228 THE OYSTER. 



zen of Maryland, for, wisely fostered, it will be an ines- 

 timable contribution to the prosperity of all our peo- 

 ple ; it will provide permanent, stable employment for 

 our oystermen ; it will increase the packing business, 

 it will benefit all oyster dealers, all shuckers and can- 

 makers, all the business men of the community; it will 

 provide cheap and abundant food for our people, and 

 it will contribute to the revenues of the State; but from 

 its very nature it cannot be successfully carried on 

 upon a small scale, and steps must be taken to attract 

 capitalists to this field of industry. 



Many thoughtful persons believe that all private 

 ownership of land is objectionable and injurious to the 

 best interests of society, and they are for this reason 

 opposed to private oyster culture. I believe, however, 

 that it will be found, on careful examination, that most 

 of their arguments and objections to private owner- 

 ship lose their weight when applied to oyster culture. 



Private lands above water are often used in such a 

 way as to exclude other uses more beneficial to society ; 

 but this cannot happen with oyster franchises, for the 

 State has no power to grant any absolute title to the 

 bottoms under navigable water, or to grant any right 

 to use them for other purposes than those specified in 

 the lease. It has power to convey to private citizens 

 the right to cultivate and harvest oysters, but it can do 

 no more, for all the citizens of Maryland have the com- 

 mon right to catch fishes in our waters, and all citizens 

 of the United States must always retain and enjoy the 

 right of free access to all such lands for purposes of 

 navigation. It is clear that a lease of the bottoms for 

 oyster culture could not give any exclusive personal 



