The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-09-22

against him. The average tonser
owns nothing save his boat, his
oyster tonss and possibly his cabin on
shore. Many of those longing In the
James are from the York River, where
the strike has been poor this year, and
these men live on their boats. They
pay small annual license fee to the
state for the right to take oysters
from any public rocks in Virginia .iur-
ing the open season. There Is prob
ably a much larger proportion OF
negroes among the tongers OF the
James River rocks than Is the case
on the York. Rappahannock Or Pc
tomac beds
Large Capital Invested.
The planters of this section whose
headquarters are chiefly at Hampton.
where there are several large cannln.
ana oyster packing houses, represent a
dlnerent type. They are either part
nerships or corporations, with large
invested capital. buying the seed
oysters from the tongers and replaat-
Ing them in private waters where they
are fattened for the market Several
OF the large planters also run packing
houses and have extensive contracts
for shipping oysters to all parts or
the country. Among them are to he
found shrewd business men ready to
take advantage of every legitimate op-
rortunity. Out here on the rocks the
tongers seem to regard the large plant
Ing firms as their natural enemies. al
though it is to them that they cell
their daily crops The present trouble
iG over the claim of the tongers that
the plante have moved the stakes OF
their private beds, leased from the
State. far out over public rocks, and
to that extent have infringed on the
~ f-' Of tpp ,,,l,n how rNt.
SO long srappled for oysters on these
public rocks, that they have come to
regard them as their own property
and resent any interference even tn
the maintenance by the State OF
closed season.
Among planters there is a general
feeling that 1t would be wise to break
the Baylor survey. and to throw opeu
for lease by the State at profitable
rate some If the natural oyster beds,
which are now public property and
Vliable to be worked over by any longer
who has paid his State license. rhoi
tongers, on the other hand. want tho
area of pubic oyster ground increased
rather than diminished. AT soma or
the more excited mass-meettnsS OF
the tongers as at Battery Park Aar-
Dor on Monday night. speakers nave
advocated a reign of anarchy. gen
cral crusade to pull up the stakes OF
all private planters. and free for all
graphing for oysters even on what arc
row planted and leased GROUNDS.
aIay Breed Reign of Terror.
Such course could only breed
reign of terror, for the planters are
determined to defend their properly
and have notified the authorlIles ina.
they will do so, and that any furthers
| stake pulling or any attempt to take
oysters from private grounds VIII %
answered by shotguns.
All parties here agree that a ~hr o '-S,
tween the factions is Imminent atu
that only the large strike OF ossteIs3
and the tact Of Commissioner Lee "
promptly ordering a resurVey haNet
prevented an open outbreaks,
Trouble Only IN One Section.
| unfavorable comment mas oee..
aroused over the fact that IN reoe ! y.
wars most of the trouble has beet IN
the James River, while as a matter o.
fact the Rappahannock River beds and
| tho Pocomoke Sound beds are larger
land have a greater annual yield. Ihere
has been practically no trouble tnsre'
| however. and a large part OF the an-
nunl state appropriation for policing
| the oyster grounds is being spent IN
1.-THE james River, i55a.
| Unless there are uneNpected deNehop-
ments the truce will last until the CONF
pletion of the survey, II the tongers
lido not get the rocks they claim as pup-
i lie. there may be serious trouble on the
river. II, on the other hand, the new
survey shows that the planters are en-
croaching. there may be appeals to TIC
courts for relief. as the planters VIII
Undoubtedly fight any effort to GUST
them from the grounds they now oc-
cupy