Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-12-25
"AUNTY Spec ON 0RGANI.
ZATI0N.
DEAR CITIZEN:

DEAR CITIZEN:
Last week l promised to write al
article on the necessity Of the peopl
of Tidewater organizing themselve
into unions for their own protectio,
and the protection of the oyster beds
of Virginia.
| There was organized in this sec
ton of the State October 27, 1908, 4
union, called the "Oystermen's Pro
tective Union" The main objects
were:
1st. To defeat, if possible, the
passage of the Jordan bill breaking
the Baylor Survey, and to let the
present law stand.
2nd. To be in q position to fight
the constitutionality of the law in
the courts if it passed.
3rd. To endeavor, il we lost in
both cases, to have the so-called
"bsrren oyster bottoms" leased out
to the oystermen instead of the capi-
talists.
Those were the three main prip-
ciples of the organization. This
union was only organized on a tenn
porary plan until its strength was
sufficient to have permanent organ
ization of supreme body, with rep
resentat,ves from all over Tidewater.
A temporary State Council was or
ganized with W. w. Moody, presi-
dent, Harmony Village, Middlesex
county, Va; Il. Y. Lawson, of the
same place, State treasurer. Mr..
Moody organized eight subordinates
five in Middlesex and three in
Lancaster. The plan was to send
all money TO the State Treasurer,
and each subordinate was to send
one representative to Richmond,
when necessary. When the joint
committee met in Richmond
November cath six representa-
tives were taken before the
committee from Middlesex by the
president, and the other four unions
i'll that county sent men there to
represent them. Not q council in
Lancaster was notified of the fact
and the consequence was that Lam
caster county did not have repre-
sentative there from among the oys-
termen; which was very unfortunate,
because Messrs. Lewis, Hathaway
and George were the only represen-
tatives from Lancaster, and there
was no one to rebut their testimony,
which naturally placed us in very
bad position. As the Middlesex
delegation could not testify to the
local conditions here, Station 6, Ir-
vington, being the first organized in
Lancaster and seeing the necessity
of immediate organization through
out the county, went to work and
organized Weems Station, No. 9
(white), SO members; Tombs, No. 10,
(colored), so members; White Stone,
No. IL (colored), SO membersy Sta.
tion No. 6, 64 members; making a
total of $50 members, besides one
white station at White Stone and one
on the Island. And we have decided
that as the unions of Middlesex have
: not sent their money to the State Of.
ficers, but have spent it themselves
Lancaster county will keep all money
in hand and organize Lancaster
Richmond, Northumberland and
Westmoreland counties, and let Mid
dlesex organize the counties on tn,
Southside. Let each county, aftel
organization, organize a Distric
union, and after a complete organi
zation has been made let representa-
tives from each of those meet and or
: ganize State body and formulat
laws, etc.
So much for that. l will nov
try to show the necessity of the peo
pie coming together who are inter
ested in the oyster Industry, boil
directly and indirectly--every oyster
man, buyer, packer, planter, mer
chant, mechanic, farmer and all wht
reside In this section where oyster
are taken (the only men prohibited
are those who have tried to get tn,
Baylor Survey broken and are work
ing against our interests). We intent
to be conservative and want n,
planting ground except what W,
have right to under the law
Some say that, as the Jordan bill ha
been defeated, there is no necessit,
of organizing. / wish to say tina
there is more necessity today for or
ganization than there was before
Why? Because at every session o.
the Legislature in the future ther,
will spring up bills of the Jordan
, type. Those fellows are going to b.
continually pecking at it. Mex
month, / have no doubt, Mr.. Jordan
. or some of his contemporaries, viii
bring in another bill. What is tn
) best way for q nation to keep out O
war? Why, be ready for war. Nov
there are $4,000 men directly inter
, rested in the oyster industry in Tide
water and 10000 indirectly inter
: ested. If We can organize three
fourths of them into q union, no 90
litical party would dare turn u
down. So that is one way to avoi,
adverse legislation. Again, some o
the up-country people are after rev
enue. Others who are among tn
best friends Tidewster has wish t
see some law devised that will pu
the oyster bottoms in their prope
place; that is, instead of depletin
them year after year protect ther
and make them yield an abundanc,
Now, it is very necessary that tn
oyster people should lead, 80 that W
can as united people devise a pla
whereby the State can get NOR
revenue and we can see that the oys
tiers are culled lawfully, and instea
of these Jordan bills to be tough
over, Tidewater can put her bills i
and meet thosa un-countrv man (;