The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1914-11-12
COMP PROMISE BETWEEN
OYS1fRMEN ANO LEa
Cox Agrees Not to Removs fs
Provided oystermen do Rait
The Grounds.

Provided oystermen do u Rait
| The Grounds.
| Annapolis, Md, Nov. 10.-A sori
of compromise between the riotous
oystermen of Somerset county and
the lessees of oyster bottoms in that
neighborhood has been effected by
Gov. Goldsborough with the assis-
tance of Attorney-General Poe.
George A. Cox and many other
lessees in the Manokin river, through
their attorney, William C. Coleman,
have agreed that they will make NO
effort to take any oysters off THEN
leased bottoms, provided the natural
bar oystermen made no attempts to
raid them or remove the oysters.
There is nothing binding about the
agreement, but it is understood that
the arrangement will be agreeable
to the oystermen, who expect to have
the leased areas condemned and
opened for public use and pending
that they object to the bottoms be-
ing denuded of oysters. The lessees
would prefer to take oysters from
the areas leased to them, but this
has become so dangerous that they
are willing to let the oysters stay
where they are until the legal title is
settled. If the land is condemned
the lessees, under the Shepherd law,
will be reimbursed for their outlay.
If the agreement is lived up to by
both sides it will prevent any oys-
ters being taken from the Leased
areas for at least a year and prob
ably until after the meeting of the
next Legislature. for even If the
areas are condemned and the legal
questions finally settled, there has
been no appropriation to pay the
damages and expenses of the leas-
sees in having the property taken
from them and the State could hard
ly take the property until payment
was made for it.
After the agreement with the les
sees Gov. Goldsborough wrote the
following letter:
Com. T. C. B. Howard,
Cambridge, Md.
Dear Sir: /
Complaint has again reached me
that the private oyster beds of Geo.
A. Cox and others in the Manokin
river are still being raided by the
oystermen. These beds have recent
ly been the subject of litigation look
ing to their condemnation by the Cir
cult Court for Somerset county as
natural bars, but until they have
been acquired by the State by coIi-
demnation or purchase, they belong
to the lessees. who alone are. -
titled to catch oysters u1on tiem1
l am informed by the Attorney Geni
eral, who has conferred with the lei
gal representative of these lesseesa
that the lessees are satisfied to ret
frain from removing oysters FROM
these leased areas pending their act
QUESTION by the State, provided no
oysters are meanwhile taken there
from by the oysterlnen.
"This attitude of the lessees IS
more than reasonable, and the full
est protection in accordance there
with should be furnished by the
State to the property of the lessees.
"You are accordingly directed to
proceed at once to the Manokin riv-
er and adopt such means and resort
to the use of such force as may be
necessary to protect the leased acres
in the locality from present and fu-
ture unlawful invasion by the oys-
termen, and to prevent other VIOLA
tions of the oyster laws of this State,
Complaints similar to that OF
George A. Cox have also been made
to me by the lessees of areas in Tan
gier Sound. The above instructions
apply to these areas also.
eff you find the force at your
command insufficient to cope with
the violators of the law and to sup
press disorder, communicate with me
at once and I will provide you with
additional forces.
Raids upon private property
must be stopped, and l am writing to
the States Attorney for Somerset
county, urging that vigorous means
be taken to secure the punishment of
those guilty of defying the authority
of the State. Very truly yours,
Phillips Lee Goldsborough,
Governor of Maryland" 4"
Gov. Goldsborough also wrote to
the States Attorney of Somerset