The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-10-07
Which Will it Advocated

poforr,cr tn the conference of Federal, Mary
land and Virginia authorizes on the nsh su"
iect in Washington last week, the Richmond
News Leader under some such heading as
a hove. says cryptic reticence MARKS the PuoliN
report of the conference w hateVer that means
No report, cryptic or otherwise has oeeh T n
as vet or authorized by that conference. Con-
tinuing. the News leader says: H.. .,,o ~,,,-
But nothing definite has been gwen me pun
lie Ms to which of these measures the Virginia re-
personalities will advocate We are only told tnae
they were willing to urge the SUGGESTIONS
while dtsagreeng as to other points. and that
some of these proposals were favored and
some opposed, Congressman Jones ana Connls
sjoner Lee standing together on the several
Does the News Leader think that discussion
of a few hours would bring conclusi ms sum
cient for publication? If so that pofFays .he
extent of its knowledge on a deep subject an
initial conference from which 70 slft IDEAS LOT
future conferences and found the basis for ~
ture action. is hardly prepared to make pup
llshed report. To do so on so intricate SUP
ect would stamp the conferees as superhcia
and lacking in deliberations 1t has taken the
government and the States Of virginia ana mary
land more than two years to disproFe ING ras
and injurious statement OF pure-fooo lahail-
cal scientist, aided and abetted by newspaper
publicity that the Potomac oyster was unht LOT
food Would you have the same impetuous
nolicy cripple the fisheries of America, and with
enc fell swoop rob the meat market OF FISH!
This would play well into the hands ol me hs ,a
trust. We were there for conservation ana
work behalf of the masses; not Tor expioA-
tation or newspaper boosting -
Continues the Richmond News LeadeF III i'S
bombastic style:
.'Wil the State fish commission unite with the
State of Maryland and the bureau OF 1sher1es IN
a thorough invest cation of the menhaden fish-
cries? VIII they submit to competent experts
the mooted question as TO the part the men,
baden industry plays in the destruction OF 1000
nsh? Have the people of Virginia the right 10
know the faCts?"
/ Yes--We speak for the state FISH com com,
mission Our State officials are laboring with
both Uncle Sam and Lord Baltimore In TINS
work On all points we are not agreed; 1t were
strange II such bodies did fully accord on nrst
Somebody would be stamped "a nlnCoH-
/ poop-and as knowing no more about the sub
iect than the News Leader appears to- After
proper elaboration and conference, we do not
doubt all get together, 1t will never satisfy
Virginia to abandon her food fish catching so
! that Maryland higher up the bay, may nave
a surfeit but reason will prevail
/ Yes, again, to our contemporary; the state
authorities viii turn on the light as TO tne
menhaden industry Virginia could afford 10
remain silent this score when the Maryland
authorities stated in meeting that the menhaden
industry did not interfere with or interest them;
that they know of food fish being caught
| by the fertilizer people. The United State nsh
commissioner also testified that they caught no
! food Ash. So no testimony is needed from Viz
GINA Are you satisfied on this score? 1t was
admitted that the menhaden people bought her
ring only from the small fishermen when a
| glut was on; that this done to keep them
1 from being a waste--to be money producers
rather than stencil upon the shores when
cast out because OF no market While this is
| a wise policy, under such circumstances, was
unanimously agreed because of msrepresenta-
! ton 10 the public that the menhaden people
/ be forbidden to buy herring for fertilizer pur-
poses hereafter SO the small fisherman will
! catch no less herring (hecause he catches them
at the same time and in net that he does
shad), but he must throw them overheard, to
drift around upon the shores and become an un-
4 healthy stencil. All this because of erroneous
popular notions engendered by ignorant
press. No use to say the herring must not be
tcaugnt, that they should be returned to the
water alive ( No knows when a glnt of
herring will bag ones net, and turning them
with the shad into a boat kills them almost
1 instantly, To return them alive would mean
to lift the net and let out shad and ll-and