The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-02-18
THE BAYLOR SURVEY AND THE
TONGERS.

The reception accorded to the Byrd
Wickham oyster bill from certain
quarters of the state has not, OF
course, been unexpected. In fact, those
who know the peculiar reverence which
Tidewater has for the Baylor Survey
would have been surprised had not
that section greeted the bill with a
this storm as exhibited in the Tide
water press and as voiced before the
joint committee on Wednesday is GER
tainly out of proportion to the mild
terms of the BILL
The objections raised by the Eastern
press and the arguments which are
being hurled at every legislator from
Stafford to Princess Anne run the
whole gamut OF condemnation. The
Byrd Wickham bill is held up by some
as an illegal. unwarranted and par
tisan effort to rob the tongers of their
birthright. BY others, even when so
deliberate and fair as the Newport
News Press and the Accomac News. 1t
Is EeSdTueu dl pSot' 'i'iSs0ANS''
attempt to better the interest of the
industry Between these two extremes
there are as many tones of criticism
and abuse as there are papers in Tide
water, with only a meek voice here
and there pleading for compromise.
The chief ground upon which all
this protestation is based seems to be
the exclusion of part of Brown
Shoal from the proposed lines of the
omen natural rock. Chairman Lee has
stated in print that not one acre of
this shoal. as now used by white
tongcrs, will be excluded from the
new lines. But apparently this avails
nothing. Yet, even granting that MI.
Lee Is mistaken and that productive
natural rocks will. by the new lines,
be excluded, does this affect the nat
ural and inevitable justice of such a
procedure? The tongers may dispute
it and argue 1t as they WILL but 1T
appears certain and settled that the
fostering of private planting will alone
recuperate our rocks. In the long run
the participation of. private capita,
will alone protect the general interes,
Planters should be considered as we
as tonsers; their stock of oysters mus
be kept up just as must the marks
oysters of the licensed tonsers.
Aside from the simple and bas
question of equity involved. it seen
to us that common business sens
should prompt the opposition to yiel
this point. Under the terms Of tt
Byrd Wickham bill the tongers cel
tainly gain more than they lose. y
present. in $4,000 acres included in tn
Baylor Survey, the longer can prof
new lines, Of d total OF $4,000 acres
they can tong 1000 productive acres
lin either case the passage OF this bill
would open the way for the recupera.
tion of at least 1000 additional de-
pleted acres. This bargain strikes US
as very satisfactory zone for the
tongers- - >"
The other objections to the bill, as
voiced in the objections from Tide
water fall back on all often threshed
Issues, and spring from one single un-
sound premise. Underwater owns the
oysters and should be left alone to
enjoy them Men from the Valley and
men from Piedmont should not in
:erfere. II is perhaps useless to pro-
est against this view. and certainly
Useless to point out that Virginia, as
whole, has Just as much right to reap
profit from the taxation of Underwater
oyster rocks as the whole State has to
cap a profit from taxes on cattle in
Southwest Virginia. Tidewater's mis-
AIKEN impression is deep-rooted. II
an only be overcome by a law which
viii clearly reveal the purpose of vir-
;inia to consider the oysters as a por-
ion of the States natural wealth, no
or the benefit of few, hut for The
,est interests of the entire Common
sealth.