The record-union., 1899-06-10
Coming Visit Of the Reciprocity
Commissioner to Washington
Likely to Bring to a Focus the Whole Ques-
ton Of Relations With West Indies.
An Intimation That IF Jamaica
Fails to Get Along Well With
the United States She Will
Turn to Canada and Form an
Anti-American Alliance.

NEW YORK, June "a special to
the Tribune from Washington says
Washington circles have an interest
in. the coming of the Jamaica Reel
procity Commissioners greater than the
trade Of the British possession war
rants. There is feeling that before they
get through these Jamaica Commission
ers will bring to a foucus the Whoie
question of the future of the British
West Indies They will act nominally
in conjunction with the British En-
bassy. because to do otherwise would
not be permitted by the British For
eign Office Nevertheless, the ia
maicans are apt to prove headstrong.
Careful statements are made that their
coming has nothing to do with the
presence of Sir Cavendish Boyle, who
Is representing British Guiana in pend
ing negotiations or with the proposed
reciprocity arrangements with Barba-
does. Nevertheless, the idea is preva-
lent that Mr.. Chamberlain, the Colonial
Minister, is hampering Jamaica, ana
that he wants the other dependencies
in the West Indies to serve as an Off
set. Another intimation is given that
If Jamaica does not get along Well with
the United States she will turn to can
ada. The alliance between Canada and
the British West Indies has been serl-
ously discussed in the Dominion 1t Is
one Of the propositions regularly made
whenever the Dominion has trouble
with the United States over commercial
concessions and the fisheries. some
Montreal capitalists have lately inter-
ested themselves in electric light ana
street railway enterprises in Jamaica,
and they are said to be urging a closer
union between the Dominion and the
islands. The nation is too whimsical to
receive much attention because neither
the fisheries nor the fruit trade afford
a basis for either political or CONNER
cial union between Canada and ia
maica-
Private letters from Jamaica have
recently supplemented published and
official reports regarding the depth of
the discomfort there. Unless the United
States acts more generously than Eng
land has done by granting trade adj
vantages without equivalent return IL
is said that the demand for annexation
will be made. Some of the leading men
of Jamaica have no faith in the pres
emit negotiations, and with the fear of
Cuba and Porto Rico before their eyes
they want the island to seek political
union with the United States. They
are not particular whether they are
traded for one of the Philippines or for
some other spot of land. Apparently
Mr. Chamberlain has most at stake.
While Jamaica got no substantial ben
eft for its ruined sugar industries IN
the way of countervailing duties, Mr.
Chamberlain held out the hope of d.
rect trade with Great Britain, which
would insure market for it's fruits and
other products. He had a carefully
matured scheme by which the trade
was to be taken away from New Eng
land capitalists who had invested their
money and developed the fruit-raising
as well as the railroads. AS the Eng
lish fleet was to replace the American
fruit fleet which runs to New York.
Boston. Philadelphia and Baltimore,
Sir Henry Blake, the former Governor
Of the island, presented to the London
Chamber of Commerce it's opportuni-
ties Plans were really made by which
English capital would drive out the
American capital They all came %
nothing, and now their failure is adj
mitted
In order to secure a basis of reciproc-
fly with the United States the Colonial
Legislature passed retaliatory tariff
bill. This was only done after strong
protests and after the threat of the
British Foreign Office to reduce ia
maica to the condition of a crown col
ony had been withdrawn and Sir Au-
gustus Hemming, the present Governor
General, had given assurance that the
liberties of the colony would not be in