.
Il am here tonight member of this
club, to propose that the farmers of the
State unite to advance the roads and oyster
,ausc 1t has often been said that wherever
there are three farmers together there is
hat no farmer will combine with any other
arIner for their joint benefit. 1t seems to me
the advantages of a combination here are so
.vident that we can get the farmers of the
state together on this proposition. 1 hope
you will think it wise to call a meeting of
of all the farmers clubs in the
State, to be held some time next fall in some
place, for the purpose of consider
ng this s-and-oyster proposition in all
is details. After plan will have been agreed
ipon each farmers club in the State ought to
)ecome the center of a campaign of education
n its neghborhood. In this way great
md beneficial reform may be introduced in
Maryland, which, under proper administra-
ion, can be made exceedingly valuable to all
he citizens of the State. and especially to that
lass OF our citizens who are in greatest need
nf atssistance-l mean the farmers of the
State"
Senator Thomas II. Robinson, who was an
arnest supporter of the measure at the last
ession, was asked for his views on the mat
er. He said in part:
The question under discussion is of
great Importance to this and every section of
he State, and in my opinion it Is the most
your Legislature has to deal with,
or while many laws are enacted at each ses-
ion of the General Assembly a very small
lumber are of any Importance to the whole
'eople; but when we stop to think that 1t is
possible, by legislation, to protect and pre-
crve the oyster beds of the Chesapeake Bay
md its tributaries that belong to the State,
md in which every citizen has interest,
hereby not only increasing the supply of oys-
crS Dut also producing q large sum OF money
nnually which. ifappled to the public roads,
would be sufficient in a short time to macada-
nizc the main highways of the State without
me cent of expense to our Ieopie, it must be
apparent that your representatives can rem
Ter no greater service than to enact such
aw. Under a resolution passed by the Legis-
;Iture of 1882 commission appointed
q look into the oyster question, and in Janu-
Try, 1854, they made their report to the
legislature of Maryland, which was chiefly
he work of Prof. Brooks, of the Johns Hop
ins University, and one ofthe most thorough
md mastery that was ever received by any
legislature. 1t shows the result of careful
tudy, practical sense. and fearless honesty,
tut II received no attention at that time.
rhis report did much to start the agitation,
which has grown each year, for some laws to
protect the peoples interest in this vast mine
If natural wealth. Prof. Brooks shows that
'vcr 100000 acres of land in the Chesapeake
BAY, as rich as any in the world and better
dapted to oyster culture. is producing moth
ny and will continue to remain a barren
until laws are passed authorizing these lands
o be leased; that it is a common, but leased
o private parties who would be protectedby
aw in the management of the property, so
e;lscd it could be made to yield immense
evenue to the State and where $4,000 peo-
lie exc out precarous livelihood by employ
nent for Il few months in each year, it is pos
iblc to give profitable employment to
OO. 900 people the year round.
Too much credit cannot be given Mr..
iaman for his great work in the last ten
ears in advocacy of some civilized method
Or the management of this great asset be-
onging to the State Ten years ago it was
ticult to get member of the Legislature to
stcn to the proposition but at the last session
he law came within a few votes ofpassing, the
ntire opposition coming from the tide-water
seems apparent that no help can
e expected from that section. and the only
PRACTICAL course to pursue is for the farmers
II those counties of the State that are away
rom tidc-water to take up the question in
arncst and see to it that their representatives
lected to the Legislature stand for the peo-
lies interest on this question. If they do,
uch law can be passed in 1904. Strange
o say, all the opposition to this legislation
ONES from the very people who would be
most benefited by it's enactment. The inter
st of the whole State is not only neglected
nut allowed to go to ruin in order to allow
sw fishermen to remain undisturbed in what
hey consider their natural rights.
1t is only necessary to present this question
o an intelligent audience, as 1t has been pre-
cnted by Mr.. Haman, to convince any un-
'iased mind that there is only one side to the
question. The press has done much to aid in
his campaign of education, and if we would
'etter our condition improve our great sys-
EN- of highways and increase the revenues of
he State, we must see to it that laws are en-
cted to this end"