Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-12-02
Z THE OYSTER S IvEY.
\ Letter from Captain Baylor, Max
ing Statement.

\ Letter from Captain Baylor, Max
ing Statement.
To the Editor of the Dispatch:
The enclosed clipping. headed The Bay
or Survey" is from a recent number of
he Dispatch. I have had no connection
With the oyster interests Of Virginia for
ONE years past. AS I made the so-caled
Baylor Survey,"EI will of course. al
Ways feel interested In legislation pertain
ing to this survey.
I am convinced that the Legislature
will maxi, grave mistake if by a sweep
ing law they abolish this whole survey.
If you will bear with me. as briefly as
possible f! will endeavor to give you my
easons for this conviction.
loo: upon the vast tidal bottoms of
the State as the property of the people
of the whole State. The citizens of nom
tide-water Virginia. as well as those of
ridewate ter Virginia. have right to abb
solutely control their own property. and
TO derive an adequate income from its
ownership. which can only be done ty
intelligent development, made possible by
oyster culture. a5
No one can feel more strongly on this
subject than 1 do. My reports to the va
cious Governors of Virginia. and all OF
my letters to the Virginia papers have
had this one end in view. Ny. own int
rests as a taxpayer on large bodies OF
comparatively reproductive agricultural
lands, assessed at a value It would ho
impossible for me to obtain at either a
tax or mortgage sale, impel me to hope
hat the State-taxes on agricultural lands
may be- by some remote possibility, re-
luced.
make this Introductory statement
SO that you may know just how stand
In the survey of all the natural oyster
beds. rocks, and shoals OF the State-'.the
absolutely tied by -tf1e act acts under
which these surveys were made.
The dclineatiOn of the public oyster
grounds in each oyster county was taken
out of my hands and placed in the hands
OF three commissions apDciHteS Il
each oyster county by the county judge,
who aseIected ,hvse cunl.uiss,une. > %, u.
count Of their supposed knowledge oil
the tidal bottoms of their respective com
These men 'rhad. no law. to guide them
which defined. il advance. just what
should be. In the eyes of the law. tn,
natural4oa ster rock and reserved for pub
tic or general use.
In my humble opinion. the judges in
manyAOf these oyster counties made q
grave& mistake Of selecting as commits
sioners fer this rsurvey men who carne
largely from tie tongrg class. who lived
by gathering oysters from the public
oyster grounds OF the4State, and were op
rosed to oyster culture and the rental
of any tidal bottoms to individuals, if 1t
could possibly be prevented
The writer tried to control these me,.
but IN spite of him. the public oyster
grounds of the State were madesto en-
brace a totalFarea Of aLout two hundred
Thousand acres-srHe WAS by Ia W. com
PEELED TO survey this vast area and 81
chart it. Thousands of acres under ex-
listing laws are held Us public oyste.
grounds which have not sufficient oys
tiers upon them to be properly called nat
ural oyster beds, and which never will.
be, with eour ever-increa sing ti1ewatelr
populations productive oyster beds unsi
@eplanteds with seed oysters and oyste.
Shells. - 2z5f. ss:zs
This never viii! be-dcne' under public
ownership unless, the State proposes to:
So in,o oyster culture for the benefit O.
its citizens, who live adjacent. to these
tidal bottoms. sSt>ss -
I feel sure public sentiment will not
sanction this.- e->4--e .
: Unnuesticn1bly, thousands of acres
which ARE HOW embraced in this survey
of the ma tural oyster beds of tho State
should be rented. The best interests o..
a State whose Financial condition to-day
is such that she can afford to give onl.
very small sum per ca pita to her school
oh r .nS, iy,f1
cation as compared with many of her
more fortunate sister Sta ties, imperntive!.
demand it. The utilization Of a yer,
valuable asset the property of the peo-
pie OF the whole State, also imperativels
demands it.
Under existing laws this survey clearly
defines, by notes, and bounds. and dis
ter grounds gf the State. SO long as nat
ural oyster bed can be claimed as pub
lie property. tits essential TO the per-
lection OF titles that some such <surve.
as this should stan t.et
Every So scaled natural oyster bed Of the
State was strive. edstand. chartered. The I
charts and field notes published. Each
public ground Is numbered in each oyster
cnuntr~the area given and the corners
of the different oyster beds are also mum,
hered. Scmes or these numbered public.
grounds, embraced. in q single bed, thou Z
sands of acres and huve numerous num-
bered corners. 80
The Legislature should insist upon it
that the public oyster grounds OF tn,
Sale. isse nntseeds in5,his survey. shqui..
be reduced at. lesst one ha II, equal TO a,
reduction sof aboutsa hundred thousands
: By special ,sictss III. whole 3, OF ser
tain parts OF. these public oyster
grounds. by county apd number. should
I'D declared open To- TIE planter. !.