The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-06-12
Nj. Veach Replies.

situation, did not purport to repre-
sent the sentiment of Dorchester
county, but only that contingent ia
voring planting by individuals, which
I stated was in the minority Mr..
Thompson's remarks in The Sun,
(some Of which were unpublished
were without justification and lack
cd ordinary courtesy, and merely
confirms what I said about carrying
the matter into politics.
If I was so grossly unqualified to
speak, or knew SO little of the
situation, would not that fact have
been apparent in every phrase, with
cut so much hullabaloo and perver-
| ted denunciation?
My reference to the non-enforce-
ment OF the Gull law was not a
reflection 50 much on the Oyster
Navy as on those oystermen who
ignore and evade this law.
After Christmas last season, we
would have been compelled to close
our oyster house, or run" oysters
from the Potomac, or elsewhere,
since not enough oysters could be
caught in Honga river to keep US
going. Had we closed, the shuck-
ers would have been thrown out of
work, and many were dependent for
a living upon shocking. But a
small bed of plants, with what oys-
ters we could buy, kept US going.
The dredgers who worked this bed
made more money than those work
ing on the natural rocks, and other
dredgers, such as Capt. Geo. Muir
rsll. who found dredging unprofit-
able. or disagreeable, came into
the oystsrhouse and found employ
ment. In view of this. why should
1 oppose planting?
At the opening of each season, the
oysters are scooped from the beds,
large and small, with many shells,
and sold to the steam houses. The
FISHERMAN argues that if he can
catch one hundred bushels, at 25c.
per bushel, he has made better
days work than if he catches only
fifty bushels. at 40c. per bushel. He
does not reason that the culls and
shells he gathers from the bottoms
are the oysters of the future. No,
"a bird in the hand is worth two in
the bush," and something may kill
the small oysters before another
year, and some of the oysters, such
as "Bentley's." will never be any
good. anyway. Thus the improvi-
dent ruthlessly waste and deplete
| the beds, and yet, the oystermen
who Gull their oysters, join hands
with him in his fight to continue
this depreciation and destruction
that L. little less than criminal in
its effect.
The planting law is the remedy.
| 1t has set aside for this nan
| rocks from which he can continue
to scrape the very bottom and sell
it, like Esau-his birthright-for a
| mess of pottage. And to the man
who believes in conserving, rather
than destroying; the man who is
willing to labor, If he may reap the
result, a bottom has been reserved
for leasing, land he is no longer com
PEELED to play at a game OF such
| odds. The rentals are reasonable
and it does not require fortune to
plant, especially if man has a
dredge boat of his own. When the
market is off, he can plant his
catch-also after the season has
closed to the use Of oysters for 9TH
er purposes by having the
small oysters on the bottom, II he
has a suitable ground, in from 5
20 10 years, with only his own eff
forts, he may have a bed that will
afford him a ten-fold income, and
produce oysters that are in demand
and bring the highest prices.
Much has been written about TAX
| ing away from the oystermen their
very life-their God-given rights
etc.-which, to the thinking oyster
man, must be the rankest bosh
Would you wish to plant your gar
| den and gather it with your neigh
bors. when you know some of them
will pull the little melons before
| they are full-grown, or ripe, or shake
from the trees the fruit, before it
natures?
| 1t appears to many that the State
is only restoring to the oysteTmen
the life which is being wasted and
impaired
| Organized as are the oystermen,
| they can prevent any undue en-
| croachment on their real rights, or
any monopoly of the industry by
| special interests, provided they avail
themselves of their opportunities af-
forded under the law. But any at
tempt to repeal the law will give
others less entitled to the leasable
bottoms a hold, and will only work
an advantage to the siren, who
scream Of fancied pending plots to
drain the last drop of blood from
the prone body of the "down-trod-
| den" oysterman-the man with po-
litical ambitions. But excuse me,
| lack of experience disqualifies me
to speak. Very truly yours,