, 1872-02-28
To the Editor Of the ''St. CrOix avis"

Dear Sir!
In that portion of the Colonial Councils pro-
c~eedings, the conclusion of the meeting of 18th
January 1872, which appeared in your issue of
18th inst, the End Member for Christiansted's
Country District, Mr.. Rosenstand, in his re-
marks upon the possibility of substituting a Mil
ita force in the Island, for the present made
quately expensive Military one, gives it as his
opinion. that the establishment of the former
"would perhaps be a step in the right direction"
/. G., towards a decrease in the burthen of taxa
ton ca used by the latter.
Now, as the Proposal of the two Honorable
Members of our Colonial Council, or rather their
subsequent actions in connection with it, have
been made the subject of sever est criticism ia
the columns of your paper, tending ultimately
(but very enormously | opine) to shew them up
as weak, vacillating, and Inconsistent men, /,
to-day propose to attempt the eradication Of
certain misconceived notions regarding public
o~pinion on the Proposal aforesaid which as
shewn also in those very comments referred to.
seem to have crept in upon the minds Of some
of our NJ. G. Cs., and, with your permission, to
give publicity to the true sentiments of the com
mu1ity, at least of West End. And I am not
actuatcd, rest assured, IN this resolve, by The be-
lief or even hope, that my feeble efforts in this
respect, will, in any manner, tend to turn aside
the tide of disfavour which seems completely TO
have set in against the Proposal III question, but
| do it because | do not consider II consistent
with the principles of q free and liberal Lagis-
lature, that the interests of a Community should
be disregarded, and sacrificed to individual con-
slider atoms and party-prejudices.
1t is a fact admitting OF no question whatever,
that the establishment of a Militia force in this
Island, would, not "perhaps" be q "step" in
tho right direction, but you'd most assuredly,
most positively, be a gigantic stride on the
road towards retrenchment, that Is, Of course,
if the benefit Of the poor Taxpayers we're con-
sidered, certainly not, ifanybody's else. If, then,
we know this to be so, land it certainly requires
no ''high flown harangue" to prove that it IS SOL
we also know, that facts are very stubborn
things. They have a way Of presenting them-
selves at times that render them, to the duitest
conceptions most disagreeably perspiouous.
And although the community has frequently
incurred tho censure of its neighbors, and had
the ~epithets of 'lukewarm," ga pathetic," and
" insensible to its own interests put upon it,
still, as this particular fact assumes the shape of
redemption from the payment of $4,000 per
annum, of which its quota of contribution is no
mean portion, we find il "feeling its peck ct and
rubbing its eyes," and coming to til, conclu.
sion that it cant much longer continue SO to
contribute. By We" are meant, men who
live amongst, and are conversant, with, the ele-
ments of which our community is composed,
and who are thus afforded an opportunity of
hearing the correct opinion of the People not
that which is understood and embodied in "the
general tenor of the discussions in the Colonial
Council as Mr.. Roseustand would have it,
and from, which he argued that the establish
ment of a Militia "would not meet the wishes
of the community" The question stands quite