The midland journal., 1905-05-26
oysters and Good Roads.

oysters and Good Roads.
The oyster and good roads campaign of
1905 was formally opened by the Deer
Greek Farmers Club, of Hartford county,
, at Bel Air, Saturday night. B. Howard
Haman was present and made speech
explaining what had been done by the
Legislature of 1904 to defeat the measure
providing for the leasing of the barren
bottoms of the Chesapeake, and the club
voted to prosecute an active campaign,
with Mr.. Haman at its head, to secure
oyster and good road legislation.
In the course or his remarks before the
club Mr.. Haman touched upon the atti-
tude of the political leaders in the last
Legislature on the oyster question, saying:
"The men who are generally known as
the State leaders of the Republicans and
Democrats did nothing in favor of oyster
culture. There are some exceptions to
this statement, but it is, in the main,
correct. Ifthe cause of oyster culture
had been monster, possessed of some
loathsome and contagious disease, it
could not have been more thoroughly let
alone than it was by most of the State
leaders on both sides. The story from
Apes Hole creek, which has now become
classic in Maryland, to the effect that
that young man from Howard county
does not know whether oysters grow
upon treess seems to have been fully
realized during the last session of the
Legislature. The State leaders aided. or
at least did not obstruct. the passage of
the road bill appropriating $500, 900 from
the treasury of the State for the cause OF
road building and, strange to, say, were
lukewarm as to the bill which would have
provided an ample revenue for road
building without taxation, if. indeed,
they did not oppose this measure.
aided the committee which drafted the
road bill, known as the Shoemaker bill,
and urged its passage in speeches which
made throughout the State. The advo-
Gates of that bill did not, so far as am
aware, in any manner assist the oyster
and road legislation which your club and
many other farmers clubs throughout
the State have requested the Legislature
to pass.
The present condition of affairs in the
bay is as usual. The interests of the State
are suffering; the trade is suffering; the
oystermen are gradually being extermi-
mated. The only gain is few seats in
the Legislature to men, some of whom
are mistaken, and others of whom are
deceiving the oystermen in order that
they may occupy such seats. The sys-
tenn as it now exists is system of rob-
berry. The Five-Acre law, which has
been in operation long time, is unjust
to the State. inasmuch as it provides no
revenue; it is unjust to the persons who
take up the areas, because they have no
security in their tenure of the laud. 1t
has also resulted in individuals in some
parts of the tidewater regions taking up
and controlling far more than the area
allowed to any one person. 1t is wrong
and unjust to the State that two-thirds of
the money derived from the tongers'
licenses in the tidewater counties should
60 to the maintenance of the schools in
those counties, while the citizens at large
are being taxed for deficit in the oyster
fund"
The scheme as embraced in the Haman
bill. which was passed by the last Legis-
lature but so loaded with amendments as
to render it practically imperative. and
promptly vetoed by the Governor. is in
effect to establish widespread planting
and cultivation ofoysters. through private
enterprise protected by law. upon the
barren bottoms of the bay and its inAu-
ent streams. Between 4oo, 900 aud 5oo,-
600 acres of desert bottoms. which the
oystermen never touch at present, are
to be rendered richly productive. These
large areas are to be thrown open to en-
terprise and capital for the creation of
wealth. the proceeds from the rentals
being devoted to the construction of i'm
proved roads in the State.