68TH CONGRESS,
|
IST SESSION.
|
S
2786
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES.,
MARCH 10, 1924.
i
Mr. MCLEAN (by request)
introduced
the
|
following bill; which
was read
twice and
l
referred
to the Committee
on Territories
|
and Insular Possessions.
'
A BiLL
to provide
a
civil government
for
|
the
Virgin Islands,
and
for other
|
purposes.
|
Be it enacted
by
the Senate
and
|
House ofRepresentatives
of the Uni-
!
ted
States
of America
in Congress
|
assembled,
!
That
the
provisions
of
this
Act shall
|
apply to the West
Indian
Islands
aequir-
|
ed from Denmark
by
the
United States,
;
the
said
Islands
being
known
as
the
|
Virgin
Islands,
and
waters
of
those
is-
|
is'ands;
and
the
name
Virgin Islands
as
’
uscd
in this Act
shall
be
held to include
|
all the said ielands and
waters.
‘
SEC.
2.
That
no
law shall
be enacted
|
in the Virgin Islands
which
shall deprive
|
any person
of life,
liberty, or
property
|
without
due
process
of
law, or deny
to
|
any
person
therein
the
equal protection
|
of the laws.
That
in
all
criminal
prosecutions
the
|
accusad
shah
enjoy
the right
to have
the
|
assistance
of counsel
for
his
defense,
to
|
benformed
of
the
nature
and
cause
of
|
the accusation,
to
have
a
copy thereof,
|
to have
a speedy
and
pablic
trial,
to be
|
confronted
with
the
witnesses
against
|
h.m,
and
lo bave
compulsory
process
for
|
obtaining witnesses
in s
favor.
i
That
no person
shall
be
held
to
answer
|
fora
criminal
offense
without
due
pro-
|
cess
of law,
and
no
person
for the
same
|
offense
shall
be twice
put
in jeopardy
of
|
punisivment,
nor
shall
be
¢rmpelled
in
any
criinal
case
0
give
zvidence
|
azainst
himself;
nor
shall
any
person
sit
|
as
judge
or
magistrate
in
any
case
in
|
which
he
has
engaged
as
attorney
or
|
]H'OS‘JCU‘GV.
That
all
persons
shall
before
convie-
|
tinn
be
bailuble
by
sufficient
sureiies,
|
except
for
capital
offenses
when
the
|
proof
is
evideut
or
the
presumption
|
great.
|
T'bat
no
law
impairing
the
obligation
|
of contracts
shall
be enacted.
|
I'hat
no person
shail
be
imprisoned
or
|
shail suffer forecd labor for debt.
f
tinat the privilege of the
wr tof haba-
|
as corpus
sha!l
not
be susp:nied,
unless
when in
case
o/
rebellion,
insurrection,
|
or invasioa of public safety
may require
|
it, in ‘eithar
of
which
evenis
th: same
|
may
be
suspended
by
the Presilent,
oy
|
by the
_cvernor,
whene.ér
didring
su
.
23
L8132
A VIS
period the necessity
for such
suspension
may
exist.
That no ex post
facto law or bill of at-
tainer
shall be enacted.
Private property shall
not he taken
or
damag~d
for public use
except
upon
pay-
ment
of just compensation
ascertained
in
the
manner proviled by law.
Nothing contained in this
Act shall bz
construed
to limit the
power
of the
coun-
cil to enact
laws for the proteciion
of the
lives, health,
or safety of employees.
That no law granting
a title of nobility
shall
be enacted,
and
no person
holding
any
offize of profit
or
trust
under
the
governmant
of the Virgin Islands
shall,
without
the consentof
the
Congress
of
the
United
States,
accept
any present,
emolument,
oifice,
or
title of
any
kind
whatever;
from any kinz,
queen,
prince,
or fureiga State,
or any
officer thereof.
That
excessive
bail
shall
not
be
re-
quired,
nor excessive
fines
imposed,
nor
cruzl and
unusual panishment
inflicted.
That
the right to be ;secure
againet
un-
reasonable
searches
and
seizures
shall
not be violated.
That
no warrant for arrest
or
search
shall issue
but upon
probable
cause,
sup-
ported
by oath
or affirmation and particu-
lariy describing
the
place
to be
searched
and
the persons
or things
to be seized.
That siavery
shall
not exist in the
Vir-
gin Islands.
That inveluntary servi ude,
except
as
a
punishment
for ecrime
whereof
the party
shall have
be:n
duly convicted,
shall not
exist in the Virgin Islands.
That
no
laws sha!l
be
passed
abridging
the ireedam
of sprech
or of the
press,
or
the
richt of the people
peaceaole
1o
as-
s2mble
and peution
the
Governmeant
for
the
reldress
of grievances.
I'hat
no
law
shall b: made
respacting
an estab'ishment
of
religion or prohioit-
ing
the free
exercise
thereof,
and
that
the ;free exercise
aud enjoymeat
of reli-
gious
profession
and
worship
without
diseriminaticn
or
preference
shall
for-
ever
be
allow:-d,
and
that
no political
or
religious
test
other
ithan
an
oath
to
support
the
Cons.ituiion
of
the
United
States
and
the
laws
of
the
Virgin Islands
shall
be
reguired
as
a
quahfization
to a.v
offi:2 or publie
trast
nader
the
governmeat
of the
Virgin
Is-
lc\l\d;.
The
contracting
of
polygamous
or
plural marriages
hereafier
is prohidited.
That
no
mon2y shall
be
paid
out of the
Treasury exeept
in pursuance
of an
appro-
priation by law ani
on
warrant drawn
by
tho proper
officer in pursuance
thereof.
T'hat
the
rute
of taxation
in the Virgin
Islands
shali
be uniform.
That
all
money
derived
from
any
tax
lovi-d
or asscssed
for
a
special
purpose
: ha'l
be
treated
as
a special
fund
in
the
‘ireasury
and
paid our for such
purpose
only,
except
upon
the
approval
of, the
President
of the United
States.
That
the emnlavment
of children
un-
der
the
age
of fourteen
years
ia
any
occupation
injurious
to heal'h
or
morals
or
hazardous
to life or
limb
is
hereby
prohibited.
(To be continued.)
LOCAL
The
U. S'S.
Ranger
and
two other
«
s nall steam
units arrived
here yesterday
4
afternoon.
The Eanger
is moored
off the
Gallows Bay
seciion
of the town and
the
others
to the
west,
The first instalment
of the Bill introdue-
ed into the Senate
by Senator McLean
at
the
instance
of
interested
parties
here
will be found in this
issue,
a
copy of the
bill having
beer
kindly
furnished
this
paper
by the
loea!
Government.
In this
issue
there
is furnished
are-
port concerning
a court procedure
of ves-
terday
which
will
be
found very inter-
esting.
The sentencing
of people
with-
out
due
process
of
law
is
so obviously
dangerous
a
condition
that
no commen:?
upcn
it is
necessary
to awaken
activity
to
preclude
it
by
appropriate
means
a:
the disposition of those
in
higher
autho-
rity.
DISTRICT
COURT
ISSUES
WRIT OF
HABEAS
CORPUS.
First Issued
Since
The Transfer.
.
At
a
special
sitting
of
the
District
C urt yesterday,
convened
by
i
Honor
Julge McKcan,
a writ
of habeis
corpus
was
issued
oo
peaton
of
one
Wrank
G.obons
throuzh
hisz
attorney
i).
Hamil-
ton Jackson.
The hearing
tuok
place
at
2p. m.
when
the
Sheritff
produced
the
petitioner
in Court
to
have
th> cause
of
his
restraint
examined
into.
Upon
the
hearing it
was
shown
that Gibbons
was
mot
sentenced
by
due process
of law and
was therefore
ordered
discharged
from
castody.
The
se:sion
lasted
two hours.
Mr. Ediior,
Dear Sir,
Piease
permit
me
space
in
your
valuable
paper
just
to
let
you
knowva
little of my
experience
from
St.
Cooix
to Culebra
1 wish
to thank His
Exgelian-
cy Governor
Williams
for
his
kindn:ss
in giving such
a great
treat
to the
mem-
bers of St. Croix
Colonial
Council,
also
%
our Despatehing
Secretary
Mr.
Barrett
tor his
part.
Now
we come
to the sights
the
great-
est
one
in all my
life
time- The
battle-
ships,
also subcha
ers
and
sub-marines.
As tar
as [canremember, |
counted
ab ot
189in the Culebra biz sea port:some of he
bizgest
ships
afloat.
And
all
kinds
of
games
were
sß2en
on
the
shore
at
Cule-
bra; I saw on board
the Battie-ship
New
Mevxicy, a base
ball
eame
being
plajed
right aboard the ship.