Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-03-25
THE OYSTERMEN ANGRY.
SOME FEELING AS TO REn0vAL
OF SIGNALS.
Say TOngerS Should Not Be Accused Of
Their Destruction Likelihood
of Their Removal By
DuckerS.

The importance given the destruc-
tion OF the two shore stations or sig
nails og the Maryland Shellfish Com
mission and the Coast and Geodetie
Survey, located ON South River, Tur-
key Point is, according. TO the general
impression in and about Annapolis,
entirely out of proportion to the oc-
currence.
on account Of the inaecessibility of
the immediate locality from which
the signals were removed and the fact
that there are no telephones in the
neighborhood. il was impossible this
morning To get an expression Of opin-
ion from South River persons, oyster
men or others. President Robret Muir
ray, OF the Board OF School Commits
sioneTs, who says he knows well the
people of that locality, however, eX-
pressed the opinion over the phone
that if the signals were removed by
oystermen il was possibly by young
and hot-headed fellows.
Mr.. Murray, whose old home is
right near Turkey Point, and where
members OF his family still live. said
that he visited that locality yesterday
and the signals on his farm were still
in place and that he heard no talk of
any determination among the oyster
men TO remove this property of the
State and Federal government. In An
napolis the occurrence was not really
known of, even among the oyster
men. who would naturally be more
interested in such thing than
others, until the accounts were read
in the newspapers. The general inn
preston among the oystermen seemed
TO be that if the stations had really
been removed maliciously, il was
done by persons other than oyster
men.
Some of them went so far as To sug-
gest that such n removal might have
been prompted 10 do an injury to the
Oystermen's Union, the very people
who might most likely be accused of
completely in such an act. Far from
being in sympathy with anything of
the sort, however, every oysterman in
Annapolis seen this morning con
demned the thing heartily and in un-
measured terms. Vice President Geo.
w. Leteurneau, of the Annapolis
branch of the Oystermen' Union,
said:
II am in the union heartily and to
get what | feel the oystermen should
have-their rights. But want it
understood that l am in the union
and backing the movement for the re-
peal of the IIaman law, solely as
matter of principal. If | thought for
an instant that any member Of the
union had been, could be or would be
guilty OF such vandalism or lawless
ness as the destruction of government
buoys and stations, | would be the
first to sever my connection with an
organization which would foster such
actions. Further than this | would
also not hesitate to ne among the first
TO prefer charges against the perpetra-
tor of such an act. The Oystermen's
Union is as an organization and as
individuals absolutely opposed to such
actions. Personally j, and l think /
can speak for the other members of
the union, don't care how many
buoys the Shellfish Commission puts
out. They could plant buoys so thick
that oystermen could reach from
one TO the next and tow themselves
home and we would not oppose them
by lawlessness.
Mr.. Charles jefferson, of Annapo-
lis, financial secretary of the union,
heartily seconded all said by Mr..
LeteuIneau. "You may say" said
he, THAT we not only feel that the
Annapolis oystermen would not coun
tenance any lawlessness, but we
know our neighbors from South
River, and knowing them we feel
that we can say for them that they
feel just as we do. If I thought
that the Oystermen' Union had any
thing to do with the removal or de-
struction of the buoys and shore sta
tions ] would not remain n member
of the organization very long"
Captain Yates, senior officer of the
Coast and Geodetic Survey, working
with the Shellfsh Commission, has
not yet made any formal report to his
department on the removal of the two
stations, having only returned TO An
napolis last night after an absence
of about n week. He was with the
Commissioners on the occasion of the
recent meeting of the South River
oystermen when a union was organ
ized there. lie said this morning that
if the stations were removed by oys-
termen it was possibly some one of
the younger and more hot-headed ones.
County Commissioner Percy Lyles,
of the lower section of the county. in
q conversation over the telephone this
morning. said that he thought that no
matter how warm the oystermen might
be over the Haman law, the better
element of them and the other people
OF the county would not countenance
any law les sness in combating its
provisions.
One local oysterman today said
that while he did not want to accuse
duckers or any one of destroying sig
nails, he thought that the removal Of
the signals on South River might
probably have been done by persons
owning ducking blinds in the neigh
borhood OF those on Turkey Point.
Strength is given this theory through
the fact that one Of the signals known
as 'Clump' just north Of the mouth
of the Severn River, was removed
during December. 1t afterward de-
veloped that this removal was on
account of the signals interference
with the sport OF duck shooting from
shore blinds. To ducks the big
whitewashed signals act just as would
q scare-crow in a cron field.
The oystermen in this city feel
strongly on the subject and resent
any idea that tongers would resort to
law lessress to accomplish what they
are now trying TO bring about by
peaceabie organization and simple
concerted action. The removal OF the
signals of South River and the result
ing discussion is, it Is thought, likely