Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-01-24
THAT FISH BILL.

S1eNihS "hS SoA -huNO OiVbh III VIC
face Of the bovine male, and the up
country member jumps into the
fracas because he has nothing to
lose and much to gain ESQ he thinks)
in the eyes Of his constituency. We
have seen these statesmen through
years of such antics and recently
summed them up on this wise: His
first year in the Legislature imbues
him with the thought that he knows
it all. So he does-about cooking
them, if his wife has ever been sick
and the cook on strike. The Sec
ond year the laughs aud jeers at his
"breaks" put him to thinking that
there is little more yet he can
learn about fish and oysters. The
third session-if ne has been lucky
enough to escape the ruthless hand
of political barbarians, and is re-
turned-he comes to the conclusion
that he doesn't know a blasted thing
about them, and don't want to know.
He is content to let Tidewater solve
the thing, even as conservative
Northerners are to let the South
solve the negro problem. At this
stage there is some hope for him.
But the rayages that political times
have played with his fences generally
retire him when he gets to this
useful and instructive stage. Sic
transit gloria homiRum is the inevita-
bic inscription upon his political
grave.
So it is not from the old and ex-
perienced statesmen that Tidewater's
troubles come, but usually from the
budding branch of some house as yet
unknown in name and fame. The
present instance may be noted as an
exception, and it is an excepted
case because personal greed appears
to be at the bottom of it all.
Mr.. Cation is an able man, but be-
cause OF the cupidity of his constitu-
ents he is induced to bring trouble
upon others. The reasons for his
bill, and some likely results, were
pretty clearly set forth by Mr.. Geo.
IL. Smith, an experienced fisherman,
In our last issue. 1t is not necessary
to touch upon these phases of the
question. There are others which
We wish to take up.
Nowhere in this State are
what is generally accepted to mean
food fish used for the purpose of
manufacturing into fertilizers. This
was individually proven by strict
examination of the oyster police
officers under the administration of
Governor O'Ferrall, which became a
matter of record and quoted at the
time many suspicious and charges.
The commercial fishermen have ever
been able to prove this when called
upon, and it is not because of fear
of the truth that they demonstrate
against the inquisitions and laws that
are proposed from time to time
through political purposes. Fish re-
ssmble birds, to a large extent, in their
habits. In a flock of blackbirds you
will find no pigeons, and sparrows
do not congregate with robins.
"Birds of feather flock together"
Equally is it true that fish of scale
school together. Occasionally blue
fish or mackerel is found in a
schooi Oh menhaden, but only for a
short while. If they remained long
there would be no school of menha-
den. 1t is a well.known fact that
during no season do the menhaden
crews procure from their catch
enough edible fish for the use of the
crew.
AS to the trap, or pound-net fish
erman, equally as strong facts per-
tain. His business and lawful call
ing is to catch food fish - shad.
trout, rock and such like. But for,
him fish would be as scarce a dish as
diamond-back terrapin, and could
be found only upon the tables of
the rich. In seasons when certain
food fish become "glut" upon the
market, and the nets are packed with
them, the fisherman would rather
not catcn such nsn, but among the
now worthless ones-notably herring
and grumbler are some valuable
ones, and for these the whole catch
has to be handled over. If they
could sort them and release the
worthless they would be only too
glad to do so, but the method of the
fisheries is such that this cannot be
done without great cost. Neither
can the nets be taken up during
such period-usually very short