The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1910-02-03

vev advance mauV plausible rea-
sons for their position and waste
much ink in ridiculing others who
do not think as they do. We be-
EevS OF course that they are hon
est in advancing these opinions,
but many of them overlook the
fact that other people may be
equally honest in advancing con-
trary ones.
They claim. principally upon
the authority Of DR.. II. II. Moore,
that their are many thousand
acres OF barren rocks lying under
the waters of this state and the
state is each year losing an enor-
nous revenue because these are
not rented to the planters. In
former times $hese rocks were
protected by the state for the
benefit of her citizens. If we are
rightly informed, and not because
they produced revenue. Be this
as it may, the authority of DR..
Moore is not sufficient to convince
us that these rocks are barren.
Other men equally well informed
as he is,say that no natural rock
ever becomes permanently barren;
that is if rested a sufficient length
of time they will replentish them
selves.
This would OF course make it
very fine for the planters should
the survey be broken and they
obtain these rocks, They could
pay rent on them for few years
and then get off enough oysters
TO bring them hcndreds of dollars
10 return for every dollar spent.
That these rocks at present APP
pear barren is due to the fact.
that the planters IN many in
stances drudge the oysters off
them under pretense CT cleaning
their own plant beds and if they
are allowed to take these so-called
barren rocks they will continue
the same process upon tie ada
cent rocks until these be declared
barren. This carried TO its nat
ural conclusion will mean that in
the course of time there will be
no natural rocks at all.
The sharpest attack seems to be
made upon the lines of the Baylor
Survey in the James River. This
sustains our opinions formerly ex-
pressed, that the planters are
looking for snap. because there
are no rocks IN the state which so
quickly replentish themselves nor
are there any less likelyto become
permanently barren. More than
this a large majority of the seed
stock used in the state comes
from the James River. Once the
planters are let in on these rocks,
the larger and weather. ones will
gobble up the major portion and
those desiring seed stock will find
themselves in the hands of a mo-
nopoly as bad as others that are
now robbing the consumers Of this
county. Especially in regard to
this River do we endorse our con-
temporary. the Virginian Pilot,
when it says, that if there be any
change in the present lines let
them take in more rock. Destroy
the seed producing re cks and YOU
will destroy the industry in our
commonwealth except for a
chosen few.
We are not actuated in this
matter by superstitious regard
for the Baylor Survey as the
Times-Dispatch expressed it, but
rather by desire to see legisla-
tion passed which will give the
best results to our people. We do
not object to breaking the Baylor
Survey. but want to see it broken
the right way. We feel that our
representatives. Messrs. Saunders,
Evans and Stubs will do all in
their power to project the rights
of their people. and that they
will have the help oEalFTide-wzit ter
members.