The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1921-10-22
AN ISLAND where
NOBODY IS POOR
AND MOST ARE GLAD
1t Is Not \ Shooting Lodge Nor A
Club For NIillionaires; But A
ToiIerS' Home.

AN ISldnu "nef2 NOBODY IS poor!
Yes, the thing exists, less than 800
miles from New York, and it is not
a multimilliOnaire shooting-lodge,
nor yet the happy hunting-grOund of
what is called an exclusive" club.
It is a few thousand acres of sand,
producing little except wild ponies,
salt grass and a few garden Vege-
tables; not enough for food, indeed,
for a tenth of the inhabitants. They
number about 1000 in all.
The island where nobody's poor
is called Chincoteague. 1t hugs the
Eastern coast of Accomac county,
Virginia, and is protected from the
surges of the Atlantic by the narrow
peninsula of AsSateague, dropped
like plum line southwark about 70
miles from tho southeast corner of
Delaware. According to the laws of
! Virginia, anybody who has been a
resident of the State for period of
two years may catch oysters, upon
the natural oyster beds by paying,
& license fee assessed in proportion
K the size of his boat and the kind
OF tools he uses, and nobody may
make private property of such oys-
ter beds.
Even stupid person need not
think more than twice to realize that
under these conditions there could be
no such thing as poverty on an is
land so situated as Chincoteague.
Any able-bodied man can earn a de-
cent living on the natural oyster
beds for most of the year, and an
equally decent living as a catcher of
sort shell crabs and fish for the rest
Of his time. Able-bodied men
ashore naturally do not work for
much less wages than they can get
as Self-employing oystermen, crab
bers and fishermen. Even strang
ors, denied by the law the privileges
Il the oyster beds. do not have to ac-
ecpt low wages, because there is a
pretty regular scarcity Of workers
ashore Oh Chincoteague, and every
strGnger knows that he has only to
tick it ont for two years and save
q little money to be the owner of
boa licensed to catch oysters.
Many q tina within the past half
.en ury. the oystermen of Chinco-
tea cue. and their brethren OF Viz
ginia and Maryland who fish in the
Chesapeake, have been threatened
with cunningiy drawn laws that are
intended to narrow the area of the
free oyster grounds. Ingenious ar
Guncnts have been brought forward
to prove that the natural oyster
beds ought 10 be sold to private per-
sons. OF pat cut at long lease. 1t
mas been claimed that oystermen
have been wasteful in catching oys-
ter on the natural beds, and it has
been argued that this rich natural
opportunity of Virginia and Mary
land can best be conserved by CIV
ing men with capital the chance to
work the beds economically and in
diligently, by calling into play the
selfish interest of the few, and so
preserve for the State its rich heri-
tage. Every such measure, however,
has been keenly watched by the oys-
teTmen, and thus far neither Mary
Lard nor Virginia has dared deprive
he hardy race of the Chesapeake
and Chincotea que OF its chance to
liy. and pros per.
w. and prosper.
he CyrS1-Incn OF ChincOteague do
not call themselves political eco
lomists, but they know that if the
2atural oyster beds should pass in
o private hands the mass of the
people must inevitably become the
employees of those who will then own
What now belongs to all, and wages
will tend to minimum through
The competition of men for an OPP
oortunity to earn living out of the
water.
WEEKEND SPECIAL