Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-02-28
JAMAICA CRISIS IS
A GRAVE ONE
BLOODSHED MAY RESULT ON AC-
COUNT OF THE GOVERNORS
ACTIONS.

Kingston, Jamaica, Feb. 21.-(Corre-
spondence of the Associated Press).-This
colony is on the verge of a political crisis
which may involve bloodshed. Owing to
the treatment of the colony by the i'm
perial government recently, particularly
to the manner of marketing products,
Jamaica, in common with the other Brit
ish possessions in the West Indies, is viz
tually bankrupt. Unable to meet its grow
ing legal liabilities the colony necessarily
looks to Great Britain for financial aid
and the colonial office through Mr.. Cham
berlain has answered as it has to Bar
BADGES and smaller islands, that aid can
be extended solely on condition that
the imperial government shall control the
Jamaican finances hereafter. That would
involve a change of the OnStitutiOn-the
resignation of republican institutions and
the acceptance of crown-ruled govern
ment. This Jamaica is not prepared to
concede preferring to meet its financial
crisis in some other way.
That other way is by a drastic scheme
of retrenchment in the too expensive ad-
| ministrative establishments. The revenue
is not SO much depleted that the country
| would not hold it's W through the crisis.
AS, under the present constitution, the
elective side of the Legislature controls the
finances-provided a majority Of nine of
the IA representatives is sOlidly for or
against any financial measure-the gov
eminent has never realized that at the
coming session the policy of retrench-
ment would be forced uDon it. To meet
it it has taken action. 1t has begun a
system of retrenchment that completely
cot thnr an11ptr1T Inv tho a,s In tho first
place the salaries of all petty officials,
including office clerks, builders and court
house cleaners, have been reduced 20 per
cent, effecting a saving in amounts rang
ing from $40 to $40 a year. Last week
nearly half of the state paid district
medicos who are attached to the civil
service bureau they cannot by practice
make a living in the country districts)
nave been sumnlarily discharged without
nOtice-amOng them some who have occu-
pied their positions for 40 years. Besides
they have closed down district hospitals
in some of the most important parts Of
the island.
Yesterday the governor issued a de-
cree converting congress for March 4th
and at the same time that his
intention is to avail himself of the con-
stitutional prerOgative to increase the
official side of the house so as to give the
government a clear majority. One cleo
tive seat is vacant, the occupant OF an
other is out of the island and a third seat
is not occupied this session. Thus the
government is prepared to force the coun-
try under a p%retense of
to accept the contemplated change of con-
stitution.
But it is not without the gravest sig
nificance hat a general mobilization of
! the entire military forces was ordered
simultaneously with this announcement.
The mobilization began this morning at
Port Royal. This really means that the
colony is to be coerced and terroriZed into
surrendering it's constitutional govern
ment. Whether this scheme will succeed
or not without a grave and highly sensa-
tiOnal crisis, remains to be seen.