De danske kolonilove (1863) bestemte at der skulle være to koloniråd på de danske Vestindiske Øer: Et for St. Thomas-St. Jan og et for St. Croix. Stemmeberettigede til sidstnævnte var mænd med formue på over 500 vestindiske dollars eller som besad ejendom som producerede en årlig indkomst på 75 vestindiske dollars (150 på St. Thomas). Kolonirådet bestod derfor altid af en lille, privilegeret elite. Det interesserede sig på intet tidspunkt for infrastruktur, sundhedsvæsen eller uddannelse.
På mødet onsdag den 6. november 1878 var til stede guvernøren, viceguvernøren, formand Rosenstand, Sarauw, Branch, Farrelly, Elliot, Hvid, Kalmer, Skeoch, Moore, Latimer og Faber. St. Croix Avis bragte den 13. november et udførligt referat. Man drøftede genopbygningen efter oprøret og støtte fra Danmark. Rådsmedlemmer havde kritiseret militærets indgriben. Det afviste guvernøren pure. I en bisætning nævnte han at måske de skulle se på landarbejdernes forhold, så man ikke stod i samme situation næste år til oktober, men udover diskuteredes landarbejdernes forhold ikke.
I det hele taget illustrerer kolonialrådsmødet meget godt hvor den hvide magtelite lagde fokus - og det helt op til 1916 (se senere afsnit): Den danske regering burde sende flere penge som erstatning for tabene, og mere militær for at holde kontrol med landarbejderne i tilfælde af at de protesterede alt for meget over forholdene. Efterfølgende kolonirådsmøder fulgte stort set denne linje.
Samtidig (23. november 1878) blev guvernørens redegørelse offentliggjort i St. Croix Avis, næsten en måned senere end i Danmark.
Referaterne har af hensyn til læsbarheden fået indsat flere afsnit som ikke var med i de oprindelige artikler.
1st Crown member ( Branch) could not see the use of a Committee, nor could he see any good to delay. He scarcely thought there could be any opposition to the Communication, which is clear and lucid in its contents and ably got up. There is only one point to which he would wish to call attention, as he did not think the Council should commit itself, nor did he suppose his Excellency wished that the Council should commit itself, to the remark in question; at all events he and several Members, besides many in the Community, could not join in that remark, he referred to the part of the communication where it is stated that the Military force, viz. that which had been sent out on Wednesday night in the Northside Road and had halted at Montpellier, had been obliged to retreat. The Community were at a loss to see or to find out the causes of the retreat. Anyhow to that fatal retreat is due all the burning and destruction that took place on Thursday, except those fires that were set in distant places. The bands of rebels who destroyed Morning Star, Montpellier, Windsor and Glynn were not in existence before Thursday morning. when the gangs of these and other estates completed a junction, a junction which would not have been possible if the soldiers had not on Wednesday night retreated from their positions at Montpellier. In fact that retreat did the greatest harm, and it made a sad impression to see brave soldiers turn their backs to Paris and his hordes.
The Governor: When, the day after the revolt had broken out, he came here with a few men from St. Thomas, he had not expected, after doing his best, to be blamed, and blamed in such an unjust manner. He did not now address himself as much to the honourable Member, to whom he was thankful for having brought forward the opinion in the Colonial Council, as to many others who had expressed the same opinion elsewhere. It was very unjust to blame a handful of men in that manner. It will be remembered that the night on which those 20 men were despatched to the Northside, was very dark and rainy; the men had just arrived front a garrison where there were many cases of fever, nobody here could give any information as to whether the rioters offered armed resistance or not; to fact with but very few exceptions everybody here was full of fear. The officer in command of the men from St. Thomas, Lieutenant Baron Eggers did not wish to lose time; he applied for permission to go out with a detachment of troops along the Northside Road, to reconnoitre and gain information as to the actual slate. The Governor warned the Lieutenant, that it would be difficult to do anything, as the cane pieces are so high, that even at day time, it was not possible to see far ahead, much less in the dark of the night; as an instance of this, he would mention, that when on the following day the troops were out, rioters were from the top of Kingshill seen putting fire to cane pieces at the foot of the hill, but on reaching the spot, not one was to be found or seen; this was in broad daylight; it was impossible at present to search the cane fields, how much more so in a dark rainy night. Such accusations could only contribute to cool the interest and attachment he had always felt for this Island.
Heinrich Franz Alexander von Eggers (1844-1903) officer, botaniker. Det Kongelige Bibliotek. Creative Commons Navngivelse-IkkeKommerciel-IngenBearbejdelse 3.0 Unported Licens. Deltog i krigen 1864. Rejste herefter til Mexico og indrullerede sig i the Imperial Mexican Volunteer Corps Österreichisches Freiwilligenkorps. Blev taget til fange af meksikanske republikanere. 1867-1885 løjtnant, senere kaptajn i den danske hær på de vestindiske øer. Som pensionist botaniske studier på øerne.
Now, to resume, if there had been some courageous men here to join the military on that expedition, the result might have been otherwise; but there were none such, it was even difficult to get a few carriages to convey the men. The rumours spread with regard to the movement in question, and the conclusions based thereon are wrong. The 20 man were sent out in the dark of the night; they had not gone very far when they were fired on at the Estate Golden Rock; to ascertain something about this firing, enquiry was immediately made at the Central Factory where some armed men were stationed, whether there had been any firing; but not a gun had been discharged from there, still there were witnesses of firearms having been discharged. There was this good reason to believe that the rioters were armed; the Officer in command of the detachment was obliged to adhere strictly to his orders: to pass tho Northside Road and join Lieutenant Waage at Kingshill, but by all means to avoid being surrounded by the rebels or cut off from Christiansted. There were in all about 100 soldiers in the island; if they had been scattered round about, with 20 men here, and 80 there, and the rioters had made a vigorous armed resistance, the lives of the inhabitants in this town would have been exposed to the greatest danger.
Some time after his departure, Lieutenant Eggers reported that its men were wet and tired, as could be expected, and therefore had been obliged to remain at Montpellier; at the same time, Lieutenant Waage reported that the rioters were burning Estates at the foot of Kingshill, and that they were in such large numbers, that he had not considered it warrantable to remain there with his 20 men but had retreated to Sion Farm. Under these circumstances, as the men of both detachments were over tired and as there was no possibility of sending reinforcement from here, it was necessary to order both detachments to town, to rest till the following day. Now if the Colonial Council should not be satisfied with this, the Council ought to complain to the Home Government; but the Governor would remind the Council of the consequences.
He was happy to say that the loss of life has been strongly exaggerated; according to official information obtained with regard to labourers on the Estates, 58 persons were shot in the open fields, and 12 by sentence of the Court Martials: 14 women were burned at Grove Place, making in all 84 lives lost; nothing is us yet known about the porters particularly in Westend Quarter; but he did not think the total would exceed 100 lives. As for the amount of Damages done, the Government has received from the Presidency a report based on estimates drawn up by the respective Quarter Officers and Estate Owners, according to which all the damages done in Estates works, inventory, produce made and canes in the fields are estimated at $670,500, to which will come the loss occasioned by the delay of the crop. For Frederiksted no estimate has as yet been obtained. The Colonial Treasury's loss is put down at 10.000 by destruction of buildings, and $90,000 on loss of revenue; the Central Factory c. $1,800 and several other losses $5,000; thus the loss at present estimated may be put down at c, $700.000. In the same manner the most necessary repairs to the Estates' works have been estimated to cost $264,000.
This is of course the question most pressing at present, at least on his mind, viz: how to bring the estates as soon as possible in working order.
There is no doubt but, that many planters are unable to help themselves; and we can expect help from no other source than the State Treasury. He had desired some time since to see the Colonial Council on this matter, but the state of siege existing in the Island, delayed the meeting. He had however on his own accord informed the Home Government of the necessity of coming to the assistance of the Island, and had inquired if the colony could expect to get such assistance. He had however as yet received no final reply. With the last mail, he had received a letter from the Minister, according to which the Home Government entertains an idea similar to his that the Colonial Treasury should assist the planters through a loan from the State Treasury. No doubt the Home Government will add some conditions; and he could only hope that honorable Members will from several reasons see the necessity of making changes in several respects, so as not to have a new 1st of October soon again.
He had hoped before to-day to receive a telegram from Copenhagen containing further information on the matter; on the other hand, he did not, wish to act any longer on his own hand for this island, but would prefer that the Colonial Council joins; it will of of course depend on how he is now personally met here, whether he will at all continue to work personally for the Island or not. He would propose that the Council appoints a Committee to draw up the Council's remarks on Government's communication about the state of siege, and he intends to propose another one to cooperate with the Government, in order to consider and decide what amount it is necessary to procure to relieve the distress in the island to propose to the Colonial Council such petitions as the Committee might recommend to be addressed to Home Government, with regard to the future and particularly the financial position of the community, and to consider upon which amounts the Colonial Treasury should lend to the sufferers.
The Chairman vacated the chair to the Vice Chairman (Sarauw)
2nd Member for Christiansted's Country District [Rosenstand] should have had no objection to defer making any remarks on the communication, at all events till it had passed in the Committee; but as the discussion had been opened, he would have to make some remarks. He must confess, he rather regretted having encouraged the 1st Crown Member (Branch) to come forward with his remarks; he was never more surprised than by those remarks. It never struck him that the Council just at the time it received a communication regarding the great calamity that has befallen the Island, would pick out small points or parts of the whole sad drama, and make them the object of criticism which in this moment could scarcely he exercised with sufficient calmness and justice. He would most strongly advise the Council not to follow this course. He would, to show how difficult it was to form an opinion on affairs or to make any fair criticism afterwards, refer to what had been said by the Governor of the impossibility of getting information if the rebels offered any armed resistance, or not ... [The Governor: It was not even known that there were 7 or 8 gangs of rebels; but from communications received and what could loosely be gathered here, it was supposed they were moving in one large mass; it was only the next day any certainty was obtained] . . . . we all in town believed the same thing, and much uncertainty prevailed as to the whole state of things. In the course of the day such information should have been sought and obtained here, as could have guided the military movements in the evening, through patrols, but we had no force available for patrols; in the forenoon several planters applied for authorisation from the President to go out in a body and meet the rioters; they got the desired permission but the expedition did not come off; in the evening, be happened to meet one of these planters; he had been out, but alone with his manager and another gentleman. He would not criticise this. Let the movement in question be an error, others would find other movements equally as wrong In West End the complaint was, that no detachment were sent out on the North Side on Thursday Afternoon, when applied for; all this might be wrong but this is not the moment to search for errors.
We have other things now to do; and if the Council appoint Committee to draw up the remarks, it would bo a shame if there should be nothing else than backings and bickerings at the communication. We have first to examine whether the Governor was justified in declaring martial law or putting the Island in a state of siege, and to suggest what is best to do to raise the island from the efforts of the calamity. The latter part may now after the Government is going to propose the appointment of a second Committee not fall under the reply to the communication. Unity makes strong; we cannot expect sympathy from the Danish Diet, if we are here governed by faction. What faults or errors we find, can be reserved for comment, on another occasion, but our first act should be one of unity and to show that we are ready to do our best to raise the Island from its prostrated state. It was reassuring to see that on the introduction of the Financial Law in the Diet the Minister of Finances had alluded to that the state of St. Croix would lay great claims on the State Treasury. (To be continued)
(St. Croix Avis, 23. november 1878).
Rådsmødereferatet fortsatte i næste nummer:
PROCEEDINGS OF THE COLONIAL COUNCIL
for St. Croix.
(Conclusion af Meeting of 6th November.)
(Discussion on Government's Communication concerning the state of siege.)
4th Member for Christiansted's Country District (Farrelly) complained of the Island having been left without, sufficient protection. Westend with all the Estates round there was left only to the protection of 5 policemen and 5 rattans, If Westend had had some sort of military protection, the whole thing might have been avoided. Attention to this had been called during the discussions on the military ordinance, and fears were expressed. Now has come to pass what the Authorities and some Members would not believe; he and almost all the other planters have been ruined, and have lost everything, because it was thought fit to have no military men located in Westend.
The Governor: Who was it said who did not want any military force?
4th Member for Christiansted' Country District (Farrelly): There were 6-7 Members who voted against doing away with the forces.
The Governor would beg Members to be just enough to remember the history of the military ordinance. For the first 9 years after his arrival here, he opposed retrenchments in the public expenditure, for which many voices were raised; he held that the Administration could not be had cheaper, and that those reductions which here and there might be made were so trifling, that they would lead to nothing. In fact, he had heard constantly a great deal about retrenchments, but could not find any key to a plan for their execution. In 1872 we were comparatively rich; then came 1873 which found us a little poorer. In 1873 or 74 while on a visit here, he was addressed by a so called Deputation, that asserted that $500,000 were requisite in order to continue the business of the island. Government procured them a loan of $150,000 from the Statetreasury. This loan has not since been fully repaid, because the one drought followed the other, and the crops went down as low as 3.00 hogsheads in one year, there was no money in the Treasury, and no sufficient revenue to be expected; what was the use of the Council saying we wish to maintain the military, but we have no money to pay for it.
Later, on the 4th January in 1875, he in this Council had frankly declared that he was not bound to fulfil the promises made by former Governors, and that he would not undertake to support vague proposals of retrenchments, but must demand that those who voted retrenchments, should show how such were to be effected. In 1876 he left here for Copenhagen for the purpose of promoting the Central Factory, he would not speak of what he had done in that respect; but If he had not gone, the Factory would never have been here; perhaps some may say it would have been better it had not come; the future will show. The Diet gave another loan of 600.000 Kroner to the Colonial Treasury besides supplying one half of the Factory's Capital through a loan from the State. The Diet made however certain conditions, among others that we should curtail our expenses as much as possible, and as the military expenses was the only item where reduction of any significance could be effected, the last military ordinance was submitted.
Now, a great deal might be said for and against the military; he would here refer to a simple but striking remark he had heard sometime ago: it is simply absurd to expect to grow canes with rifles. He would beg to ask, was there any man here who would before the 1st of October could or did suppose that a danger of the kind could be expected to occur on this Island? He had spoken with 3 gentlemen, who have lived a long life here in i the Island, intimately acquainted with the labourers an animated by a strong feeling of justice and humanity, one of these viz: Reverend DuBois, he would take the liberty to mention and publicly pay him this compliment on account of the zealous and courageous manner in which he had endeavoured to prevent the riots in Frederiksted; he had asked each of those gentlemen, if they had ever thought such a fearful, dreadful calamity possible; they replied all that if they had been asked the question on the 30th September, they would have answered it was utterly impossible: a little disturbance or a strike might be possible; but such a serious rising was beyond the conception of every one. This Is the secret of the military question: we have all fell secure, we have slept with our doors open, but we have suddenly seen that we have been mistaken. This may be called the moral sense of the question: the pecuniary view of the matter is that the Island was unable to bear the former military expenses, they had necesarily to be retrenched.
1st Crown member (Branch) had felt it would seem an incidious thing to incite the remarks he had had to make on the Governor's communication. But he had to a certain extent been misunderstood. He had spoken on one point, which he found to be wrong and which was much commented upon by the public, but he would not join in any wholesale condemnation. As regards to the insurrection itself, it was too true that it could not have taken place if a military force had been in the Island; but for its real causes, he must go further than the removal of the military force from West End and Kingshill. The planters have for many years been driving their labour power at high steam pressure; Ihe engine has now burst, Until the whole body of planters have learnt to feel more for and with labourers than they do now; until they feel that labourers need something else beside being well fed and housed, - in fact that they are not merely so much working power, then the Island, though it may be made safe, will not be what it ought to be, not if you put all the military force you like into it.
4th Member for Christiansted's Country District (Farrelly) believed that nowhere in the world would you find a class of labourers better clad, better fed and enjoying a better life than here in this Island; foreign clergymen have come here and seen it and commented on it, and a proof of it is afforded by the people leaving here and afterwards returning even from their native land. No planter considers a labourer Iess than what he is, or treats him otherwise than he ought to do. As for the remarks from the Governor that no one expected this outbreak, he would observe that for some time it was plain the labourers were driving at something, had something in their heads, especially as they did not cultivate their provision grounds; a strike might have been looked for, but this general rising was not expected; for no earthly reason could be supposed for those labourers wanting to ruin the whole Island and to drive out the white man.
The Chairman vacated bis seat to the Vice Chairman.
2nd Member for Christiansted's Country District (Rosenstand) would shortly reply to the remarks from the honourable Member (Branch) about the planter's treatment to labourers. The honourable 4th Member for Christiansted's Country district (Farrelly) had already replied; but be might be considered too interested in the question to take an unbiased view of it. He (the speaker) though having no personal interest in the question had through many years and in different positions closely observed and become well acquainted with the relation between planters and their labourers ; and he thought that on the whole - exceptional cases were always to be found - such accusations as were brought against the whole class of Planters by the honorable and reverend member were unjust and unwarrantable, and be would most earnestly repudiate them, that they should not pass over the whole world uncontradicted.
1st Crown Member (Branch) was sorry that the Chairman had again somewhat misunderstood him. What he had intended to say in connection with the labourers was, that unless a feeling of mutual confidence be established between employers and labourers, the latter could be kept down only by terror. He should certainly not wish the island to be without military assistance; he would himself have voted against the removal of the troops if he had been in the Council at that time; but he does not wish it to be overlooked, that there are affairs here which need to be adjusted in a suitable manner; he meant the relation between employer and labourer, which must be put on a footing somewhat like similar relations elsewhere; for, as justly observed by His excellency to day - we cannot grow canes with rifles.
The Governor, would as he had touched on the labour question in the communication, add a few words with special reference to what the honorable 1st Crown member (Branch) had stated. He [the Governor] concurred with the honorable Member in his principles for the adjustment to the labour-question. All relations between two classes of people, who wish to live in peace together, ought to he regulated according lo these principles. The labourers must be treated with humanity, and it ought to be made possible for the employers to encourage good laborers by rewarding them with a higher pay than the rest, but the present labour-regulations do not allow this. The labourers have Iately committed a crime by trying to bring about a change in the Law in an Illegal manner; it has therefore been necessary to force them back under the provisions of the law; but we must be prepared to make a change for the future, and to show that we are willing lo settle the labour-question with justice to all. It will be noticed from the Newspapers, that although they had scanty information about the riot here, they have all guessed that, the Labour-question is not regulated here as it ought to be; if we wish to obtain the sympathy of the outer world, we must try to meet its opinions.
After a respite of 15 minutes, the Council resumed.
2nd Crown Member (Kalmar) fully concurred with what had fallen from the Chairman during the first part of the discussion, and thought the first feeling that should pervade the Council alter the sad calamity in the Island, should be to try to do everything to remedy the effects; to pat shoulder to shoulder to work out a good result. He did also feel convinced that this would be the ultimate result of the Council's action; and withal, it will take a long time before the island can recover from the effects of the dreadful calamity. At the same time it was very cheering to see both from the Government's remarks as well as from elsewhere, that there is a readiness on the part of ihe Home Government and the Nation to come to the assistance of the Island; not only a readiness to yield mere material help, but there is a sympathy, which makes our cause a national cause, so that one could feel more than ever before convinced, that the Mother Country will not consider us as a colony, but embrace us as a province, he could not allow these discussions to be closed, without giving expulsion to the joy he felt on that account, and he held the expeciation that that national feeling will become stronger and stronger, and ultimately lead to our being admitted in all respects as a part of Denmark. As for the Council's remarks to the communication, the proper way would in his opinion be to have a Committee to prepare them, and he would like to know if the same Committee could not attend to the other purposes, for the Governor desired to have a special Committee,
The (Chairman) did not think it possible that one Committee could serve for the two different
purposes, He would refer the question to the Governor.
The (Governor) would propose a special Committee to be appointed to confer with him on several questions.
3rd Member for Frederiksted's Country District (Moore) proposed a Committee of 3
Members to be appointed to prepare the Council's remarks to the Government's Communication.
4th Member for Christiansted's Country District (Farrelly) proposed a Committee of 5 Members. Moore withdrew his proposal, and Farrelly's proposal was unanimously adopted. The Governor handed in his proposal as already reported.
(St. Croix Avis, 27. november 1878)
Herefter fortsatte forhandlingerne og forslagene om en komite.
Lars Peter Elfelt (1866-1931): søfolk på gaden i Christianssted. Materialet er fri af ophavsret. Det Kongelige Bibliotek.
To the Editor of the "St. Croix Avis"
Mr. Editor!
I was very much pleased on Friday to hear at the meeting of the Colonial Council allusion made to the Press in this Island.
You cannot be entirely unaware of the great disatisfaction which has of late been very freely expressed as to the unfairness which has been shown towards a very large proportion of our community, by, as they have in my opinion justly considered it, a want of free access to the Avis, and on the very subject which it so happened was the cause of the said allusion on Friday, vix., the Central Factory.
The general opinion has been that any expression adverse to that unfortunate institution would not have been admitted to the columns of your paper, or, to speak plainer yet, that we have no free press in this Island. A certain state of things has been going on too long, and it is time that there should be a change.
Will you, therefore, Mr. Editor, in an early issue, let the Public know if we have a free press or not, bearing in mind that we fully understand the distinction between a free press and alicentious one.
Yours truly
X
(St. Croix Avis, 13. november 1878)
I en artikel om landskolerne St. Croix Avis 20. november 1878, lød en del af konklusionen således:
While our labouring population lies under disgrace, we feel that views such as we have stated, although their abstract truth may be admitted, will not meet with much sympathy. It remains for the people themselves to alter this state of public feeling towards them by perseverance in good conduct and the performance of their daily duties, and we hope that those of them who can read and write will use their influence among them to show that such a course will be the best for all interests concerned.
En læser havde plæderet for at landbefolkningen ikke skulle uddannes, og at situationen skulle udnyttes til at fjerne dette privilegium. Diskussionen gik mellem om den sorte landarbejderbefolkning skulle fastholdes i "barbari" uden uddannelse, eller de skulle lære gennem uddannelse at opføre sig som lovlige og gode arbejdere.
Den 28. december 1878 udstedte Christian 9. en befaling om at Johan Frederik Schlegel, Martin Levy og Carl Madsenius Vilhelm von Tvermoes skulle udsendes for at undersøge årsagerne til oprøret, skader og tilstå et midlertidigt lån.
