Evening star., 1898-05-14

say, why Ee Is ldh-
ing such interest in our movements there,
and that is because he hopes to obtain from
us. as conquerors. what he never could
wrcst from Spain as owners by right oS
lcrg possession.
There is no doubt that the Philippines
would he valuable possession to Great
Britain. There is no doubt that under
British or American sway those islands
would soon take their place as profitable
producers in the worlds exploited regions.
They have never yielded what they might
no Spanish property ever has-for the own
ers have always followed the short-sighted
policy of wringing from human labor what
Trey ought to have wrested from mother
earth. Millions of aborigines have "larded
the lean earIn with their tears and blood,
have toiied. have perIsned. that few Span
iarus IN power Night pront thereby.
Wherever Britain Or thc United States
go, there go also civilization and progress.
Tncy compel nature To yield her secret
stores of gold and COAL they cause her
face TO smile with plantations. to laugh
with b!vss ming gardens. So far as the
world goes. II lS q matter of little moment
whether America or Great Britain eventu-
ally holds these islands. The latter could
not does not probably expect To. get tneIn
for nothing. Provided tEtre might be IL bar
gain made, and We should Conse ut to trade,
what Las Britain besides gold lOf which
We have more than she has, probably that
she could Olivr III exchange Some say
Canada, but, though "Bark.s may be will
ing. We DOUBT II o,Ir people are. 1hen there
are the West Indies. Assuming, for the
sake OF argument, that England would
part with the Vest Indies. how would they
compare in points OF vantage for US? In
the first place, the entire British posses
sions in the West indies have an agsre-
gate AREA OF but lj,'pO square miles, as
agains: 11t.aJc in the Philippines. They
have population of only 1::-.pUU;'. as com
pared with about 1.cDU.UUU in the oriental
islands. but the native population would be
likely 70 count against. rather than for
their acquisition. uOJ Jeins altogether de-
sirtD!e. The two regions produce, very
similarly, tobacco, sugar, cotton, tropical
fruits valuable dye and cabinet woods. and
mostly those articles least possible of cul-
tivation in the United States, and which
We greatly need.
Advantage of Location.
The advantages of size and population
are on the side of the Philippines: but there
is ore factor in the case We should not
overlook, and that is, contiguity. Unless
We depart entirely from the traditions cf
our ancestors and national usage hitherto
ana enser upon new career world
ConGueTCr ttnus dragging Gown upon us all
other powers. we should find the West
Indies More valuable in the end than the
Philippines Place a thousand miles-the
average distance, roughly estimated, of the
Caribbean Islands from our ShoreS-aSainst
the six or seven thousand to the other
country. and calculate the loss of time
expense of defense. transportation. etc.
and the advantage of the former TO US will
be appart Mt of course, if We become pos
sessed of Hawaii (which doubtless we shall
and ought tor, the distance will be lesscned
and these will be but stepping stones in the
Gordon of forts and pcrts we may ulti-
mately erect around the globe.
But, like Hawaii. the West Indies may be
reckoned as part of the defensive or stra-
tegical islands OF our coasts; on the Pacific
orr on he Al
islands of the Antilles.
Let US stop there. and no nation can just
ly reproach US with mere desire of .icquisi-
tCn, fer We shall have only reached down
and out to strengthen our defenses and
gather in 10 us what was evidently intend
ed from the beginning of the world should
be our own.
But can get the British West Indies
In exchange for the Philippines or straight
out for cash2 Let US see what islands com
ICse them and what elements likely to
enter into the trade. The British West
Indies, proper, consist of the Lucayan
group known as the Bahamas, extending
from east Of the Florida coast to within a
hundred miles or so of santo Domingo;
Jamaica. the Virgin Islands. ST. Kits,
Nevis. Montserrat. Antigua. Dominica St
Lucia. St Vincent, Barbados. Grenada
and tie Grenadines. Tobago and Trinidad
By stretching point We nay-and, in fact,
We must-include the Bermudas lying off
our coast. about 700 miles from New York
and only $50 from Cape Ha,tefas.
The Bermudns.
The Spaniards discovered most of these
islands-all of them. in truth-and the En-
giish appropriated them, as they "appro-
priated' Gibraltar. sometimes with pre-
tense OF right. oftener without any pretext
at all One of the first of the Spanish dis
coveries to fall into English hands was
the Bermudas. sighted by Bermudez in
1927. and colonized by Sir George Somers
In 1909. Johr Bull soon saw the value of
this group Of about loo isles. rocks and
islets. and they now constitute an import
ant link in that chain OF military stations
with which he has encircled the globe 1t
was not. however, until after the reyolu-
ton that he became fully aware of their
Importance, and ever since the year 1854
when the British soldiers arrived there
from America. he has been industriously
fortifying. mining and building floating
docks. The result Is that at the present
day this bunch of islands, which nature
surrounded with coral reefs penetrated by
ncrrow channels only, is almost IL not
absolutely impregnable.
He would no more think now Of giving up