The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1903-10-30


victions dictate are right. He will
respect you more if you do what you
think is right, and your local COM
munity will the better realize that
you are a good citizen, who does not
fear toput duty first and sentimental
ity afterwards.
HOW WILL THE FARMERS OF HAIR
FORD COUNTY VOTE?
The most important question that
will come before the next legislature
of Maryland, as business PROPOSE
ton, in which all of our own people
are most directly interested, and
which, if properly disposed of, will
most materially benefit the State, is
more intelligent legislation looking
to the Improvement of the oyster
beds of the Chesapeake Bay. This
great single source of wealth in the
State has been so long neglected, or
at least legislated for on principles
that have been pronounced barbaric,
by those who have really studied the
subject in a scientific manner, that
today it is almost destroyed, and the
State is deriving no revenue there
from.
1t is pronounced, by those who are
in position to know, that the
bottom of the Chesapeake Bay is
better adapted to the culture of
oysters than any other land on this
Continent, and is naturally richer
than any in the world with the excep-
tion of the valley of the Nile and the
Ganges. tits admitted that we have
in our local waters about 100000
acres of barren land that could be
made to produce as many oysters as
the best beds elsewhere.
A bill was introduced in the last
legislature providing for the leasing
of the barren bottoms of the Chesa-
peake Bay the money to be derived
therefrom to be applied to the per-
manent improvement of the public
roads of this State. From very ex-
haustive report of a committee ap-
pointed by the State to investigate
the subject, of which Professor w. X.
Brooks was chairman, it was shown
that with proper legislation, our
barren oyster beds would yield a
revenue of Sc, 100000 year to the
State and furnish employment the
year round to 100000 people. To-
day the receipts from that source are
barely sufficient to pay the expenses
of maintaining the oyster fleet and
$4,000 exc out a precarious living for
a few months in the year. Under our
present policy, the oyster beds have
yielded about 10000, 900 bushels per
year from grounds that are capable
of producing over 5OO,OOO,OOO
bushels annually. While we believe
that the figures given as to the yield
to the State annually from the leas-
ing of the oyster beds under some
civilized system of legislation is very
moderate, in order to be more con-
sentative we will assume that only
one-ffth of that amount would be
received. This will be apportioned
to the different counties of the State
for the Improvement of the public
roads. Should this be the case, Har-
ford county will then get about
$4,000 annually to permanently inn
prove her highways. tits apparent to
every one that but short time would
elapse before every leading high
way in the county would be macada-
mixed on a somewhat similar princi-
pie as that of the Churchville road,
which has been lately improved from
funds partially derived from the will
of the late William Woolsey.
Recently the Baltimore Sun asked
each candidate for the legislature to
state whether he was in favor ofthis
legislation and nearly all sent their
replies. The four democratic candi-
dates from Hartford county
c. A. ANDREW,
DANIEL H. CARROLL, OF P,
THOMAS HITCHCOCK,
GEORGE w. McCOMAS,
stated that if they were elected, they
would do all in their power to secure
the needed legislation, looking to the
leasing of the oyster beds, and that
the revenue therefrom should be ap
piled to the improvement ofthe public
roads. Two of these gentlemen,
Messrs. McComas and Carroll, as
members of the last legislature, did
all in thir power to aid in the enact
ment of this law. In the higher legis-
lative body, Senator Thomas Fl. Rob-
inson was the leading champion ofthe
bill. which failed by a few votes, after
having passed the House. The same
letter was sent to the republican cam
didates for the legislature
CHARLES w. BAKER,
JACOB A. DOZEN,
John B. GARRISON,
STEPHEN J. SENECA,
and they have declined to answer the