, 1874-12-16

commercial place, st. Croix and st. Johns
are agricultural islands. ..--. st. !Croix
has only an eye for the good growth of
the sugar cane, and the regulation of the
difficult. labonr-relations, which play
so. Important a. part in the principal
relations of the island. To this m
that opinions there literally change aUsth
the ueotAer: if abundant rains fall in the
right season, and hence the crops be
good, or at all events the prospects be
promising, the island is opulent and in
good spirits, the Colonial Council luxu-
Tious in its grants, and the administration
easy but if the rains are long in coming,
and an ebb ensues not only in the water
c~isterns, but also in the pockets, discon-
tent and dissatisfaction will prevail, and
the best administration ia the world
will feel the effects. And finally, there
is also this embarrassment that the popu-
lation in point of nationality is very
mixed, that many of the inhabitants look
upon the islands merely as a temporary
place of residence, and that they are not
to any considerable degree attached to
the mother-country and it's institutions
a defect or drawback in the state OF things
out there, which certainly has not been
improved by the unfortunate negotiations
with America for the sale of the islands.
On the other hand it must be acknow-
lodged that very many things and institu.
tions stand in need of reform. that the
administration of the islands for a long
series of years has by no means been a
paragon of Colonial Government, and
that the complaints of the people are not
all groundIess, their demands not all
devoid of good right. For a nan Of
ability, possessing penetration and energy,
there is a problem to solve, we'll worthy
to form the object of his best energies,
and such a man is required"
SO far our "Westindian in Copenha-
GENT there be apy,-from whom we
have not had an expression OF opinion for
the last two years. 1t would, ~ofcourse, be
premature to venture to form an opinion
as vet whether Governor Garde's admins
tration will, on the whole, be a successful
one or not, for to achieve perfect success
under relations such as ours may be
beyond the possibility of the most able
and energetic man, but the materials, we
think, are at hand for forming an opinion
of whether and how far he has succeeded
in finding the right road to such a degree
of success as may be achievable under
the circumstances. Most of the "Iiscontent
and dissatisfaction of which the best ad-
ministration will feel the effect" alluded
to by DagbIadet, is attributable to 1nan-
cial difficulties. These can be remedied
in two ways, as every body knows, either
by increasing the revenues, or by decreas-
ing the expenditure. We might add a
third, viz, combining both these policies.
Governor Garde was not, of course, the
first man to see that. but he was the first
to Law hold of ideas which SO far had been
mere speculations, and give them a practi-
cal business-like shape. He did not like
Governor Billie merely says make more
money and you can easily pay your taxes;
but he had the ability to make people
see in what way more money can be
made. If he succeeds in carrying his
point, that is in showing capitalists that
they can help themselves 10 helping others,
he will have made a mark in the history
Of the Colony. if not, he will-we judge
from the past-pass away and be forgotten
like so many before him.