, 1874-12-16

OF course all the readers of the Avis
"ahd their name is legion'-have read and
pondered the Report of the Proceedings
OF the Colonial Council in tie meetings of
the 9th, 18th, 18th and 10th oflast month,
extending through eight numbers of this
paper. Whether they belong to that cate
CORY of citizens who say and believe that
a Council is but a mockery and a farce,
at best a cloak for the Government, to
shield it from that responsibility which,
as they would maintain, ought to be felt
by that authority alone, or they appertain
to a class of politicians with more
modernized ideas, who look upon a
Council as a necessary check upon even
the best Government in the world,-alt,
we. ar e@certain, have given those meetings
that attention which they deserve.
To interpret the opinions, so Ear as we
have learned, of those two parties, and Of
all the different shades between them.
would bea task upon which we shall not
venture to-day, so much the more as it
might prove to be an Improbable one
after all. On the whole, we think, the
different influential opinions of the COM
munity have found an expression in ths
Council, in SO far as the ~alI-important
matters which have been before that
honorable body have already been decid4
ed upon, which is the case with the Cen
trail Factory question, or will find it in
the committee report which will be
Forthcoming on the Military question, and
the subsequent discussions on this matter.
If we are mistaken, those entitled to the
franchise would do well to have their
votes registered, so as to be able, on the
day of election, which will soon come on.
to elect members that will express them.
This duty, by the bye, it would be well
to fulfill, even if electors are satisfied
with their present representatives, as we
have reason to believe the majority are.
1t would be as we'll to remember that the
liberties granted Us under the Colonial
Law were given US for the purpose of
using them, every one according to his
best abilities.
So much by way of introduction to a
few remarks, which we would beg to-
make exclusively from our own point of
view, irrespective of the number or in1uL
nee of the adherents of the policy of the
"Avis." Although we cannot altogether
agree with the views of the Government;
we can yet fully appreciate the compre-
hensiveness of Governor Garde's plans;
which he has taken his own time to ma
ture. It was on the 4th of May 1872 that
His Excellency was appointed Governor
of the Danish West india Islands, and
on the 25th Of September following he
assumed the administration of the Islands.
"Dagbladet,' our "Westindfan in Copen4
hagen though we have to go thus far
back to find an opinion expressed in it
of our political affairs-says on the cccas
sion cit is a very difficult task Govern
or Garde has undertaken, and peculiar
qualifications are required to achieve it
completely and successfully. That lit
tie fragment of Denmark floating yonder
in the Mexican Gulf, is but a very small
community, and it shews up all the de-
fects peculiar to small places: strong mu-
tual ~jeaIousies, contentious about petty
matters, suspiciousness and a desire to Gre
ate suspicion. But small as it is, it has
all the pretensions of a larger. community:
it il at once a state and q commune, yea,
each of the two separate parts of which
the little island realm consists, is a pro-