The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-03-17
ENGLISH IN JERSEY.

l "Ine states or Jersey yesterday (heD- ruary 8, by twenty-six votes to fifteen,
 adopted standing order to allow the | optional use of the English language in
 that assembly, where French was hith-
 erto the official language. The bill had
 been bitterly opposed by many older
 members of the house. The mayor of 1 St. Heller voted against it, contrary to 1 the unanimous wish of his constituents,
 urging that Jersey was convenient for i Frtnch refugees" | How many people who noted this tiny paragraph the other day knew that 1 English was not tolerated (ohicially) in I Jersey, which remained the only place
 in the British empire where the Queens
 English could not be spoken in the 1 legislative assembly? When the Jer- i sey folk presented William ". with an
 address on his accession, they declared: Though our tongue be French, our hearts and our swords are English
 The Channel Islands are the last re- maining portions of the Duchy of Nor mandy that England now possesses.
 In fact, the common boast of the peo- pie is that their forefathers helped to
 conquer England Till comparatively
 recent times the common language of the people was old Norman-French. It is centuries since Norman-French was the official language of England, and it
 is significant that some years ago the Alliance Francaise decided to subsidize
 French schools and the teaching of
 French in Jersey and Guernsey, where the inroads of the English language have placed French in a critical posi-
 tion." It was felt that France might
 one day demand to be represented in the states of an island with so large a French residential population. But time works wonders. and of recent years English has been the language used in
 the daily life of residents in Jersey though the official language continued to be French.
 Even so late as 1893 bill to permit the optional use of English in the states was rejected by large majority, which then adopted the following act on the motion of Juras l. G. Falle, the ac- knowledged leader of the conservative party in the house:
 "A motion tending to place the Eng fish language in this assembly having been considered and discussed the states, proud of the protection granted to this island by Her Majesty Queen Victoria, and by her predecessors for so many centuries. desire to reiterate the epression of their unalterable loyalty to the throne, a sentiment which is in no way diminished by the fact that they consider the official language of the is- land, bequeathed them by their fathers, a heritage too precious to be disowned and changed; fully senosibe, moreover, to the great advantages which result for the inhabitants from a knowledge of the two languages acquired from their youth, the states vigorously reject an act susceptible of compromising the insular interests by attacking the time honored use of the official language"
 The progressive party in the house had long felt this to be an injustice to English residents who were thus prac- tically precluded from active participa- tion in the affairs of the island. The smaller sister islands of Gutrnsey and had already led the way as to optional English in their legislative as- semblies. In the Canadian legislature, the council of Mauritius, and the parli- ament of Cape Colony, two languages are also used without inconvenience.
 On December 4, 1899, the deputy of St. l Saviour Advocate Theodore Le Gal lais), who also holds the crown appoint inent of reeerver of Her Majesty's reve- rues in the island introduced a modest reading Gin translation);
 Whereas it is opportune to permit | of the states to use the Eng fish language ili the debates in the leg- islative chamber, the states have dec- ded ts,at in future every member will | have the option of addressing the chnm- Der in English
 Another bill was at the same time tabled by Jurat Gervaise I.e Gros, de- claring English to be the official lam guage from May 24 next A variation | was introduced by Deputy F. Binet Re noufe the premier deputy of the capital i town of St. Heller claiming the right | to speak English as constitutional privilege. He was however promptly 2hecked by the president, who said this would be an infringement of the cu,s- \ oms of the chamber-whicll, by ma ority vote, decided he should proceed in French. The constituents of St. Heller,
  others, Advocate E. Toulmin Nicolle he hope of the younger political party n town, unanimously resolved to re- luest their representatives to support he bill Despite this fact, however, the onstabe or mayor of St Heller, Ad- -ocate Philip Baudains, betrayed the confidence of the people by strenuously pposing the measure, even accusing it's of being in the pay of the rQwn, and arguing that Jersey should as heretofore, a convenient re- uge of the persecuted of France. Mr. 4e Gros and the attorney-general GA. 1ilgrove Turner) rendered valiant aid n the cause of reform. MT. Turner ven went the length of likening Eng sh residents to the Outlanders in the 'ransvaal. Deputy Le Calais. in his nal reply, created much amusement by Jurat F'alle (who wished the ouse to indorse it's act of 1S93) and Mr. 'audains to President Kruger and Dr. , seitz respectively. Finally however, he states, by twenty-six votes to fif- cen, adopted the bill allowing the op- ional use of English in it's debates in Sphere. ,