The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-16

SlStS ana grOCeIS.
Pamphlet will be sent by
DUFFY MALT WHlSKEY CO.,
Rochester, N. Y.
modore Dewey has captured the Philip
pines. the sun Is always shining on
some Of American possessions.
I'm winter 1t will be different unless
the conditions are altered. On the
shortest day in winter, Dec. 81 and %,
the sun in this latitude shines approx
nately only ABOUT nine hours AS the
difference in time between the Philip
pines and Maine is little over twelve
hours, the sun could not rise in Maine
In the winter time before 1t had set in
the Philippine islands. If we took into
consideration the dawn preceding the
actual rise Of the sun, and the twilight
following it's setting, 1t would be safe
to say that even in winter, with the
possession Of the Philippines, there
would always be daylight on some
part Of the American land"
To be perfectly sure that the sun
never set on American soil we would
have to capture the Canary islands.
would we not?" was asked.
: CANARIES WOULD HELP.
Geographically and astrnomdcally
the capture Of the Canary islands would
solve the problem for all seasons" said
Prof. Rees, although I do not wish to
be understood to be advocating any of
these things politically. The Canaries
lie at about 15 degrees west from
Greenwich, and Philippines are about
120 degrees east, or 135 degrees apart,
which is equal to about nine hours
time.
ALLOWING for the difference in lengths
Of days in the tropics and in the tenn
perate zone the sun would always rise
on the Canaries before setting on the
Philippines even in the shortest day Of
the year."
Then, to be thoroughly English, you
know, we will have to have the Canar-
les for winter purposes" suggested
member of the class in astronomy.
IF it is only for the purpose of being
English we had better not include the
Canaries when Spain settles up with
u.s. said the professor.
With the Philippine islands as part of
the United States, not to mention the
Canary islands, which. it is contended,
we should seize and hold as a trans
Atlantic coaling station, it will be diff
cult to designate the geographical CEN
ter Of the country. When from time
to time the question Of moving the
ca pftal Of the United States to a more
central place; came up in congress long
arguments were made as to what was
the geographical center Of the Union.
Some members from the Middle West
ern states thought the capital should
be shifted to st. Louis, others to Kan
| sas City, and some even to Chicago.
because, they said, those cities were
nearer to the geographical center than
was Washington.
SAN FRANCISCO THE CENTER.
One member from the far West
smashed all their arguments to smith
Greens by showing that when we took
into consideration the territory of
Alaska, whose islands extended west
ward as far as the 17Sd degree from
Greenwich, the geographical center of
the United States would be on the Pa
| cific ocean many miles from land, and
that San Francisco was the only large
city near the imaginary geographical
center.
When we have added up our new
lands and bought us a new globe upon
which to record them it may be found
that Washington is still as near the
geographical center of the Union as is
practicable, and that If there are now
any congressman who desire to move
the national capital tn ~ YAH have to
find some other pretext upon which to
base their bill. With the capture and
purchase of new lands in various parts
of the globe, 1t will be hard to keep the
geographical center Of the Union sta
tionary.
The only two large separations Of
American soil now are from the Philip
pine islands east to Maine on the west,
and from the Aleutian islands of Alas
ka on the west to the Philippines on
the east. From the Philippines to
Maine is 1876 degrees, or IL hours and "a
minutes difference In time. From the
Alaskan Aleutians to the Philippines
is 70 degrees or hours and 40 minutes.
amply covered by the sun, both in sum-
mer and in winter.
GAP IS SMALL.
With the possession of the Canaries
the gap Of water between the Canaries
on the east and Maine on the west will
be only about so degrees, or hours
and 20 minutes; and the gap between
the Canaries and the Philippines will
be 1875 degrees, or 8 hours.
Owing to the phenomena of nature.
including the inclination of the earth's
axis of 231z degrees, the sun shines on
northern Alaska for % hours a day in
summer, and as the difference in time
between the eastern and western coasts
of the main part of the United States
Is three hours, for several weeks in the
summer, the sun never sets on Ameri-
can soil. even without counting the
Philippines as an acquisition.
But this condition is soon altered by
the shortening of the daylight in Alas
ka. To be sure that there will always
be daylight on American soil the Phil
ippine islands are necessary, and to be
sure that the sun will never set on
American land the possession of the
Canaries would be highly desirable.