Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1903-09-05
The Baylor Survey and Legislative
Candidates.


I shall not attempt in this article
to advance any argument to show
why the Baylor survey should not
be broken, as l think we may take IL
for granted, that the good people OF
Accomac county are fully convinced
that the Baylor survey should not DO
broken and that the natural oyster
grounds of the State should remain
the common property Of all the peo-
pie, so that in the future, as In the
past, the poor people who have
adopted oystering as means OF
livelihood may continue to gather
from those grounds the food which
God in his wisdom causes to grow
there, and which He doubtless in
tended to be free for all who have
the industry to gather 1t. The ques>
ton then for US to consider Is nor
whether the Baylor survey should be
broken, but the all important ques-
ton for our consideration Is how to
prevent its being broken. In my
humble opinion, the most effectual
way to prevent such legislation is 10
send man to represent us IN the
next House Of Delegates, whose SIN
cere opposition to breaking the bay
lor survey We have no cause TO douot
There are two candidates seeking
our support for this honor, the Hon
:. wilkins Matthews and Mr.. John
r. Rev, and both profess to be OPP"
posed to breaking the survey, and
promise, if elected, TO do all In their
power to prevent such legislation.
A short time ago, In an article,
signed "Mapy Citizens" we we're
warned not to be deceived by prom
ises. but to look to the acts and deeds
of the candidates and judge them by
those acts. like the card in which
Mr.. Matthews announces his candi-
dacv. He refers us to his service as
orr representative and expresses the
hone that those services have merit
cd our further confidence and sup
mort: in other words, he places him
self upon his public record, and asks
that he be judged by that. Let us
then in this article examine that
record upon the oyster question. We
have heard a great deal lately about
the greedy and heartless mountain
eer legislators who are hungry and
ever crying for more revenue from
the oyster industry, and there seems
TO be a desire In certain quarters to
impress upon us the idea that those
monsters from the mountains are
willing and desire to sell, even to
non-residepts. the natural oyster
rocks of the State in order to put
more gold into the treasury, even
though by so doing, hundreds and
thousands of our poor oystermen are
thrown out of employment and their
families reduced to destitute circum'
stances, and it is also desired that we
believe the only way to escape this
dire calamity is to return the Hon.
s. wilkins Matthews to the House OF
Delegates. Any stranger not ac>
ouainted with the recent oyster Leg
islation of our State would naturally
conclude that this gentleman is, and
has always been bitterly opposed to
breaking the Baylor survey, and that
he had fought every measure which
had ever been introduced in the Leg
islature looking to that end. Imagine
the surprise of the stranger when
told that the only bill to break the
Baylor survey, which bad ever be
come a law in Virginia, was intro
duced and pressed to its passage, not
by one of those monsters from the
mountains, but by this same Hon.
s. Wilkins Matthews. Imagine the
strangers further and greater sHr,
prise, should he read the Matthews
bill and consider some of its really
wonderful provisions, to wit:
That no man could take up less
than fifty acres of this natural
ground, provision which prevent
ed the man with little means from
getting any; again, that as much as
$50 acres could be taken by one par
ty, thus making it possible for few
wealthy men to possess themselves
of vast areas of this most valuable
land; again, that ten acres OF natural
rock could be included in every fifty
acres taken up, provision under
under which, venture to say, every
natural rock on the seaside Of Acco-
mac county could have been taken
from the people.
We all remember what q scramble
there was for choice land under THU
| bill, and we are advised that the
| Hon. 8. Wilkins Matthews was nC
laggard in the race, but that he
stretched out his arms towards
Boggs Bay Immediately after he hat
secured the passage Of his bill, an(
telegraphed his famous message t.
r Accomack,-"Take up so acres o
Boggs Bay for me-" Have the peopl
| of Accomack forgotten this bill ant
these facts, and have they forgotten
; the cry that went up from sea to ba.
and from Maryland to the North
= ampton line when this bill was ex
8 posed? Have they also forgotten hov
e earnestly the Hon. Mr.. Matthews de
: Tended the bill in his articles pub
lished in our county papers, stating