Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-06-18
IN THE FAR PACIFIC
The Caroline Islands Are of Great
Interest Just Now.
MUCH NEARER THAN THE PHILIPPINES
They Must Come for While
Under United States Control.
CUSTOMS OF THE PEOPLE

From the Chicago Chronicle.
No doubt. so long as the United States
hold. through Admiral Dewey and his reso-
lutte sailors, the capital of the Philippines,
the United States may be said to hold and
possess the islands. But what their rela-
tons may be in the future to this country,
how long We shall possess them and how
govern them. is another matter. In the
heated imagina tions of some who like 10
consider themselves as imperialists, which
soon may be a new name for jingo the
Philippines are already annexed and are
become permanent part of this country.
1t Is but sea step from the Philippines
to the Carolines. and that step brings the
world trotter considerably nearer to the
menacing republic of North America. The
eastermost island of the Caroline group
of fifty named islands and as many more
that are unnamed is 1000 miles nearer to
San Francisco than is Manila These
Islands are Spanish by reason of Spain's
ownership of them, but their population is
mongrel, the large majority being descend
ants of abOrigines. who. however. speak the
Spanish language. These people are not
governed directly from Madrid and they
nave no government of their own, but
dependent upon Manila for such laws and
policing they have. which is very little
Being. therefore. Spanish. and dependency
of Manila, or the Philippines the Carolines
are cOnSlr1ctlVely WITHIN the military 1uriS-
dictfon OF the United States today This on
the mercantile principle that the tai goes
with the hide, there can be no doubt on
th1s point. the large problem of what finally
We snail do with the Philippines becomes
larger when the Carolines. TOO. are brought
within the scope of the problem.
Where the CaroIines Are.
The Caroline Islands. sometimes called
the New Philippines, form one of the great
arehipelagos of Oceanica. and are south
east of the Philippines. south of Ladrone
southwest of the Marshall Islands, and
north OF the Solomons and the Papua or
New Guinea, groups. Between the two lat
ter groups and the CarOlines is drawn The
boundary line group separating the Ger
man and Spanish possessions. That which
marks the boundary on tine west is Pelew
and from that point to the eastern extrem-
lily of the Caroline group stretches alter
nate land and water for 1900 miles To
make use of a superficial geographical de-
scr4ptlCn, they lie between latitude 3 de-
grees and 10 minutes north and between
longitude 142 degrees and LIS degrees east.
They have area of 800 square miles
Ihey are divided in several lesser groups of
many dots of islands each. The larger is
lands and also some of the smaller ones
are populated. while some others are with
out settled inhabitants. OF coraline forma-
ton. they are mostly fiat and without bays
or natural harDors of any kind making
anchorage difficult and insecure.
On a number of the islands there is a
thin but quick soil, and fruit and vegetables
are cultivated with success Good drinking
water IS obtained. and fish in abundance
are produced from the surrounding seas
The inhabitants are mostly of the Malay
race, and the more intelligent of them are
said TO make good sailors. There are de-
grees of civilization, or rather of barba-
rism, among them, for most of them are de-
scendantS not SO Very long ago from abo-
rtginal savages. The few Spanish and
Manilaese settled on one island or another
of the Carolines are of low types and do
not much raise the degraded people with
when they live.
The Spanish language is in common use
but the Islands have no literature or news
papers A desultcry commerce is carried
on. which enables Manila to get some
tribute of the dependent islands. And they
practice an art, that of tattooing, and have
carried II TO the highest perfection.
Oceanica in History.
A century ago all that quarter of the
globe where the CaIolines are situated, in
Guiding the Philippines. the Marshall, the
LadroEe and the Papuan Islands, and Au-
stralid and the rest, was known 10 the
world as Oceanica. 1t is still known by
that name to geographers. and it is further
designated as fifth division Of the globe
smaller by a good deal than any other of
Its divisions. More expansively, it is de-
scribed as being all that portion lying be-
tween the Indian ocean and the China sea
1t was not until the seventeenth century
that nayiSators visited that region for the
purpose of discovery. The Dutch were the
first who adventured and next were the
Sraniards: the English were a century
later with their enterprise in the same d.
rectioH- Spanish rule was old in Oceanica
before the English seated themselves In
Australia Not until lately has Spanish
rule been disturbed in the Philippines from
within, and there has been nobody to at
tempt disturbance of ii in the Carclines
That rule has continued for hundreds Of
years without much benefit to he people
or their governors, hut in the main
quietly that the world has scarcely noticed
It. Like Oceanica, the Philippines the
Carolines and the rest were little more
than geographical terms that did not sig
nifty much to the kings of nations or of
commerce and were in one moment harmed
and forgotten by school children. But sud
denly, a Few weeks ago, the Philippines
were brought into great notice by the APP
pearance of Dewey before Manila, and his
destroying there the Asiatic fleet of Spain
And now the Carolines have sprung into
notice. ii having been discovered by some
and recalled by others that The Caroline
Islands are in the same category with the
Philippines as viewed by Spain, and that
therefore they must come temporarily, at
least. under United States control.
There is a difficulty in the respect of the
Carolines that there is not that of the
Philippines In the former there are no
Spanish towns or established settlements
Ever since Lopez de Viilalobos. in 1913.
Charles V, named them the Carolines they
have remained mostly in a state of nature
There Is no place there where a Spanish
flag may be hauled down and the American
nag run up The occupation of Manila
must suffice to give this country legal or
at any rate, military, possession of the
Carolines.
Island Are AtOIIs.
The Islands can never have much value
for any nation. They are poorly adapted to
egriculture-they are atoIls, coral Islands.
consisting of a strip ring OF coral sur
rounding a central lagoon. Such islands
are all the Carolines except three They
often present an exceedingly picturesque
appearance. q comparatively narrow strip
Of coral rock thinly coated with soil and
covered with vigorous growth of trees
The circle of coral is sometimes complete
inolosing stin body of water, usually OF
considerable depth and often well supplied
with fish But oftener the coral circle is
not complete. and presents one or more
openings out into the surrounding sea SUIT
able for the passage of boats. Most of the
Inhabitants are adapted 10 these natural
conditions, they live in bamboo huts and
subsist mostly on fish. But some of the in
habitants. and particularly the natives of