, 1884-10-22
To the Editor Of the "St. Croia AviS."

OhoO ~ III
your paper of the 18th inst. concerns d
question of vital interest for the island,
and rs |, like him, consider it right to dis
cuss it, since the welfare of all stands or
falls with the question Of the islands future
as q sugar growing island, it may be per-
mitted me, though not a planter, to say a
few words Oh the Memorial itself and on
Lawyer Jennings article at the same
time.
The grounds set forth for the Memorialar
perfectly warranted, indeed in the highest
degree natural. The whole of the first
part of the Memorial, the motives if you
like, is certainly on the whole sound and
correct. What Lawyer Lemming says as
to the improvement in agriculture and the
management Of the properties is also un-
doubtedly correct, although at the same
time do not doubt that still more can and
will be done III this direction, for necessity
is a hard but good instructor. When you,
therefore, Mr.. Editor, say that {" it may be
that the Danish Government and People
will feel literally disposed towards us and
grant us this BOOM, I, while sharing this
hope, do not just lean on a sentiment, but
on this, that the Danish Government and
the RigSdag, in case they come forward to
our assistance, will do so because they see
the necessity of it. because the Country
(Denmark) serves its own interest best both
IN Il humane ana %pCCunlarY point OF view
by not letting the cultivation of the island,
lndthereWith its revenues, come to ruin,
by which the island more than ever would
become a burden for the Mother Country
and who at such d moment or under
such circumstances would relieve Denmark
Of such a burden ! 1t is therefore from the
Self-intereSt Of the Mother Country-S0 far
IS such views are Shared therp-that |
expect help, and not from any 'liberality"
in the matter.
AS to the means orthe mode in which the
AeIp may be given, | would naturally be
glad if the Mother Country would give it
III the form which is indicated i'll the
Memorial. But | must admit that it seems
TO me almost inhuman to expect that the
people and the government at home should
De able so to place themselves outside of
tIeir own affairs that they should strike
cut their wv perfectly legitimate interests,
and for our benefit take of for one or WI
years the import duly on our sugars into
Denmark, whiie their own industry, the
beet root sugar, pays an excise duty,
which already in these times must be hard
enough for it to bear. In this regard | am
at one with Lawyer Lemmiug. Let us only
think what the proposal means. In case
- were carried out, 10 millions OF
pounds Of st. CroiX sugar would, or
might, be thrown into the Danish
market yearly during the abolition of
the duty, that is to say, the annual con-
sumption OF sugar i'll Denmark being about
- lbs. per head, one third Of the whole
consumption of the country. Hence it
would arise that this sugar from its great
quantity would press very considerably on
the local market, and would do so the more
from being more favOurabIy situated than
sugar manufactured in Denmark, or indeed
I'll any other place, and the result would
he that beet sugar, made i'll Denmark,
would fall 50 low that it perhaps could not
be made to pay. To demand this is
10 ask for suicidal conduct, it is to request
that which Denmark can never be expect
Ell to consent to, and what would be con
trary to the principles of all sound national
economy. l dwell on this specially,
because | see a great danger for the plant
trrS, and therefore for the whole island,
in presenting such an impossible request.
This cannot be got out OF by saying that it
IS good to have a margin TO discount from,
tor whatever one may think Of this princi-
pie in general, it is certain that it can have
no application in this case, Since there is
reason to fear that what is asked cannot,
on account OF its own nature and the prln-
Ciple involved, at all be obtained, and the
MemOrialiSts therefore run the great risk
OF losing thereby all standing ground
and gaining nothing whatever. Therefore
ten times rather limit the Memorial to
to the first 5 paragraphs together with Il
constitution of paragraph Z, leaving it