The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-02-17
Proposition to straighten Baylo
Lines Now With Com
rnittees.

when Chairman Wickhams savel |
teil at II O'Clock last night he anil
hounced>as a coro!lary OF that act /
tHat the oyster hearing was at an end |
SO tar as the Senate Committee ON !
Fish and Game was concerned. Every
body had been given his innings, and
the committee feels that it knows as
much about oysters in the James as
1t could ever possibly know. or else.
perchance. 1t feels that the more 1t /
heard the less 1t understood
1t Is thought also that no more
Will be heard on the matter before
the House Committee on the Chesa-
peake and Its Tributaries. for when
that body rose after session lasting
most of yesterday afternoon, no one
else appeared against the bill and
Commissioner Lee stated that he would
rest his case.
The Senate committee is expected TO
take the matter up and settle it one
way or the other AT the meeting to he
held tomorrow morning. There seems
to be no idea as to what its decision
will be. The House committee vii!
meet to-morrow afternoon.
Almost BewilderinE.
examinations and recriminations,
charges and countercharges, assertions
and denials, marked the hearings and
bewildered those who listened. 1t is
certain that many of 4he oysterInen
are fearfuily afraid of the bare men
ton of breaking the Baylor Survey"
and cannot be convinced that Commits
sioner Lee means what he says to the
effect that he does not want to break
it. but only to straighten its lines SO
| that he may police 1t, and thus keep
the planter off and cultivate more
rock for the tonger. The intensity
| Of feeling on the part of some OF the
| oyster people amounts almost to
| frenzy. They see visions of the
| planter owning everything and them
| selves driven to other vocations to
[ make a living for their starving faini-
lilies. They arc unable or unwilling
1 to believe Mr., Lees positive assertion
! that not one acre now available to
. the tonger in the Warwick county
/ grounds is to be thrown out.
A feature of the hearing was the
| assertion made by a man who was
%employed on the Moore survey last
| summer that proper methods were not
| used in determining the nature Of the
| mud bottoms An attempt was made
to nullify his statement by making
| him admit that. he was out 50 on the
deal. there being some sort Of dispute
about his compensation. Which goes
| to show that nobody can tell anything
4 about It.,
Eurnrst In Opposition.
B. r.. Richardson, OF the York River
! was most earnest in his opposition
1 to the Wickham bill. He looks
I, at it largely from religious stand
4 point, pleading with the Legislature te
follow tho teachings OF the bible ant
not take away the poor mans prop,
erty. He said that wero he offered al
the ground which is proposed 70 pf
thrown out he would not take 1t, thus
deprivipg tho poor tongers or Wha'
was theirs The oyster rocks 40 SAID
belonged to the oystermen..,
From Jail Island, he SAID 70 Mul'
berry Island. it was proposed 70 throw
out ground which Is productlse' ~
this ground. he asserted, ne mace ias'
SEASON. as high as 50 In single day
~ was not dense rock, but OF
t,,a hard sand good many fine
owsters were to be found, which wert
g, rood demand. lilo picked them vi
WITH MINERS on clear days In shallow
! water.
Under Mr. Lees plan said Mr. Rich
aruson. a.425 acres would be throw,
ont with nothing To gain! No l.ocl
In the James, he asserted, Is depleted
1t will recover Itself t
Mr Lee said that the record woul,
snow that the ground OF Which NJ,
\ . Richardson spoke. and from which h
said he got the oysters, had Seen as
signed to planters sixteen wears ago
No tonser has worked, lie claimed
Within 400 yards Of Little Jail islam