, 1872-04-24

are rot the tOWn-tOlkS and tier interests Just as
much entitled to this little consideration as the
planters are, who have recently obtained aloan
of$I0,000 of the same money 10 purchase a
team-plOugh ? Could not these ucry distressed
planters, who are otherwise always able, after a
few years management, to raise an amount be-
tween two or three of them to purchase al es-
tate, have united their means for this purpose,
and purchased the said implement, if it was
so essentially necessary for the advancement
Of the cultivation Of their estates? Does not the
act Of lcnding them the amount of money to
facilitate their plans, while the entire interests
Of the towns is almost totally ignored. positive
ly prove the foregoing remarks made on this
subject ,
A 9Th benefit enjoyed by the community is,
the want of a properly arranged command Gem
otry in the town Of Fredoriksted. In Chris
tiansted, as we'll as in Frederiksted, the office
Of grave digger is a monopoly. Grief and sor-
row are the Attendant feelings Of many when q
death occurs in either town but with one man
in both places, it must be u moment Of secret
pleasure. However much they may try to
suppress the feeIing-a0d it is not to be doubt
ed that they often try to do ia stream Of
pleasure viii inyoluntariIy intrudo Itself whom
over they hear of the death Of a neighbour
Does not this daily occurrence bring them, and
u III dluHtJ II tdlly diliItU)I u UllCl lllCUIIC -
and who would not feel pleasure on receiving
an addition to his income
1t is q we'll known fact, that the present
graye-yard5 Of The different religious denomina-
lions in the town of Fredoriksted, are private
property,-the Danish excepted-and that the
present arrangement was made under very diff
fcront circumstances when every thing was
carried by arbitrary and deSpotic rule. Now,
however, when tie laws and institutiOusof Free
Denmark ignore every idea Of despOJism, and
fosters every principle of right, equality, and
Justice, shall this public infringement ON the
right Of citizens be allowed to continue Is
tiefe not d representative Of tho towns bold
enough to attack this hideous monopoly custom
Of himself !-0r willing enough to further a
memorial to the government for consideration
by our legislature Or oven to the KIM, so
that this community may be rid Of this oppres-
sion
Expenses for burying the dead must be borne
but if these expenses are 10 be regarded as a
source OF revenue, then lot hat revenue accrue
exclusively to The respective religious denomina-
tons let their ministers and other church Off
oiaIs, arrange their own affairs on this head,
and rather let their members be obliged to pay
a church lax for burying their dead % than TO
be haunted with tho idea Of not being able to
pay the gray e-digger.
1t is not the intention to blanc The official in
this Instance for, surely. if the Office was given
him as q living, he has as much right as amy 9TH
er official to look after the e%moIument arising
therefrom but the law, if there is one, is blame
able, and requires immediate repeal for it
causes much distress, especially among the
poorer class of people, and terrible heartburns
on all sides against the graye-diggorS, who, in
Justice, have no other blame in the matter,
than when they make over charges.
Another, and not the least important matter,
is the strange irregularity which greets tho eye
every day in The towns. A penal gang, of
course, adorns our community as well as it does
other places. But is it so in other places as it
is herel Here the prisoners are used to do
public work such as scayenging, macadamiz-
ing the streets in the towns, and not unfrequent-
ly have they been employed to clean private
yards at nights, when, after a hard days labour,
they should be allowed to enjoy sleep in COM
mon with ali Of Gods other creatures. are
such employments as those mentioned above,
intended by the law, when a culprit is con-
demned to hard labour? Are not scayengers
and macadamizers paid at the public's expense
in other places {?
Here also, in the same gang, are to be seen
every day, working side by side Of each other,
the criminal whose hands have been stained
with the blood of his fellow, the veteran felon,