The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1903-11-13

poNttiHniIiS tiri'i-AH'IS III Your llllAel
and mining n pIiur.';y domain. We d" II,
seek to interfere Wi:h the thing you III
doing. We only ask the privilege of tai
ing up portions Of the bay which nov
yield nothing. We want to use the grea
sums which the State can get from til
renting of this now barren domain, t
supply the greatest present need Of tn
citizens of the State; that is, the need {
smooth, hard and durable roads.
"a wave of popular feeling is risin
among the rocks of Deer Creek. 1t
rolling from the mountain gladcs of Gar
rett and Allegany. 1t has alread
swollen to a food in Montgomery. Iii
rushing down from Howard like a Pa
tapsco torrent. These popular waves dc
not often come, but when they appea
they are powerful and destructive t.
things that are i'll the way. | trust TIN
tidewater people who are opposing this
proposition. aud who are themselves /,
be benefited directly and Indirectly by it.
| provisions, will take counsel of prudence
and not oppose the will of the people.
The platforms OF both the democratic
and republican parties include the posi-
bilitics of oyster culture, though it is not
named. The platform of neither party
oppose such a plan as the bill offers |!
is true that the republican platform adj
vocates the Smelling of natural beds, hut
this subject is not touched by the pro
posed bill, which does not interfere witt
the natural beds or seek to dictate tht
methods of their management.
at is not necessary to refer this bill tc
the people. 1t has been before the peo
pie for many years. The minds of the
people of the State arc pretty well made
up on the subject. 1t would be a needless
waste of valuable time to spend two
years more i'll talking about a measure
which is clearly right, and which ought
tn be adopted now.
Il am tidewater man, having been
born i'll The fair and charming county oil
Kent. This fact has made me want to do
full justice to the tidcwatcr counties. 1t
must he remembered that these counties
have All immediate and pre-emincnt in
which relates to the taking of oysters,
rs many Of their citizens are engaged i'll
this occupation. The bill should there
fore, be entirely just to the tidewater
region of the State, and if any mistake is
made, it should be in favor of that section.
Let us see if this is not the case
The oyster bill divides the lessees who
may lake oyster land into two classes.
These are applicants and bidders
The applicants have five months within
which to make their applications to the
Shell Fish Commissioner. After that the
right TO lease the remaining lands is to be
put up at auction to the highest bidder.
Who are the applicants, the favored ones ?
They are the tidewaterp people themselves.
The owners of the land bordering upon
W Sl1i N6lkSL > t4tiNS lil( llLSl IiSHl ~ lIlC
applications within three months after
their district is declared open for oyster
culture. Then, for two months after
that period boatmen actually engaged in
the business OF dredging, longing or
scraping have the exclusive right. These
favored ones can pick and choose, and
they do not have to bid for the right of
selection. 1t is first come, first served.
The Shell Fish Commissioner must issue
leases to the tidewater people for these
five months in order oft their applications.
Could anything be fairer to the tidcwater
people than such provisions? They are
really unjust to other citizens of the
State, and not quite fair, perhaps, to the
Treasury of the State. However, the
State is well off whcnits citizens are pros
porous, and the introduction of this legis-
lation would vastly increase the pros
perity of the tidcwater counties, and
would greatly raise the prize of land in
portions Of the State where it is now al
most given away.
The billleaves untouched three features
of the present system which might have
been assailed. The first is a law which
diverts part of the public general funds
ofthe State, derived from longing licenses,
to the support Of the schools in the tide
water counties. At first all the money
from longing licenses went to these
counties for their schools Then the
counties gave up one-tenth of their tong
ing licenses. Now they have given up
one third to the State and they still re-
tain two-thirds. This is not just 1t is
simply an ancient privilege of the tide
water counties. They still get this money
even since the Legislature appropriated
$50 900 in 1900 to make up a deficit in
the oyster fund, which oyster fund is
kept up principally for the benefit ofthese
counties. Th" amount ofmoney received
for their local schools by the tidewater
counties from these licenses since 1889
has been $229,O0761. Isit not n tender,
and even a partial thing, not to touch
this privilege of the tidewater people:
Ought certain politicians of that section
to he quite us loud as they are, in ranting
against the introduction of this great in
dustry, when they are living iii such a
glass house as this
1.-The friends of oyster planting simply
say to the State: You are running Il vast
business into the ground You are mpov-
Crushing thousands of your citizens and
running princcly domain. We do not
seek to interfere with the thing you are
doing. We only ask the privilege of TAX
ing up portions of the bay which now
yield nothing. We want to use the great
sums which the State can get from the
renting of this now barren domain, to
supply the greatest present need of the
citizens of the State; that is, the need of
smooth, hard and durable roads.
The source of information for all the
work that has been done i'll Maryland in
recent years in the cause of good roads
and oyster culture is the Johns Hopkins
University. The citizcns OF this State
will probably never know how much
they are indebted to Professor Brooks
for first explaining the oyster question
and showing us the condition of that in
dustry. The practical men" as usual,
had gone to sleep, and they were aroused
by the voice of a scholar. The recent
good-roads work has been done under the
supervision and direct ton of DR.. William