Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-12-25
SOME PERTINENT FACTS
Deduced From Newspapers by
Aunty Spec.
EDITOR CITIZEN:

L remember once hearing Gregory.
the banjoist of Lees army, saw that
during a fight he was always found
where the bullets We're th;ckest, viz.
under the ammunition wagon land that hs
/ usually had to comb out of his hair the
: bullets that sifted through the cracks
; in the wagon body.
: This seems to me to be very applics
, bic to those Richmond and other pa
pers and individuals that are eadenvor
ing to roast the Commission of Fisher
les for what they have done, shouls
have done, might have done, couldn'i
have done and didn't have done
/ They are just simply back in the rea,
under the ammunition wagons. know
nothing about the fight at the front
and are just spluttering about, being
where the bullets are thickest."
Now, il Bryan had got elected the
oyster Commission would not have had
any OF this to bear, for the great Com
mo1er would have been the cause of
low prices, the reputed scarcity of oys-
tiers, the freshets, etc. OF course we
are still under the benAficent rule of
the great Republican trust-busters and
the Democrats can't be blamed. so the
Commission of Fisheries has got TO bear
the brunt until times get better, and
then when the great republican wave of
prosperity sweeps over Tidewater the
members can sneak off to their lairs and
muse over what they might, could.
would or should have done.
In scanning the papers have cut out
a few clippings which, according to GER
tain papers, the Commission of Fish
cries is surely responsible for. Here
is one from the Times-Dispatch of re-
cent date:
Explosion of pan of oysters fry-
ing over gas stove caused an alarm of
fire from saloon on East Main Street
yesterday afternoon.
Of course the Commission bad got
tired Of being jumped on and caused
the oysters to explode in our Capital
city as sort of an object lesson; or else
the long suffering oysters became so
indignant that they could not hold in
any longer. But prima facie evil
dence would lay it on the broad should
ers Of the Chairman of the Commission.
Here is little ditty from the Fish
ing Gazette:
cit is reported that millions of trout
died in Massachusetts, this year as a
result of the fall drought
Can it be possible that our oyster
and fish Commission is guilty of this
too-'way down East?" Surel Nothing
easier. II they can kill the seed oys-
tiers in the Jeems and Potomac by
freshets-their power being unlimited
surely it is small jobto knock out the
trout crop in Massachusetts by drought.
Norfolk papers will please sit up and
take notice. You can now see why you
don't have any spot or blues, for of
course the Commission met the spot
and other game fish outside the Capes
this summer and paralyzed those con-
ing into the Chesapeake, and you had |
TO import them from New Jersey.
Kindly impart this information to your
Board of Trade committee.
The papers have been raising Cain
about Virginia's importing oysters from
Maryland. when in truth they come
yearly from the Potomac, which belongs
as much to Virginia as to Maryland.
Now how does this little extract from
a Virginia paper hit your:
Virginia is importing more seed po-
tatoes from Maine. There arrived in
port yesterday the schooners Young
Brothers, 795 tons net, and Edward
Stewart, 1853 tons net, both from Stock
ton Springs. Me-, and each loaded with
a cargo OF seed potatoes for local deal
ers. The Maine product is planted here
and 1t is seid that the truckers have
gotten good results"
GreatScottl What. Virginia import
ing seed potatoes? The great Tide
water section and the glorious Eastern
Shore-the home of the starchy bird
that graces the table of the Emerald
Islander six times day; the founda-
ton of the seductive cod .ish-ball; the
of pork fricassee; the inner
lining of lob scouch; the great mixer
and creamed Ia mode-and to be i'm
portedl Well. WELL. WELL! Is the
SN'A"HoioAiCA "a 1kAlCutluEc the cause
Of this? You jump on the Commission
of Fisheries about importing seed oys- '
,ers, now jump your Commissioner of {
Agriculture for importing seed potatoes.
Better look out, importing the negro q
rom the North brought on the Civil I
var, better go slow on the potato. f
Now, here is the acme of the whole O
hing, something that think will set t
lie forever the demand for the luscious b
'ivalve. 1t is an extract from a speech 5
# Professor, Starr, of the great Chica- s
% University, on the Philippine Islands f
nd their customs. In speaking of I
ating dog, the learned professor says: n
why, do you know that have seen I,
eople IN this country who would eat !,
aw oysters. l have done it myself.
mink or person who eats raw oysters c.
neerlng at a people who eat clean Ia
ooked dog" a
There you have it in nutshell, the c,
e plus ultra of the oyster business. 1 %
ave seen on the horizon for years al N
wal to the great oyster industry, and ci
ere it is Mark my word, that Profess ii
Or Starr knows whereof he speaks. d,
with that great Univer- c.
ty controlled by the millions of the Il
reat Standard Oil Octopus his words tc
lould make US pause and think. saw to
he oyster industry is doomed. Tide
y