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S OF TH Y FOR ST. CROIX. (Continued from Saturday’s Avis.) 2nd Appointed Member (Noll) remark- ed: Mr. Viece-Chairman. There seems to be some misunderstanding of the t- titude of my motives and remarks. I want to-explain that I am not the draftor of the School Law passed by this Coun- cil. I had nothing to do with the draft- ing of the Law. I am frank to admit that [ may have been as negligent in not going over it carefully when it was placed before us, yet I do not known that the Ordinance is so repulsive as to require such changes as proposed in the amend- ment. The point that [ am trying to make clear is this, this particular Ordinance has passed this Council, and has been in existence for a very short time; appa- rently there are questions that are in- volved, and which requires deep legal consideration; therefore [ am advocating that we give the matter very deep con- sideration. I do not say that there has not been cause for the amendment, there may be, but if there is, the facts and the deiails and the circumstances have not been pre- sented to this Council; therefore, before this Council takes any final action, it should appoint a committee to. hear the complaints and the merits of the com- plaints can be passed upon. I say that fourteen of us here this af- ternoon should not decide without hear- ing the evidence on both sides. I again propose a committee of five members to consider the amendment, and let those Teachers and parents appear before the committee, let us give the Direc- tors and corps of Teachers under them a chance to be heard and after hearing both sides of the case, if we find that the children are being deprived of their educational liberty, then, we will so de- cide. But ithis afternoon we have no evidence before us, and I don’t believe a member of this Council here this after- noon can truthfully give an opinion on the matter. I again purpose a commit- tee of five members to receive and con- sider the amendment. sth Appointed Member (Lunney) re- marked: lagree with 2nd Appointed Mem- ber (Noll). I have acted on the School Board under the former Government for many years, and ] find that the question raised by the Honorable Ist Member for Christiansted Country District is very important. I will give one reason why the then School Director, a learned man, had for giving us the School Ordinance ‘’hich we had here before, it is because he did not want to give the impression that the private =P CROLE &V D Teachers had not thestandard of educa- tion to bring up the children as the High Séhool did. The question today is one that the Government, should decide and I am willing to leave the matter in the hands of the Government to decide. Formerly it used to be the cry that there was no way .or.means to give the children a higher education, and there- fore they had to go to foreign countries and when they came.back they brought back foreign ideas with them. The Gov- ernment of the United States is very careful where the education of the young people is concerned, and is always willing to give the good eduecation so as to make gcod citizens of them. We should be very careful with this education question, and as the Honsrable 2nd Appointed Member has said we must go into this matter very carefully so that justice should be done to all ecncerned. ; [ agree with 2nd Appointed Member (Noll) that a committee be appointed to receive and report on the amendment which is before us today. Ist Member for Christiansted Country District (Stakemann) remarked: Mr. Viee-Chairman. [ have no objection to a committee being appointed. I think it is waste of time to talk about appointing a committee. | knowa matter of this kind must go t¢ a committee. ~ 2nd Member for Frederiksted Country District (M. M. Skeoch) remarked: Mr. Viee-Chairman. [ think the amendment the Ist Member for Christiansted Coun- try District has brought in is reason- able. We can always blame ourselves for passing the laws in a hurry, but the nine members who sat on the committee should be blamed more than the nine who did not. All a man ean do ig, if he finds that he makes a mistake by passing a law that is not in order, is ‘o brirg in an amendment. There are many matters concerning the Schc s that do not ap- peal to me, and on .ich I am not pre- pared to speak, bjutthe word discipline should be writtenj;y the children in the Schools five hundred times. They lack discipline. 4th Appointed Member (Blackwood) re- marked: Mr. Vice-Chairman. I bhave been listening very carefully to the re- marks of the last Speakers. [am one of the nine members who went through the laws, and at that time we had both the proponent of the Amendment and 2nd Ap- pointed Member [Nolll, both legal men, as advisers. I think it is right that a committee be appointed to receive and report on the amendment before final action is taken upon it. I am glad to hear Ist Member for Chris- tiansted Country District [Stakemann] say that American principles should fol- low the Flag. ‘‘Old Glory’’ represents a free People whose motto is peace and prosperity at home, with cordial foreign relations with honor to the flag. I too would be.glad to see honest American principles displaved here, not only in the Fducationa! Department, but in ewvery department of our every day life. We have too many conflicting ideas, and there are too many personalities among us, we should all pull together; those who understar d law should lead us in all ques- tions of a legal nature under discussion, rather than accuse each other of a false interpretation of the law. = This discus- sinn sho..s that even legally trained minds can get hot in the collar when un- der discussion, so there is some excuse for the rest of us who are not blessed with a legal training. When the laws were in committe we depended on Lawyer Stakemann who has been practicing law here for nearly forty years, also Judge Noll who knows American Law. 1 myself know only enough- about law to try and live within the limits of the law. While the Code of Laws were under discussion by the Committee, 1 read them carefully, but do not feel that I am yet qualified tc give a legal opinion. The laws have been pass ed over in such a short space of time that we had no time to discover these little mat- ters. The next thing is, when an old law is repealed and a new law takes its place, it must be taken into consideration that the people will find themselves working under laws that they know nothing about, and will have to get accustomed to it. The Danish system of Kducation was very good; we have as well educated peo- ple here as we have in many places of an equal population in the United States; Mr. Stridiron in the Book-keeping Office is an example; therefore 1 do not think it right to turn down the Danish System of Education in this island. There were many resveciabie women here, who, through reverse circumstances were obliged to teach for a living; they kept good schools and the children improved wonderfully; thereforeI cannot see any reason why restriction should be put on such class of people, so leng as their teaching is done under the supervision of the School' Director. I believe if this matter goes before a committee it would be so sifted that it will work for the benefit of the Government and the peo- ple. Ist Member for Christiansted - Country District (Stakemann) remarked: Mr, Vice-Chairman. The former officials of the Schools learned how to trea® the peo- ple, they knew how to take them lenient- ly, and they all worked in harmony. A man cannot come and say ‘‘this is the law and it must be obeyed.’”’ That will not work, why do it? Why not try to make the people here feel that they are glad to be under the United States- Govern- ment? We all voted to go under the United States Government. There are’ some officials here who are using iron hands like the Kaiser. We are free here, and free as any other people in any other country, America and Europe included. Let us love the constitution and live up