Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-03-20

cannot at the moment recall a single
bad or vicious measure adopted by this
legislature.
was the worst and most unwise act of /
the session. We realize, however, that
a large number of excellent people, |
probably majority of those of the
State, regard this bill as being the |
best work of the session AS the bill
stands, 1T is far less radical in many
respects than the program of the Anti
Saloon League called for, and for that
much, let us be thankful.
Taken as whole, the work deserves
the commentator and the legislature
has earned honestly the applause of
the public
OYSTER APPROPRIATION.
champion Mouitor)
The House yesterday passed the ap-
preparation for the promotion and ad-
vancement of the oyster industry
amounting to $45, 600 and increasing the
salaries of the officers of the Commits
sion of Fisheries to what might be
termed decent salaries. At this time
there was an echo of a former contro-
versy of this session which has been
threshed out in the newspapers. 1t
will be recalled at this time that con-
gresham severely criticised this bill,
and had published large raft of cor
respondence bearing upon one side.
4 al.
severe attack upon this bill, for what
real reason it can only be surmised for
the newspaper failed to give any that
appealed to logical and unbiased minds.
Great was the surprise in the House
when gentleman from Middlesex at
tempted to block this appropriation.
The following gentlemen so expressed
themselves in most forcible language:
Major j. N. Stubs, of Gloucester, w.
E. Howle, of Isle of Wight, w. w.
Old, of Norfolk, Col. A. M. Bowman.
OF Roanoke, f. NJ. Love, of Loudoun,
Jno. Curlett, of Lancaster, and H. r.
Houston, of Hampton. About three
ayes voted in favor of blocking the ap-
preparation while there was thunder
ing uproar of noes.
MR.. FEATHERSToN'S RESOLUTION.
Information on the true conditions
of the oyster industry is the one essen
tial requisite for intelligent dealing
with that question. All efforts to pet
this information through the interven-
ton of the State Board of Fisheries
were unfortunately defeated last Sat
urday, and if no other plan is adopted
| the Legislature will, on reassemblinp
in 1910, find itself still without. anv
satisfactory basis on which to decide
the question. A partial solution for
this most undesirable dilemma is Of
fered in the resolution of Delegate
Featherston,. which provides that
committee shall be appointed jointly
by Lleutenant-Go Ellyson and
Speaker Byrd for the purpose of inves-
tigatlng and reporting to the next Gen
eral Assembly upon the real conditions
surrounding oyster cultivation in Vir-
glnla. Such committee will obviously
not be able to perform that painstaking
and scientific work which was called
| for by the Wickham-H olland-Byrd bill.
but despite its lack of geodetic train
ing, and without any special appro-
priation, the plan proposed by Feather
ston is capable OF rendering great SER
vice TO the State. The difficulty with
adequate oyster legislation has always
arisen from lack of knowledge, and not
from lack of will or capacity on the
part of the Legislature. 1t is admitted
by all that something must be done to
remedy the radical defects in the pres
ent methods of dealing with the oyster
problem. -Times-Dispatch.
JUDGE MANN's REPLY.
| Senator Mann, rising to a question
of personal privilege in the Senate.
stated that the Senate had been invad-
ed by the House on Saturday night, and
while he took no serious exception to
the unwarranted interruption, morn
ing paper on Sunday had made editorial
comment that showed lack of under
standing and sympathy with the acts
of certain members of the General AS
T sembiy, and to which he desired to
make the following reply:
Some men there arc so wondrous wise.
That common mortals they despise:
: Who sometimes undertake TO write
Oh things on which they shed no light.
They know not what a Byrd has done,
j Nor what a fight Mann has won,
D. Nor that the Byrd has passed "a bill
which stops the running of the stlli.
One tall of statue and sweet ftone
is light and heavy Featherstone,
I'll while Withers wrung TO speeches Roes>
4 WOruS delight us Toes
This trio of lawmakers all
For whom the House is all too small
u Their wit and wisdom spreads abroad,
And reaches to the House or Lords.
There's no old Mann from Nottaway,
But youth OF vigor. young and gay.
Who while he's been hero some little time
Is strong and lusty-in his prime.
In many matters he does not pry,
I But all the laws must come out dry:
> / Dry as the speeches of the boys.
Whose silence all the House enjoys.
Judge Mann asked that his reply be
: spread on the journal of the Senate,
5 and further said that he wished to an
5 nounce, as oldest member of the body,
, except the Tall Sycamore from Cub
Creek" that after much discussion
and persuasion on his part he had in
! duced the Senator from Roanoke to
raise his opinion of the Senate's eff
cheney from % to so cents.
The reading of the reply caused an
outbreak of laughter, amid which
: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Ellyson announ-
ced motion to record the reply in the
journal and declared the motion car
ried.
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