Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-05
An EXCHANGE
OF ISLANDS
A Proposition to Trade the
Philippines
FOR SOME NEARER HOME
Great Britain Might Be Induced to
Give Up Her West India Possess
SiOns-.VieWS Differ.
FOR SOME NEARER HOME

New York, April 5. "A special to the
Herald frou Washington says: Much
interest is felt here in the proposition
originating with the inhabitants of ST.
kits in the Leeward islands in eX-
change of the Philippines for the Brit
ish West Indies. There are strong ar
gusents in favor of such an exchange
if Great Britain can be induced to part
with her West Indian possessions and
there is little doubt that if the people
of the United States had an opportun-
ity to choose between the Philippines
and the English possessions in the Car
ibbean sea they would prefer the lat
ter. This is practically true Of the res
idents in the eastern states.
The possession of the British West
Indies would be of great Importance to
the United States from a military point
of view as it would make the Caribbean
sea practically an American lake and
would enable this country to dominate
completely all approaches to any fu.
ture lsthmlan canal from the Atlantic
side. 1t would also bring the United
States into closer relations with Cen
trail and South America and would tend
to develop commerce with all the ma
tions south of Mexico
Representative Meyer of Louisiana.
VINO as a member of the house COM
Hlttee on naval affairs has given close
attention to the new possessions of the
United States, said:
AS long as we are in the business of
guy ing and selling and trading in SOY
efelgnty, we should DESIRE other things
Delng equal, to hold possessions near
the united States rather than at a dis
lance. 1t would also seem to me to be
better to undertake the government of
islands, the Inhabitants of which un-
derstand and are in sympathy with our
system of government and who want
10 come to us, rather than islands the
inhabitants of which do not cornpre-
hend the American system and who
are not willing to come under our gov
ernment. Whether Great Britain Would
consent to such an exchange as is pro-
posed however, is, I think, a question
of grave doubt
Representative Livingston of Georgia
is heartily in favor of getting rid of
the philippines at any price and re-
SafdS the proposition to make an ex-
change with Great Britain as the best
OF idifiicult problem yet offered
Il do not doubt" he said, that if the
matter is properly handled, Great Bri-
NN>AA'
is ambitious to extend her commercial
interests in the east and would doubt
leSS consider that the possession of the
Philippines would give her much
greater strength than she now has in
that part of the world. All the Unitel
states needs in the Philippines is a
coallng station and a place for repair
ing ships attached to the Asiatie,
squadron. It seems to me that an oy-
change might be effected whereby the
united States would consent to make
a trade with the understanding that
we were to retain a naval base in the
Philippines, in consideration of a sim
llaf privilege granted to Great Britain
in her present West Indian possessions
No one can deny our right to disroso Of
the Philippines to Great Britain or to
any other power Germany would
probably throw all the obstacles she
could in the way of the trade being
made with Great Britain, but that is
not our affair. England, once in pos
session OF the Philippines would need
to nave no fear of Germany's protest"
Former Representative Hilbourne Of
California did not regard the proposi-
tion as at all feasible. He doubted. in
the first place, whether the United
States had such title over the Philin.
pines as to justify the transfer of SOW
erelgnty to some other power and he
'iu iiot DtIltNt llldl the proposition
for such transfer would receive the an
proval of the American people. He did
not believe the people of the Pacific
coast would favor the proposed ex-
change.
That is a very interesting PROPOSE
ton,' said Representative Butler of
PENNSYLVANIA, but | would not be in
favor of it until I knew what would be
done with the Philippines. If we keep
those islands it will be because it is
TO our advantage to do so. The reten-
ton of the archipelago will mean thar
we VIII nave stepping stone to the
great Asiatic continent whose trade
amounts to thousand million dollars
year, forty millions Of which we our
selves controlled last year. The British
West Indies offer no such advantage.
l am opposed to surrendering any ter
ritory that is not for the good of the
United States"
Senator Fairbanks of Indiana, the
ranking American member on the
Canadian high commission, arrived
here this morning from the west for
with the president In
with the senator this
evening in relation to the proposition
for the United States to exchange the
Philippine islands for England's West
Indian possessions, he said:
Il read the editorial in this morn
ing,s Herald with great interest and
without committing myself for or
against the proposition, I must say it
is very ingenious suggestion and will
be widely copied and commented upon.
do not care to discuss it's merits or
demerits at this time because the pol
Icy of the administration relative to the
is apt to be In accordance 1