USVI Public Records

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they are satistied and happy. Or do they remain only to join the old Moravian woman whno remarked just before enter- ing her Church one evening: '‘Me! ah wooden go to one ah day Church to dis- commode anybody, not me’’. Shall these people ever have their good old CUbureh restored? How very sad this word when used in the possitive “never’”’ ""Prohibition the '‘motto’’ of the day’’. With thanks for space Mr. Editor, Earnestly yours; B Christiansted, July 26’ 1920. toditor St. Croix Avis Dear Sir:- As was stated in the Colonial Coun- cil by their representatives, the people of St. Croix have full confidence in His itxceliency the Governor of these isiands, and verily believe that he is wise enough to know whether the liquor bills should be sanctioned or vetoed. We believe that he has no personal motives in doing whichever pleases him, but that which ever he does is for the general benefit of the community. He as the representative of the Mother Country, must certainly know better than any one else from a iegal standpoint whai can be done in these islands and what not. We as natives, therefore might keep quiet and await results were it not for foreigners, some of whom with tHe usual cunning, have got certain unwary and ultr -ab- stinent (from strong drink) natives to join with them or have joined themselves with sueh natives and from purely selfish motives are endeavoring through the press and by unwarranted petition to give the world and His Excellency a wrong impression of the people’s use of strong drink in St. Croix. It is therefore time we put a stop to this. Some of those thus placing a stigma apon the community know comparatively next to nothing as regards the people’s use of strong drink here, and it is nothing short ofa base falsehood and an insult to us to thus brand us as drunkards. That there have been some cases of drunkenress cannot be denied, but can ' there be any comparison between hose few and the hundreds, nay, thousands of cases in the very native homes of some of those raising the hue and cry here? Char- ity begins at home, and since it is for the sake of humanity why don’t nur esteemed friends go home and starta campaign where there is a broader field and where inebriety and its consequent evils have been and are still notorious? Ppere seems to be quite a love for the people in this particular case. _ Strange it was not :nanifested in cvery other case! The reasons are how- ever too well known to every intelligent + man or woman to need explanation. We cannot instil virtue by removing evil nor are the Creator’s giits to man 81T RL X A NI S evils. Every one was given for man's use and not abuse and there is danger in removing any one of them from man’s reach. Rather let society punish the inehriate if he be caught being a nui- sance to or injuring his neighbor or him- self by his intemperance and let him be an exampie to his fellowmen. It is un- doubtedly not sp'rituous liquors on- ly that are injurious to man when abused, and a fine world indeed we would have (if we existed at all) if we got everything that could be made an evilremoved. Letius for instance remove all the men from the women, or vice versa, that the evils of impurity may be avoided. What then? No, rather let those having the love of their fellowmen so much at heart educate such among the masses as may not be able to diseriminate between use and abuse; teach them to guide them- selves aright through life amidst all the evils real or imaginary. There are many spiritual guides (in some cases spiritual profiteers) who would then be usefully occupying their time diffusing eoncrete Christianity rather than making a hollow noise of it, often to the annoy- ance of intelligent people. It is a useless soldier who parades around with never an enemy to fight and conquer. We certainly are not in favour of the unlimited or uncontrolled sale and abuse of spirituous liquors for the very reason that there will ever be some who would over-indulge. But such persons form a very small minority and can in no way injure or benefit the reputation of a community; yet for the sake of such we need control and regulations and se- vere penalties for infractions thereof. To make it appear however that the entire community consists of men of the above type, and that absolute pro- hibition is necessary in the island, is certainly a deal of impertinence towards the great majority among whom are men and women of as great intelligence as those who thus insult them, and who have ever taken and can still take cace of themselves in every way. We are happy to welcome strangers amonyg us, we esteem many highly and we are willing to show and do show them every courtesy, but we expect them, and their own sense of decorum aught to teach them, to leave our do- mestic affairs to us and not dabble there- in withoat our invitation to do so nor upon the invitation of such as would sell their birthright, or we might be com- pelled to legislate to keep them alto- gether out of our politics. We have tolerated such things long enough. Finally, if all U. 8. territory must ‘‘go dry’’ and the statement that we too are included is correct, His Excellency would be compeiied ex officio to veto the biiis. What then is the use of a petition to the effect? Evidently there is a doubt some- where. Granting however that there is the possibility of ‘‘going wet’’, and His Ex- cellency has seen it to be for the gen- | eral welfare, a petition contrary is noth- | ing short of an attempt to deprive us of a good, and is purely an opposition to the Government. Down with the peti- tion and let the matter be brought to vote and His Excellency will then know the opinion of the majority if it be ne- cessary. Report says that certain promoters of | the prohibition-petition scheme were told by certain persons that just prior to pro- ~ " hibition drunkeness was so prevalent here that men and ‘‘women could be seen lying drunk in the gutters.”” What a stretch of imagination to use a mild term."”’ Os course in every country there are men who would sell their honour, trai- tors to their country and their fellow c.ti- zens, having their own self interest at i heart; therefore we are not very much surprized at such reports, but we are in- deed surprized at the confidence placed in such persons. Any one having a wish or desire to do anything for the people ought first to hear the majority’s opin- ion, interview intelligent ones among ‘ them and in such wise obtain the rizht | if he did not have it, or in default there- . of, avoid interference. | Yours truly ? | SOBRIETY i To those of the St. Crowx Clergy ; engaged 1n a Prohibition Campaign. | Gentlemen:- l On the basis of the Christian theory that the Creator endowed man | witha free will to chonse good or evil I and that, although God could have made man immune to temptation and thus precluded sin and its consequences, He l elected that man should by his own ef- forts ard struggles improve his condi- tion and attain ultimate _perfection; and by virtue of the fact that there is not a single passage in the Holy Secriptures wherein Almighty God is shown to have exercised coercion in order that man should desert his (man’s) own paths, or | follow the guidance of the Divine Mas- ter, it is, to say the least of it, astcnish- ; ing that a campaign for prohibition, a law whereby man is, unquestionably, deprived of the God given right of choice, | should emanate with the accredited do- | ers of the Holy Word, and it is in all sincerity and with the utmost due respect ' for your motives, brought to the attention -of the reverend gentlemen associated | with the movement to petition His Ex- | cellency the Governor to withhold his | sanction of the antiprohibition bill, to | make clear vour position, from a reli ! gious point of view; and to explain the apparent lack of consistency, and the im possibility to reconcile with God’s word your action in the present question, all a puzzie to MANY RATIONAL MINDS.