The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1903-01-31
STUPIDITY AND POLITICS.

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enemies of pro@rr&> have 80 far proved
invinrihlc 1T Annapolis.
This just criticism was provoked we
remember. by the repeated failures of
successive Legislatures 10 provide by law
Il proper system for tn" planting and
leasing of the natural oyster beds of the
State. from which the State Treasury
NOW derives no revenue, aud from which
unless an ri!rctiv" system Of oyster cuI-
tur" b" adopted. tn" Snccnl"m hrynlv"
will ere long disappear
Tn" subject is recalled at this time. by
lrctur" delivered last week before the
Geographical Society Of Baltimore. by
DR.. Hugh NJ Smith, of the United States
rush Commission.
II l. Il matter "l much surprise and re-
&f"t The Doctor says. that the State of
Maryland. with her vast capabilities for
oyster production. should have remained
Indifferent To the wonderful p"cuniary
advantages arcrlllh% from modern oyster
culture. and should HAY" been content to
pursue policy which Is 81 palpabIy IL
rational ana injurious.
II ntlI comparatively recent date.
Maryland stood pr"-"nln"nt i'll oyster
productions but sh" has fallen from her
high estate. and will drop lower and
lower as the in"vitabl" depletion of the
public oyster domain. however extensive.
continues and no adequate measures are
taken to supply from other sources the
shortage i'll the crop.
IN lNSo the oyster output of Mary
land was lo.61O.Ooo bushels. worth 81
| t3o,ooo, as against ll.3ou,eoO bushels,
worth S4,2nliOo, for the remainder of
the country. During the past 20 years
many states have given ample encour-
agem"nt to oyster cultivatorS and thus
hav" placed their oyster industry on a
permanent basis Will" Maryland has
done nothing III this line and has suffer
ed the natural consequences, for i'll 1901
her oyster output had fallen to 5,1Oo,O0O
bushels, or but little more than half
mat OF lSSo. Virginia, Joint heir to the
untold riches of the Chesapeake, i'll 1850
produced only thr"e-iifths as many oyS-
tiers as Maryland, but now produces one
Ialf more, rs Il direct result of limited
planting operations, which in 1901 yield
Ell ".ooo.'fOo bushels of marketable ays-
tiers.
twenty millions of dollars year, Dr.
smith thinks would be II mod"rat" rS-
| llmat" OF III" value OF the Maryland
oyster industry, hVr or ten years after
TIL" organization of oyster planting opcr-
ati"ns based on tn" system so success
! fully carried out i'll New York, Connect
cut. Rhod" Island. and other oyster pro-
dncing states.
What this revenue would mean to the
taxpayers ct the counties of the State,
among which it would be proportionatrlv
divided, cam he readily understood.
\ single instance of Il little state like
lihod" Island with only tw" hundred
Spnnr" miles of water covering natural
oyster beds. but which derives from theil
| rental annually $2I,WOO.Oo emphasizes
I'll" folly and stupidity of Maryland'>
treatment of the oyster industry.
With nearly 5000 square miles covering
the finest natural oyster beds of the
world, the State not only derives no re.
venue from them. hut her taxpayers are
mulctcd annually for SO .uO0.Oo to main
tain an Oyster Navy whose only purpoS,
is watch the drrlgrrS for III" benefit OF
the tomgcrs. while between the tw,
Glasses of oyster fishermen. the dcstruc
ton of the beds goes bravcIy on.