, 1872-05-25

~ 49, ~ OAO A~S A'1 LLSC LII ia l
position to the planter class. That the ar
rangementst then made were not intended to
be otherwise than preparatory, or perhapsex-
detrimental, would seem to be indicated by
many circumstances, but more especially
by the deliberations and expressions of the
Reform-C Commission in 1870.
The Government now in its Remarks to
the Draft Of Budget for this year says it is
inclined to retain the present organisation
of the Judiciary Department, with a Judge,
Recorder, Dealing-Master, and Policemas-
ter in Chrstiansted, a P%oIicemaster for the
Center district, a Judge, Recorder e Deal
ing Master in Frederiksted besides a Police
master there but on vacancy occurring in
the Office as Judge and Recorder in Fred
criksted, this latter Office to be united with
the P~oIicemaster Office, agreeable to the
Ordinance of 9th March 1865 5 /. A change
in that respect could, however, become
necessary by the eventual separation OF the
PolicemaSter's Judiciary functions from the
executive duties, these latter being commit
ted to a special Inspector.
Now then, it will be seen, that it IS sim
ply stated that the Government is inclined,
but not that it has decided TODD so; and it is
to be supposed Government would just as
little in this instance as in those of the
Military Ordinance, Labour-Qucstion, Gus
tom-O Organisation etc. 60 and take upon it.
self to present a plan for the organisation
OF SO very important a branch ofthe Admin
istration, without knowing what are the de
cided opinions and wishes of the people, or
without being able to say it has the (un-
fortunately at times pretty meagre) results
of a ommission-investigatio without even
satisfying enquiries as to whether the
Home Government tavoured the scheme.
And it may be presumed that the Govern
ment's intention with those remarks was
just to elicit an expression of opinion. So
that it was perfectly legitimate and quite
correct in the Majority of the Committee,
in fact extremely laudable of those 4 Gen
tlemen Planters, to come forward and say
No Governor Billie, don't do now as you say
you are inclined, b]utconsider if it would not
be better that the judicial functions now at
tached to the Office of Policemaster, at all
events where public prosecution takes
place, be, as much as possible, separa-
ted from his office we do not recon-
mend that the Offices of Judge be again
united with those of POlicemaster, as
the separation which was effected in 1867
was a step in that direction ;-consider,
then, if it would not be advisable, as we
are inclined to think it would be,to have two
Judges, one in each jurisdiction, and one
PoIlcemaster for the whole ISland.-This
they recommend to the Council to say
to Governor Billie. And, where in the name
OF common sense, was the call for all that
heap OF roundabout eloquence exhibited
by the Vicegovernor and Mr.. Rosenstand
IN the Council when dealing with the Re
port? It appears to us to be a matter of
very great moment in favour of the plan,
that Mr.. RosenStend, sharp and keen as he
IS, did not, or perhaps could not, say more
than he did against it.-His Excellency was
very candid this time he said the Govern
ment is DESTROYS to know the sentiments of
the Council, whether it considers the pro-
posed plan offering sufficient guarantee for
order and safety in the Island it is inferred
then, that in expressing those sentiments,
the Council, or those of its Members who
were not like Mr.. Raupach incapa-
citated to have an opinion on the ques-
ton, was at liberty to state what plan
would suit them better than the Govern