USVI Public Records

Document text

Mr. & Mrs. Eugéne A. Schuster and family bey to thank friends and acquaintanees for sympathy shown during the illness and death of oyr beloved son and brother Albert. R SRR N RS AR,RPNR S OIS AISWl OF THE FOR ST. CROIX. (Continued from yesterday’s Avis) 2nd Appointed Member (Noll) re- marked: Mr. Chairman. What few re- marks I have to make at this time I con- sider in view of the many months spent on these ordinances that any extensive remarks on behalf of Government or the Council is unnecessary. At this time, arguments, in my opinion, should be based more to the purpose rather than against it. Captain White’s statement that the organization of these laws as presented tc you is in force in some of the Statee is slightly incorrect. Ido no: know of any State these laws§are not in foree except in the Virgin Islands; and that is why it has bheen stated that the Government desires no changes; how- ever, if changes can be offered which are better no doubt Government would be willing to take chances, but so far as 1 know, the English speaking people, or the Anglo Saxons, have not been able to work out a better code than this. I have been in ‘these islands three years, I have been a member of the Courts of these islands three years, and throughout that time I have heard many objections to the administration of the present laws and that is a result of too much being vested in the Judgo>, power vested in the Judge he s be democratic or autceratie. It has been asked here by when will they have t*~l b jury is provided .in born, I was reared, to my coming here, ° with a erime was nc and I do not believe t. cide whether a man su claim that before a man liberty more than one m. on his case; an even if « composed of twelve of ¢ extenuating circumstances taken into consideration. Members of the Council. heard it said that there sho of Mandamus, a Writ of ’ Writ of ¥* as Corpus laws ar should have don¢ cor’ th LR Yoy e N At SN o A RJTERe Ry raNEe i ol o) Yy AT it, object to a specific part of the law and give your reasons, and when that is done the objections will be argued; I do not believe that there is a single ob- jectior. raised in Anglo Saxon Law that does not need much argument. From now on 1 stand ready and willing to ar- gue gall objections raised. (Loud ap- plause from the Lobby.) The Chairmaf ramg the bell :or order. 4th. Appointed Member (Blackwood) remarted: Mr. Chairmam. I have been on the Committee appointed tc consider and report on these laws, gone through them, and as faras I know the great ques- tion before the people and the Council to- day is whether this is a better law than the one which we have been working under; whether it is or not I am not qualified to say, but one thing in my mind is, we have changed our sovereignty and should expect to change our laws. We are un- der the American Flag now and should ex- pect to have American laws; whether these laws will be better or worse re- mains to be seen. If there were no law breakers there would be no law makers, and so long as we follow the right path we should not care what kiud of law we have. 1 cannot say anything as to whether these laws are. bet'er or worse, but it must be expected that we have to change the laws; therefore I recommend the change ¢nd leave the rest ito the leg- islative lights. These code of laws, as the last speaker has said, have stood the test and I see no reason why it shLould not be adopted here. Ist Member for Frederiksted Country District (Andersen) remarked: Mr. Chairman. lam a little confused as to whether Bill No. 29 and 30 are before the Council at the same time ? The Chairman answered: Bill No. 29is before you now. - 2nd Appointed Member (Noll) remark- ed: Mr. Chairman. The ordinances are so clcsely associated it seems to e that diseussion on both can be taken at the same time. These twoordinances have been prepared as a whole and the idea of being introduced as separate ordinances was because it was thought better pro- cedure in the Council. The one before you is the machinery by which we expect to enforce the code, hut the machinery is something which we have felt neces- sary to ask each Council of the Virgin isiands to identically adopt. There may Ye changes made by each Council, and if hanges a~ made by this Councii, we it it necessary to .ask St. he ke the same change. It would be much easier to | to make its amendments they would agree; that’ ¢ procedure to work out ch community. So far ~1. nsidered Mr. Chairman cansbe done by discussing ,r}thel' virman remarked: The best - wnuld be to follow the Order jav and take the vote sevarately wo Items. 2nd Appointed Member (Noll) remark- ed: My meaning is, that any remark ‘made on one should apply to the other but the vote can be taken separately. 2nd Member for Frederiksted Country District (M. M. Skeoch) would like to know whether items 4 and 5 are under one or separate discussion? The Chairman replied: Item No. 4is under discussion. 2nd Member for Frederiksted Country District M. M. Skeoch) remarked: Mr. Chairman. It seems to me that it would be more to the point if the members of this Council who have been elected to report on these laws would give us some information, the Chairman as spokesman and Secretary of the Committee has given us some elucidations, but the others are silent; I think those who have been members of the Committee should ex- press their views and let us know their objections, if any, I have not had time to go through the laws myself, and there- fore would be glad to hear from any of them. Ist Member for Frederiksted Country District (Andersen) remarked: Mr. Chairman. Tkis is the very reason why I ask if the two bills are under one and the same discussion, because if the two bills are to be discussed together I can- not see that the Committee or any mem- ber of the Council ean have mueh to say on the organization bill, because the members of the Committee had nothine to do with the organization bill, and it was stated that we are not allow- ed to make any changes. When it comes to the code of laws I will be glad to say sometning, but when it comes to the organization bill I don’t know that we have very much to say. , : Ist Member for Christiansted Country Distriet (Stakemann) remarked: Mr. Chairman. I agree with the last speak- er. The organization bill was read to us and we had objected to that;and we declare, at least, I declare thatI could not give any opinion on a draft that was read to us ina meet ng where we had no chances to go through it. I think it would be be:ter to have the matter print- ed and sent to us so as to enable us to give our opinion and'make remarks on it. We received no written copies, we had no chance to acquaint ourselves with it, but at the last meeting of the Committee it was read to us, [ believe that' it is about one week ago that thi§ meeting took place and we have not had a chance to go into the bill. It wouid be a waste of time to go into the merits ‘of the bill, especially so as the Government has the right to put it in force just as it was read tous. Ithink it would be a waste of time to lay it before this Council inas- much as we are told not to make.any changes because they will not be accept- ed; I admit that the Government, ac- cording to the Organie Act, ean make it law, but [ cannot agree to ask the Coun- cil to sanction it. There are certain points in the bill, 1 don’t know, it may be so in- herent in the United States law that no