Mr. O'BRIEN. Fine. I have just one question. Skipping lightly over the fact that you are State chairman of the Republican Party, I note that you are also a business consultant and that you are a businessman yourself.

Mr. MAWSON. Yes, sir, I am.

Mr. O'BRIEN. Is it not true that the attitude of the business community in the Virgin Islands in the last 2 or 3 years at least has changed substantially with regard to the question of an elected Governor? Mr. MAWSON. Without question, sir.

Mr. O'BRIEN. There was considerable opposition a few years ago on the part of some people in and out of the chamber of commerce. Mr. MAWSON. That is correct.

Mr. O'BRIEN. That opposition, as I understand it, was due in great measure to the economic agony that was involved in changing over from an agrarian to an industrial complex; is that correct?

Mr. MAWSON. That is true.

Mr. O'BRIEN. But I am also informed, and you can correct me if I am wrong, that a number of businessmen who in the past have expressed opposition to an elected Governor, have recently openly expressed their approval of such; is that correct?

Mr. MAWSON. You are correct, sir.

Mr. O'BRIEN. Thank you. Any questions?

Mr. MORTON. I would just like to ask you one question, and it is certainly a pleasure to have you here. I will not brush over lightly the fact that you are chairman of the Republican Party down there. Let me just ask you this, do you think the Republicans could get a candidate who could get 40 percent of the popular vote against the present Governor should he seek nomination?

Mr. MAWSON. I would like to put it this way, if you will permit me. I think that the Republican Party would vote for the present Governor that is now in office.

Mr. MORTON. They would not run a candidate?

Mr. MAWSON. No, sir.

Mr. MORTON. In other words, there would be a party selection of the candidate?

Mr. MAWSON. No, sir, that is not true. The reason why I say that is this. We do not have a man, a Republican with sufficient popular appeal to overcome the present Governor. We feel that the Governor, the present Governor has done an excellent job and there is no question in our minds that the entire community would back him for the position.

Mr. MORTON. Do you have any Republicans in elected offices? Mr. MAWSON. At the moment?

Mr. MORTON. Yes.

Mr. MAWSON. No, sir, we do not. The legislature is composed of 12 Democrats.

Mr. MORTON. Have you ever run a Republican for an elective office of any kind?

Mr. MAWSON. In this coming election, we hope to run, or rather one of our old guard Republicans has already announced his intention to join up with the conservative Democrats. We are looking forward to having a man, one of our Republicans join up with the liberal Democrats. And if this reapportionment bill should go into effect, we feel that then we would have a better chance of having a Republican getting into the legislature.

Mr. MORTON. What purpose does the Republican Party serve in the structure of things in the Virgin Islands?

Mr. MAWSON. Well, you have to understand that really the political philosophy of the Virgin Islands—the Republicans at the present moment, we do not have any weight in numbers. There are about, approximately-well, let me put it this way. Back in 1963, the following voters appeared at the polls: in St. Thomas there were 6,823. In St. Croix, 6,862; in St. John, 391; for a total of some 14,076. On November 2, 1964, the following voters appeared at the polls: for St. Thomas, 5,450; St. Croix, 568; and St. John, 3,554; or a total of 10,872. We had a candidate at that time, but the candidate we had, in my humble opinion, did not have the appeal to the majority. As a consequence, he polled some 325 votes. And under the law, the election code, he did not get 5 percent of the vote of the majority, as a consequence of which the Republican Party was voted out of existence.

I made a personal appeal to the Governor and through bis influence, together with the cooperation of the legislature, we were able to get our party reinstated. And we are presently now functioning, again recognized by law.

I say again that it is a difficult thing to get a man qualified with a lot of appeal as a Republican to win.

Mr. MORTON. Did you ever have an elected officer?

Mr. MAWSON. No.

Mr. MORTON. You never have?

Mr. MAWSON. Yes, we had way back in-I think John David Merwin was the first elected member in the Virgin Islands in the He was a member of the senate and then he was appointed as government secretary and subsequently he became the Governor of the Virgin Islands. Of course, you see, what is actually wrong with this, not wrong, but what has happened over the past years with the Republican Governors, patronage in the lifestream or the bloodstream of the political entity, which we all know. For some reason or other, they never made the attempt to support the party as such. There was an old practice among Republican Governors when they came to the islands that they were instructed by the Department of Interior, "hands off from your local party." As a consequence of which the party never prospered. And quite the opposite with the Democrats. They had all the support and all the cooperation that they could from their Governors. We do not. So that is the answer for it. And naturally, as I said, self-preservation is Nature's first law. You go to the one that offers the most.

Now, I made a poll in 1963, or early 1964, of the number of Republicans in the Virgin Islands. We had about 600 registered Republicans and about 600 other Republicans who had not even taken time out to go register or concern themselves about the activities of the island, but it is not that we do not have a two-party system. We definitely have a two-party system. It is a definite lack of

Mr. MORTON. That is lack of interest.

One last question. I am getting at this again, but you are for this bill and I guess everybody seems to be for it here. You have no fears of maintaining the quality of leadership in the executive branch of the Virgin Islands government under this type of procedure versus the appointment procedure?

Mr. MAWSON. As far as the political picture is concerned, sir, I say I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever that the present Governor will be the first elected Governor of the islands.

Mr. O'BRIEN. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. MORTON. Yes.

Mr. O'BRIEN. Going beyond the present Governor and his popularity, and so forth, do you believe that the creation of the office of elected Governor will actually help the Republican Party and get some of the members of your party to stop sitting back and grumbling and to go out and vote?

Mr. MAWSON. Well, again, that I think is dependent wholly upon the initiative and enthusiasm of the leaders of the Republican Party. Unfortunately, and I did not really want to say this, but as is true among most Republicans, we have an interparty feud, and that has sort of divided the party, as a consequence of which the Virgin Islands being such a small outfit or unit, that everybody wants to lean to the predominant group.

Mr. MORTON. Are they divided into the "doves" and the "hawks?” Mr. MAWSON. The doves and the hawks, and as such most Republicans are willing to go over-as the Governor pointed out a few minutes ago, in the last 1964 election many of the Republicans went over and voted with the conservative Democrats, as a consequence of which there was a very poor election.

Mr. O'BRIEN. Well, Mr. Chairman, is that not true throughout this country where you have a dominant, strong, powerful political party with strong leadership, whether it be Republican or Democrat, that there is a certain amount of discouragement on the part of the minority if it is small enough?

Mr. MAWSON. Quite true.

Mr. O'BRIEN. We have had occasions where that has changed; New York City, for example. And there is a tendency in those places for the Republicans or Democrats who are in that minority not to make their own fight, but to tie onto other groups to make their votes more effective, is that not correct?

Mr. MAWSON. That is true, sir. As I said a moment ago, insofar as the reapportionment bill is concerned, the Republicans would have a very good chance of getting one of their men into the legislature who could then turn out to be the key of the whole legislature, because if we can vote for all the members, all the candidates, then we have a greater chance of swinging in coalition form with one of the strong sides of the Democratic factions and get one of our men who then would practically hold the voice of the whole legislature in his hands. Mr. O'BRIEN. Any other questions?

Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. And with the exception of Dr. Anduze, who has kindly consented to defer his testimony until Wednesday afternoon, this will be the only witness on this particular legislation. So the committee will stand in recess on this bill until Wednesday at 2 o'clock, and will remeet this afternoon at 2 on the Guam legislative bills.

(Whereupon, at 12:20 p.m., the subcommittee adjourned to reconvene at 2 p.m., Wednesday, March 9, 1966.)

H.R. 11777, TO PROVIDE FOR THE POPULAR ELECTION of the GOVERNOR OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 1966

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
SUBCOMMITTEE ON TERRITORIAL

AND INSULAR AFFAIRS OF THE

COMMITTEE ON INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS,

Washington, D.C.

The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:15 p.m., in room 1324, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Leo W. O'Brien (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.

Present: Representatives O'Brien, Mrs. Reid of Illinois, Skubitz, and Morton.

on

Mr. O'BRIEN. The Subcommittee Territorial and Insular Affairs will be in order for continuation of the March 8 hearing on H.R. 11777, to provide for the popular election of the Governor of the Virgin Islands, and for other purposes.

We had concluded the hearings on this bill with the exception of the testimony by Dr. Aubrey A. Anduze, president of the Virgin Islands constitutional convention of 1965, who was kind enough to remain here so that we could round out the testimony with his state

ment.

We will hear at this time from Dr. Anduze. I would hope that perhaps later in the afternoon, when we get into the other matters to come up, that you would also be available, Doctor, if any questions come up in connection with the constitutional convention's attitude on the reapportionment.

Doctor, it is a pleasure to have you here.

STATEMENT OF DR. AUBREY A. ANDUZE, PRESIDENT OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS CONSTITUTION CONVENTION

Dr. ANDUZE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, permit me to express to you my sincere appreciation for allowing me to appear before your committee to testify on H.R. 11777, a bill to provide for the popular election of the Governor of the Virgin Islands, and for other

purposes.

My name is Aubrey Anduze, a native of St. Croix, V.I. I was elected in November 1964 during the regular elections to serve as a member of the Virgin Islands constitutional convention and served as the president of said convention.

After considerable public hearings and deliberations the convention on February 26, 1965 adopted a report, which was delivered to the Honorable Wayne Aspinall, the chairman of your full committee. One of the recommendations of the convention was the provision for the popular election of the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor of the Virgin Islands.

This proposed legislation has the endorsement of the overwhelming majority of the people of the Virgin Islands as recorded in the extensive hearings conducted in all three Virgin Islands-St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John. Further, it is my personal conviction as a native-born lifetime resident, that the territory has matured and achieved an economic and social stability to make it eligible for its citizens to exercise a much greater degree of self-government. And now speaking on behalf of the people of the Virgin Islands, it is our earnest hope that the 89th Congress will see fit to enact the needed reform. I also ask that the executive branch proposal of the report of the Virgin Islands constitutional convention be incorporated and made a part of the record.

I thank you for your kind attention to this matter.
Mr. O'BRIEN. Thank you, Doctor.

Unless there is an objection, the request that the executive branch proposal of the report of the Virgin Islands constitutional convention be made a part of the record, it will be granted and will be inserted at the proper place in the record.

Thank you very much, Doctor.

I think, unless the committee feels otherwise, that we had a pretty well rounded discussion on this elected Governor proposal, but I felt that the record would not be complete until we heard from you, not only as a distinguished resident of the Virgin Islands, but as President of the constitutional convention. I hope and I believe that you will be present when we move onto the next hearings, if any matters arise in connection with findings of the Constitutional Convention in that respect.

Dr. ANDUZE. Thank you.

Mrs. REID. Doctor, do you foresee any problems should this legislation be approved?

Dr. ANDUZE. No, ma'am.

Mrs. REID. Problems of the people within the islands?

Dr. ANDUZE. I do not see any problems.

Mrs. REID. In campaigning you feel this would not be a problem? Dr. ANDUZE. No; I do not believe there will be any problems. Mrs. REID. It is all good as far as you are concerned?

Dr. ANDUZE. I do believe that it would be good-psychologically, at least.

Mr. O'Brien. Perhaps we can say as good as can be expected in this very political world of ours.

Mr. MORTON. I want to thank you. I think you ought to be congratulated, not only on your statement here, but on the work of the constitutional convention. I think it is the foundation work of constitutional conventions such as you participated in that make legislation like this possible. It is one of the necessary steps. are to be commended for your leadership in the Virgin Islands.

You