, 1954-05-12

of at least $4,000 in capital
(D Petition BY a minimum Of 100 bona fde registered voters
signed and witnessed by notary.
C0 Proof of other. means Of nvlihood aside from salary from legts-
latre.
tb) / believe ii is extremely shortdghted and dangerous for the
future welfare Of the islands, to continue the requirement Of reading
and writing ability in English for the constantly growing group OF
spanish speaking residents. An exception to this law should pc
created so that this group. many of whom are hardWorklng' honest
and have considerable economical stake in the islands could qualify
to vote they speak English and can read and write in Spanish.
1t is far better to integrate them than to have them, out of bitterness,
form a separate political faction which could easily be exploited
by Communists.
() Because of deeprooted animosty between the peoples of ST.
Thomas and ST. Croix the representation in the legislature should be
divided in such a way that ST, Thomas and st. Johns votes equal
those of st. Croix, with possibly a delegate from the executive
branch able to cast a deciding vote in case of a tie. df this is not
done whichever island is outnumbered. in the legislature will be SO
embittered that any constructive program for the group as a whole
will be frustrated from the START
() The legislators should receive reasonable per diem off island
travelling expenses ($15) while the legislature is in session. plus a
token salary of not more than 500 per month until the islands are
seH-supportng. This will tend to attract patriotic citizens of all ra-
cil groups to serve as a civil duty rather than for an easy living.
te5 The sessions Of the legislature should be confined to 80 days
per year, and shall alternate between St Thomas and St. croix
e. The Governor should have the power to call a special session
under extraordinary conditions, and strictly limited to such bills
necessary to alleviate those conditions.
lgl Because of the history of moral laxity, and the dreadful re-
cord of ineffciency, self-seeking, and ignorance Of the fundamentals
of good government which characterize the members OF both NUM-
cpal councils at present. / believe that IT is extremely important
to yake definite steps to awaken the voters to the true knowledge OF
the issues involved. The newspapers and the radio are not yet ade-
ouate for the purpose, as they reach a very small percentages OF the
people. Therefore I believe it is the duty Of the government to enact
a law whereby a mimeographed letter is mailed TO each voter
weeks before a session is called, containing a copy of each proposed
bill with the names Of its sponsors 50 that the voter is able to record
his views with his representatives if he wishes. At the conclusion OF
the session a mimeographed report should 60 to each registered voter
stating the actio ntaken on each bill, and recording the vote OF each
legislator and the amendments, if any, decided on during the session.
A stenographic record or tape recording of all meetings Of the legis-
lature should be available for distribution to any voter who asks for
it,
Chi The high cost Of campaigns for delegates at large would be SO
great, and the time consumed SO laborious. that / think the system
of division by districts much more practical