, 1894-04-25

SAAOFf &"J 1SNS Al IN Wy "
a peaceful Administration of the colony we
have the interests of the Island at heart, and
we would only recommend and urge, from
the very interest we have In the Island, that
there be not persisted in bringing the Island
to its very last resource by maintaining an
Administration which, if not unnecessary,
still is more expensive than it should be, and
which could be reduced without running any
risk whatever;w we do not make, nor wish to make,
opposition for the mere sake Of opposition
really, We have not even been disposed to
make opposition if we now refuse to vote q
Budget containing enormous and unnecessary
expenditure, we do so because we see no
chance open or offered 20 meet the debt,
which We incur we do so in the face of the
fact that property has decreased ip value for
the last 10 ears with 10 to 20 per cent, and
the last Is years will show q still greater de-
crease of value and look at the East End
Of the Island, where OF CO sugar was grown,
DOW abandoned by cultivation then the
North Side, where cultivation is by degrees
and steadily being abandoned too. The only
thing to save us would be TO produce Sugar
of such a quality and in such quantities as to
C mpete with the rest Of the sugar-growIng
world but how are we ever to. arrive at that,
tempered and encountered as we are with
heavy taxes; to meet expenses which we can
not after all pay p Tbs honorable Crown
Member is a new Member; he would other
wise know and remember how 2 years ago we
did all that could possibly be done to get Co
vernmen to 20 III for reductions, we asked
that changes he mace III the laws and ordi-
nances, We showed how a balance could be
obtained tie Government would not even
discuss those points; we heard nothing
whatever at the time why or wherefore the
proposals or suggestions were unfeasible the
v,.m. 90 Ill .o 4Io D+,Icor u1SI a.,
Colonial Council then passed, ought to have
been laid before the Diet in Copenhagen
surely, we could not have been al wrong in
those matters, (which we represented to the
Government and the Minister still we never
heard a wold on them; the Budget was sane
toned, nothing was done; still We had done
our best, and the Government ignored all
that Was proposed. If Government consider
it necessary TO keep up the ratio of expenses
as at present, we can have no objections if We
are not called on to vote for them, if we are
not asked to vote away what we have not,
but which some day we vii be asked to pay;
this then is the standpoint to which we
hold. AS regards the honorable Grown
Members Lawaetz) remarks about the
term "conscientiously," he (Blackwood)
won Id say that he for one must maintain
that no man having any interest in the coun-
try, having any properly here and having
any concern for the future, can really con-
scientiously vote for a Budget, by which we
dispose Of money which we do not possess,
which we have ho earthly means of getting,
except indeed, we resort to increased taxation,
and then we shall see that soon there will be
nothing on which to levy taxes, because
they are now at as high n figure as they
possibly can ever be. If the money we use,
not our own, is not to be paid back-but.
we have all reason hitherto to believe that
that money is being charged to us, and we
shall have to pay it some lime later-,then
it would be otherwise, as long as that is not
so, then, it is his candid opinion, that no
conscit ntious man under the circumstances
can vote for the Budget-,particularly when
we can do otherwise, particularly when the
expenses could cleverly be brought within
lesser bounds. The Councils Members in
tend therefore to refuse this Budget by
voting against all the Money Bills, item for
stem as hey come on; he was someWh hat
surprised to see the Money Bills put up
separate y for discussion, but any bow, such
il the resolve to which we have arrived he
was sorry that it 81 ould be so, but it can't
be helped. He was aware that the Budget
would be passed over our heads. the same as
last year: if that is proper legislation, when a
bill is ubmitted for the vote of a Body but
refused, then to pass it and sanction it not