The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-08-18
.0YSTERMEN
ARE STIRRED.
Legislative Committee Has a
Hard Proposition.
TONCERS COME IN HORDES
They Accompany the Legislators on
Their Tour and Impress Upon
Them Hardshps 10 Follow
Breaking Baylor Survey.
Especial from a staft corrcspondent.)

Especial from staff Corrcspondent)
ABOARD STEAMER ACCOMAC, OFF
CIIUCKATUCK, NANsDMOND COUN-
TY, VA. August l7.--About one hundred
oystermen were with the Legislative
Committee on Nansemond River to-day,
eagerly watching the investigation Of
the oyster beds In that stream. The com
mittee was late In arriving from Nor
folk. where Sunday was spent, and when
the State steamer Accomac on which the
Legislators are making their tour. hove
in sight, there was a large feet OF SAL
boats on Nansemond Ridge, awaiting
them. A very few Nansemond tongers
were with the committee when II was IN
these waters last week, but since that
time the news has gone abroad that the
legislature Is on tbs point OF leasing out
the natural beds, and the men Quit their
work and turned out to make an attempt
to convince the committee that there Is
no depleted rock in Nansemond River
They did not wholly succeed.
Mr.. r.. C. Jordan, of the committee,
member Of the House of Delegates from
Frederick county. arrived this morning.
Senator Julian Bryant returned Satur.
day night from a visit Of day or TWO
to his home in Henrco, where he Is max
ing canvass for the office OF Common.
wealth's attorney. Mr. ". .. Cardwell,
chairman OF the committee, spent Satur-
day night and Sunday at his home IN
Hanover, but he was back early TO-DAY.
Mr.. s. Wilkins Matthews OF AccomacI
: srcnt Sunday In Norfolk, so that al me
members OF the committee were present
save Judge A. D. Watkins, who went to
vi rS,rr an SATURDAYS. the
clerk OF the committee, MIR. John Burke.
OF Mathews, and Emmett Faison. the
page were on hand Emmett lives IN
Portsmouth. and when the committee
makes Norfolk at night he sleeps at
home.
THE ToNGERs WROUGHT UP.
The committee realized probably more
fuIIy TODAY thar heretofore the serious
ness and the difficulty Of the question
with which /, has to deal. The large
number OF tongers that assisted IN IN
vestgating the beds emphasized the
strong public interest In the work. Inc
protestations OF the oystermen, not
planters against any law allowing the
renting OF any portion whatever OF the
state oyster rock. were unanimous and
as strong they could make them. They
are not men OF great education. but u
was easy for them to make me see anu
10 make tho committee see, probably that
there will be suffering among them u
any great portion OF the public beds Is
leased TO individuals. One OF the plant
ers said as much to me to-day. 81.
ITO rent out the beds would work q
serious hardship on the tongers for two
or three years" said Mr.. Richard Arm,
strong, OF Hampton. who has many thou
sands OF dollars invested In osyter beds
and his oyster packing establishment
at Is foolish TO contend anything else.
But do contend that at the end OF a
few years the condition of the men who
take oysters would be immensurably i'm
proved They make poor living now
on the depleted beds from which they
have to take oysters, whereas II those
beds we're rented out and made produc-
tive the renters would soon be employing
all the tongers Mt good wages.
Then Mr.. Armstrong procecdd to
speak OF the depletion OF the natural
oyster rock from various causes. chiefly
through the taking of oysters from the
beds in tho closed seasons.
II buy oysters for planting, which
know to be stolen" said Mr.. ArrlstronH.
III do not buy them somebody will,
am obliged to have seed oysters, and
nay for those which are stolen from
natural rock in the survey. You may
think 1t funny that should confess to