Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-12-11
THAT JORDAN BILL

EDITOR CITIZEN:
Jordan evidently believes in GO
ing the whole hog. He wants to
have "a special committee" of Dele
gates and Senators put in charge of
all the public oyster grounds of the
State, and this committee is to be
sole Judge as to whether the tong
ing grounds are rocks within the
meaning of the Constitution, or
planting grounds that can be rented
out to the first conner or to any
special favorites. And he wants
one of the police steamers aud the
Board of Fisheries for the use of
said committee. He is rather mod
est in his demands. After having
spent his time aud much of the
States money in having frolic on
the bosom of the waters, aud having
become al experienced tongman, he
surely ought not TO be backward
about asking that he himself shall
be created "a special joint commit
mittee" to take charge of the whole
thing, Board of Fisheries and police
steamers included. 1t would be
cheaper than larger committee.
He could take up a residence on
board one of the steamers, and after
having established on board an out
ft for wireless biography, so as TO
be quickly communicated with, he
would be in the swim. ALI he would
have to do would be to sit in an
easy chair aud boss the whole outfit.
The secretary of the Board of
Fisheries could act as clerk, and the
balance of the Board might just as
well be abolished, as there would be
no further use for them.
The matter of deciding the con-
stitutionsl nature of the oyster
grounds would be easily decided.
The applicant for planting grounds
could merely swear that the bottoms
were barren or depleted, and the
boss, by virtue of having spent few
days longing in the summer, would
be In a position to satisfy himself
that ho oysters were growing, or
could grow for three years on that
particular piece of bottom, and it
would be all right. The ground
would be declared depleted, aud the
Constitution evaded.
1t is said that Jordan last sum-
mer tonged alongside of experienced
oystermen, and actually beat them.
To any person who has ever tonged
to any extent such q statement will
appear devoid of all truth. Dig
ging up great masses of shells and
mud is not the mark of an exper-
fenced tongman. To an onlooker,
one man may seem to be catching
plenty of oysters, while another is
getting very few, but when night
comes the second man has beat the
other one two to one. Appearances
are very deceptive in oyster longing.
If Jordon were to try every oyster
ground in the Baylor survey he
would pronounce nine ten tbs deplete-
ed or barren. If he were close
enough would lay him a wager
that 1 could place him on a piece of
bottom, and that he would willingly
make oath after days work that
he didn't believe there was a
bushel of oysters on ten acres. And
| would place an experienced tong
man right after him on the same
bottom who would make good days
work.
The tongman does not appear to
have any show. The planter will
say that the ground is not worth
working, and if a Legislative CON-
mittee were to try the tongs them
selves they would swcar to the
same. No matter what the tongman
would say he probably would not be
believed, or at least be ignored.
Nine-tenths of the trouble over
the oysters is caused by the desire of
Underwater people who are trying to
benefit themselves at the expense of
the tongmen. These hoggish people
are at the bottom of nearly every
bit of deviltry that is Matched.
US GEO. II. SMITH.