Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1902-02-22

The Virg1nlan-Pllot IaVoTs Tie ap
pointment of Mr.. Shultice as chair
man of the Board of Fisheries and in{
the effort to "whoop up the claims
Of its candidate says:
The competency OF both Dr.
Fletcher and Mr.. Shultice is con-
coded by every intelligent person
who knows anything about either in
dividuaI. DR. Fletcher has admins
tered the duties of his office with en-
tire satisfaction, so far as we have
heard. Mr.. Shultice is State
authority on the fish and oyster in
dustry OF the section. The choice Is
not at all one between mere persons
but is to be determined purely by
considerations OF the convenience
and best interests OF the people in
in Eastern Virginia who are engaged
in the oyster industry.
DR.. Fletcher lives somewhere out
in the country, we shall not under
take to say how far from anywhere.
He maintains no Office that we have
ever heard of, that is in reach OF
oystermen. When a meeting of his
is called, it is usually for Richmond
or Newport News, though at least 70
per cent. of the oyster business of the
State is done in Norfolk, Portsmouth
aud Berkley. Norfolk claims that
the oyster commission should have
an Office where the Oyster business
is transacted.
The talk about Mr.. Montague
having made deal" is the veriest
fapdoodle. We are persuaded that
for the convenience of oystermen he
should name a Norfolk man, and we
know of no better man for the posi-
ton than Mr.. Shultice; but we dis
tinctly wish the Governor to feel
that he is free to exercise his own
good judgment in this matter
Nobody, hereabouts, is going TO &C
cuse Hon. Andrew Jackson Montague
Of having made a deal, whatever he
does
The efficiency of DR.. Fletcher 1T
chairman, it will be- noted, is Lot
questioned by the Virginian Pilot
and that much being conceded, the
query is pertinent why depose him?
The reason has not occurred to us
nor will those given by our contem-
porary, we believe, strike the man
OF average intelligence az sufficient.
The fact that DR. Fletcher lives
somewhere out 10 the country seems
not to have prevented bin from ad-
ministering the duties of the Office to
the centre satisfaction" even OF the
Virginian-Pilot in the past, and if it
has not in the past why should it in
the future? Nor can the other reason
given for the removal Of Dr. Fletcher,
that the convenience of oystermen"
demands it, be accepted as more con-
vincing by any except the small
coterie of Mr.. Shultice's friends who,
for personal reasons desire the office
for him. Can anyone doubt, when
the report of the Board of Fisheries
shows that the Eastern Shore COLI
tributed about $4,000 to the States
revenue last year, while Norfolk gave
only about 1920, that the icon
venience of oystermen" demands
that the chairman should be ap-
pointed from the Eastern Shore
rather than from Norfolk? In the
face of these figures too what can
the Virginian-Pilot mean, when it
says, lat least rs per cent OF the oys-
ter business OF the State is done in
Norfolk, Portsmouth and Berkeley?
Paying to the State rs they do such
an insignificant revenue, how is it,
that they do such an immense oyster
business? To these queries only one
answer is suggested, that they are
largely in the oyster shocking BUSH
ness, and that being true will the
Virginian-Pilot say that the chair
man of the Board of Fisheries ought
to be appointed from Norfolk for
that reason? II our contemporary
does mean that, though, We dispute
even this claim. In the oyster houses
Oh both sides of our Peninsula and
from one end of it to the other more
oysters are shocked annually, We be
lieve. than are In Norfolk and the
other cities named and the stock too
is not obtained from North Caroius,
as much of it, we are advised, is in
these cities. If because OF their oys-
ter shocking establishments there
fore they can claim the right to have
the chairman, we also have an
equal claim to the appointment.
The Virginian-Pilot is perhaps too
much blinded by its zeal to serve one
of its citizens to see where justice
should lead the Governor in naming
the next chairman of the Board Of
Fisheries