Peninsula Enterprise, January 30, 1892

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Transportation -- Road - Better roads movement

Delegates to the road meeting at Accomac C. H., next Wednesday, have been reported as follows: N. W. Nock, Dr. John W. Bowdoin, James A. Hall, John D. Parsons, John T. White, A. J. Rew, William B. Pitts, Dr. John E. Mapp, Levin J. Melson, William M. Taylor, Benjamin F. Bull and George W. Elmore.

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Transportation -- Water - Wharves

A bill has been introduced in our Legislature to allow Capt. Henry Crockett to build a wharf at Onancock.

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Natural resources -- Conservation - GameNatural resources -- Conservation - ResourcesSea -- Shellfish - Oystering : SeasideSea -- Shellfish - Oystering : Legislation

Petitions are being circulated on the seaside in the upper part of the county of Accomac, praying the passage by our Legislature of an oyster cull law, for the Eastern side of the counties of Accomac and Northampton, and that a police boat properly manned be placed in waters on seaside of said counties, for the purpose of assisting in the enforcement of any law that exists or may be enacted relative to oysters, seine hauling, shooting of wild fowl, taking of oysters, &c. They submit in their petition that by the suicidal policy now being pursued, that the oyster rocks are being rapidly depleted and that there is an indiscriminate destruction of wild fowl, terrapins, &c.

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Transportation -- Water - StrandingsSea -- WreckingInfrastructure -- Public - Government : Life-saving service

The English steamer "Sir William Armstrong," from New Orleans to Havre, France, with a load of cotton, went ashore on southeast point of Carter's shoals on the 19th, in a dense fog. The life station crews from Cobb's and Smith Island boarded her and rendered all necessary assistance. The wreckage steamers are at work on her and may succeed in floating her. A part of her cargo, 665 bales of cotton has been sent to Norfolk.

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Architecture -- JailsMoral -- Property crime

Our county jail was without an occupant last Wednesday -- the last of the ten prisoners confined here at the beginning of the week being released on Tuesday. A colored brother, charged with stealing a watch last Thursday, now has a place behind the bars.

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Tourists and sportsmen -- Other recreation - FairsTourists and sportsmen -- Other recreation - Horse racing

The books of Mr. A. T. Leatherbury, secretary of the Chesapeake Agricultural Association, will be closed, Monday, February 8th, at 7 p.m., and all entries must be made before that time accompanied by five dollars. All colts with no better record than 3 minutes can be entered in the 3 year old race -- name of owner, horse, color, and sex to be given at time of entry.

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Infrastructure -- Public : SchoolsInfrastructure -- Public - Government : School administrationInfrasturcture -- Public - Government : County

Bills have passed the House of Delegates of Virginia, to authorize the Board or Trustees of Margaret Academy, to make sale of the property held by them in trust -- and to authorize the Board of Supervisors of Accomac, to increase the pay for county and district school purposes and to define the line between the magisterial districts of Atlantic and Metompkin.

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Infrastructure -- Public : FencesProfessionals -- Seafood dealers

Belle Haven.

The citizens of our community are largely in favor of no fence law, and want it to come before the people at an early day.

Messrs. R. T. Lore and J. L. Mulford, of Philadelphia, have been in our section this week, contracting largely for oysters.

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Sea -- Shellfish - Oystering : SeasideTourists and sportsmen -- Other recreation - Fraternal ordersInfrastructure -- Commercial - Commercial constructionInfrastructure -- Commercial - General Stores

Chincoteague.

The lower lips of many of our oyster shippers, dropped, this week, on receipts of telegrams: Market full -- hold your oysters.

A lodge of the Progressive Endowment Guild of America, chartered by the state of Virginia, was organized here with a large membership, on 25th inst., by Dr. William R. Boyd. Many of the most substantial citizens of Chincoteague, were gathered into the Order.

A handsome storehouse is being erected by Mr. Thomas L. Burch, on Eastern side of the Island, at Taylor's Landing, which he will stock soon with a full line of general merchandise. He proposes to make some of our old merchants take a back seat or come down in prices.

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Infrastructure -- Public : ChurchesMoral -- OtherProfessionals -- Teachers

Onancock.

Onancock Baptist Sunday School opened its new library last Sunday morning, Capt. E. W. Hopkins, librarian

A lifeless negro baby supposed to be two or three weeks old, was found along shore in Onancock creek, last Saturday, by Mark Bailey, colored, and buried by him. He did not identify it, and so far, its death is a profound mystery.

Onancock is looking forward to the meeting of the Teachers' Association of Accomac and Northampton with expectations of an educational treat, Mr. G. G. Joynes will do everything in his power to make the teachers feel at home in his town. When it is made known that Dr. L. J. Harmanson will be the chairman of the Committee on Hospitality for the occasion, it will be conceded, that Mr. Joynes has made a step in the right direction. Stockholders have offered the large Town Hall free of charge and special rates from Tasley to Onancock have been secured for all teachers attending the Association.

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Infrastructure -- Commercial - Real estateTourists and sportsmen -- Field sports - Hunting : Waterfowl and shorebirdInfrastructure -- Commercial - Residential construction

Parksley.

Mrs. T. I. Kent has bought the lot adjoining her dwelling on Adelaide street.

Fred B. Pierce, of Boston, and Rev. Paul Sterling, of Melrose, Mass., are here on a gunning trip.

Louis F. Hinman is getting out plans for a commodious dwelling to be built on his lots, corner of Cassatt avenue and Bennett street.

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Transportation -- Road - Better roads movement

Wachapreague.

A road meeting held here last Saturday organized with T. T. Wescott, chairman, and J. H. Johnson, secretary. Dr. J. E. Mapp was elected delegate. F. T. Stockley, alternate. The road law recently formulated at Accomac C. H., was approved, and our representative is expected to vote for the ratification of same, next Wednesday.

Road Making.

Transportation -- Road - MaintenanceTransportation -- Road - Legislation

This disturbing subject is covered by the simple requisites:

1st, That the water shall be run off the road.

2nd, That the surface of the roads shall be kept smooth.

To do this the man who makes the roads should have no other occupation -- there should be one such person to work and manage roads in each magisterial district, to be employed, paid and discharged by the Board of Supervisors.

The money should go as direct as possible from the tax payer to the workers on the road, and should be done through the Board of Supervisors, and it will be as good an investment as the purchase of a horse, a cart, a carriage, or anything else that adds to the comfort, pleasure and income of man.

If the above is put into force, the man who is to make the roads will learn by experience the best way to do it -- much better than those who are making plans and making the law.

I fear, however, Mr. Editor, that the Legislature does not intend to do anything with the roads.

Respectfully,

ORRIS A. BROWNE.

The Road Question.

Transportation -- Road - MaintenanceInfrastructure -- Public - Government : Taxation

MR. EDITOR -- The discussion of this question has taken a wide range and I shall be glad to see it concluded. There has been a great deal of misrepresentation and much utterly irrelevant matter used as arguments. One of my opponents, Mr. L. D. Warren, seems to think he ought to say something more, but his last letter is a sort of milk-and-water-affair-greatly-diluted -- mild as a May morning. He complains that I refer to history for illustration and comparison. That is a strange cause for complaint. I have always regarded history, either sacred or secular, as a wise teacher. It is, so to speak, the window through which we look into the dim vistas of departed ages and see the vices and virtues, the crimes and cruelties, the wise acts and errors of past generations, and if we are wise should shun their mistakes. But, Mr. Warren doesn't want me to go outside of my county for illustration. I could not help it, young tyrants do not grow in democratic soil, and his great panacea is as dead as Julius Caesar. Even he did not say a word in defense of his bantling in this last letter. It's life was short. The democratic air of Accomac killed it. Let it sleep the last long sleep of death, unwept, unhonored and unsung. But Mr. Warren could not drop this question without reference to his hobby, "the State debt," which seems to rest upon him like a great nightmare, and he takes but a very superficial view of that question. He asserts it was the cause of all our troubles since the war, and here he blunders, and mistakes the effect for the cause. The war itself was the Iliad of all our woes. Judge Gunter told me, that he doubted if half our people before the war knew that we had a State debt -- so lightly did it rest upon our people. The debt, per se, was not burdensome, it was borne like a feather. But the war came, stripped us of three-fourths of our taxable values, one-third of our territory and swept away our whole labor system in a day and left old Virginia with thousands of her brave sons sleeping in unmarked graves on a hundred hard fought battle fields. The war was the cause of all our woes.

But I bid friend Warren and his defunct Panacea a final adieu and turn to another warrior who has rushed into the arena with all the courage of a Fallstaff, and fell, with sword in hand, upon the penniless poor, my unfortunate "wards." How gallant was his charge! For gross misrepresentation, false reasoning and misleading statements this writer of the circular letter stands without a rival, pre-eminent and alone. I shall only refer to a few of his points for upon these rests, the whole of his rambling, ill-considered and reckless letter. Referring to me, this writer says, he "is surely unmindful of the fact that 99-100 of the burdens and expenses of government are borne by the property holders." I deny, that fact in toto. The statement is utterly without foundation. My unfortunate "wards" whose cause I here publicly champion against their traducer, pay more, far more [illegible] than this slanderous writer in proportion to their means. They pay a large portion of our whiskey and tobacco license tax into the treasury of Virginia, and they pay far more than their quota of the tariff taxes which go exclusively to pay the expenses of government. He cannot deny this. It is sound Democratic doctrine and will be preached from ten thousand hustings all over this great nation, before the ides of November. The poor penniless laborers bear far more than their rightful part of public burdens. But, perhaps, he will say he did not mean the burdens of the federal government. Ah! is not that our government, and the heaviest part of it? And is he not estopped from denying he meant the whole government by quoting approvingly, my excerpt from Mr. Cleveland in favor of an "equitable distribution of public burdens?" He knows Mr. Cleveland meant all "public-burdens" and especially the burdens of federal taxation and he dares not deny that he has misrepresented and maligned the unfortunate poor. This is a severe charge, but it is every word true, true as Holy Writ. My unfortunate "wards" go "scot free" and pay not one cent of the public burdens. Oh, slander! slander "is the master fiend, most black of all below." "I would rather be a dog and bay the moon" than to slander the helpless poor, who, according to Democratic teaching, are bearing far more than their rightful share of public burdens. If this writer had been an ignorant man, I could have excused him, but it is plain his letter was intended to mislead and to arouse the scorn and indignation of property holders against the poor delinquent tax payers, who stand as a shield between the property holders of Accomac and direct federal taxation. For instance, if the tariff taxes were not paid, then, the general government would impose direct taxes on all our property to help pay the enormous expenses of our national government. But I have written enough to show that this writer is not a safe guide in matters of taxation, any more than he is in matters of religion. Some years ago through the columns of the late Eastern Virginian, he charged upon the Christian church, but he broke his lance without leaving a scratch on the shining shield of Christianity. Beware of the man who tries to mislead, who labors to array one class of our people in deadly antagonism against another class.

I want to say to my traduced "wards" most of them, (all illegible) ought to pay the capitation tax cheerfully. It is a sacred duty they owe to the children of this county and State, for whose education it is mostly expended. They should also willingly pay a fair part of the road tax; for all classes will be benefited by good roads. In conclusion I will add, that I am confident half of our delinquent tax list could be collected if we had wise laws for the collection of taxes. The treasurers are too remote from the tax payers. There should be a collector in each magisterial district. Then he would know the people and their ability to pay.

J. D. PARSONS.

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Transportation -- Road - Maintenance

MR. Editor -- I must confess that I was somewhat amused, rather than otherwise, at the manner in which you refuted one of the alleged errors in my circular letter to Samuel W. Matthews, Esq., in reference to the roads, by admitting the truth of the statement itself. I simply said in my letter that I had made an ineffectual attempt to secure its appearance in the ENTERPRISE. This statement you admit as true, and supplemented the acknowledgement by an explanation as to why you failed to publish my letter. You and I know the conversation occurred between us in your office at 12:30 o'clock, on Wednesday, the 13th of this month, and you also recollect the stage to which that weeks issue of your paper had advanced, you also knew the great importance to the people of the subject for which I asked a hearing by the people through your columns, you were also aware of the gist of the argument contained in my letter, you also knew that the work of the road committee had never been rightly set before the people, and knowing these facts, and occupying the position you do, I will simply say that if you are entirely satisfied in your own mind, with the explanation offered for the non-appearance of my letter in your issue of the 16th, of this month, myself and others should also be satisfied.

Yours truly,

N. W. Nock.

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Transportation -- Road - Maintenance

MR. Editor -- There has been so much said and written in regard to our public roads, a few words from a farmer, perhaps, would not be amiss. I agree with all of them that a change or amendment to our road lay is demanded. My plan would be --

1 -- To make it absolutely compulsory on every male from 16 to 60 years old to work two days, of eight hours, in each year, or pay one dollar, and if he will not do either to put him in chain-gang and make him work it out there.

2 -- To levy a tax on real estate, sufficient to buy a road machine or scraper and plow for every magisterial district.

3 -- That the county Judge appoint one man in each district, with pay not to exceed $2 per day, to be occupied 8 ours per day, whose duty it shall be to attend to all other roads in the district, to keep them &c. and to forfeit his wages for wilful neglect of duty -- and to put another in his place if he does not give satisfaction.

LEVIN J. MELSON.

Peninsula Enterprise
Accomac Court House
January 30, 1892