The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-05-01
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Necessary if We Want the Dam
ish West Indies.

New York, May 1.-The Times pub
fishes an elaborate article declaring
that Secretary of War Roots address at
the Grant dinner last Friday night, IN
which he limited at the possibility of
war to maintain the Monroe doctrine,
was called forth by an intrigue con-
corning the Danish West India islands.
It appears that H. H Rogers, of the
Standard Oil company, made a verbal
agreement with Denmark that if he
should negotiate a sale of the islands
he should receive a commission of 10
Per cent of the purchase price. Captain
W.vcn Christmas Drickinck- Hohenfield
has also been acting as agent of the
Danish government. All accounts agree
that Denmark is very anxious to get
rid of her West Indian possessions Mr.
Rogers and Captain Christmas having
quarreled, and the former having de-
clared that it was in his power to de-
feat any negotiations that did not rec
ognize his rights as agent, Captain
Christmas advised Secretary Hay of a
plan to exchange the islands with Ger
many for territory in Europe. He states
that unless congress acts on the Danish
West India islands matter before June
L scheme will be carried out to ex-
change the islands with Germany for
the whole or a part of North Schleswig
which, with Holstein, was taken from
Denmark by Germany in 1867 and which
country 1t has always been the fondest
hopes of all Danes to recover.
The sudden appearance in this coun-
try of Secretary White. of the American
embassy in London has also to do with
this matter of the sale of the Danish
West India islands, according to the
Times. Mr.. White was the agent of thu.
United States in Denmark during the
negotiations, and to him the Danish
government named the price it wanted
r hnf c+lra DO n NJ
$400O,000.
Mr.. White, it is said, failed to tell
the state department that the United
States would have to buy the islands
during this session of congress or
abandon all hope forever of getting
possession of them, and that he also
did not impress upon the state depart
ment the fact that failing the negOtia-
tons with the United States, Germany
| was sure to get possession of the ISL
ands, either through cession or lease.
1t is to make these matters more clear
| to the state department while congress
is still in session that Mr.. White was
/ summoned here.
1t was not until the early part of 1899
| that negotiations concerning the Dan
| ish West Indian islands were taken up.
| At that time Captain Christmas was
| SOjOurning in Germany as a retired
! captain of the Danish navy. He had
/ just returned from a. trip to the Dan
ish West India islands, where he had
| been making maps of the harbors and
| fOrt1lcatiOnS there. He was approached
| by syndicate of Germans, who asked
/ him to use his influence in Copenhagen
| to obtain from the Danish government
a contract with Germany by which the
| latter could purchase the island of st.
John.
captain Christmas was not slow in
asserting that this would be next to i'm
| possible, for the reason that the United
States would neither allow Denmark
n ic1o 70 q ofrrr,
| nor allow Germany to purchase IL be-
| cause of the Monroe doctrine. II his
| report to the Danish government, Cap
tain Christmas attached the PROPOSE
| ton of the syndicate to his papers.
! This shows that the head of the syn
| dictate was Admiral Won ZirzOW of the
Royal German navy and that he and
others of the syndicate had, in anticipa-
ton Of the ceding or sale of the island to
Germany, bought up options on all the
| land adjacent to the harbOrs, and so, in
the event of the acquisition of the is
land by Germany. he and the members
of the syndicate stood in the position Of
virtual owners of the land, and could
dictate terms to the purchasing power
When the impOssibility of this scheme
was pointed out to Admiral Won Zirzow
he asked Captain Christmas to obtain
other concessions for the syndicate
among them to form a German colony
on the island under the Danish flag, ano
permission to use the harbor as a coal.
ing station for German war vessels.
Captain Christmas, while apparently
falling in with their scheme, laid the
whole matter before Minister Hoerring
in it's true light. The outcome of thi:
| was that the permission was denied OF
diplomatic grounds the Danish govern
ment recognizing that, should any sucI
complications arise, the sale of the is
lands to the United States would mex
to be impossible. This led to Captain
Christmas coming to America.
Captain Christmas, according to tn,
Times, had an interview with Presiden
Mckinley and pointed out the importanc
of purchasing the islands. AS a conse
quence Secretary White sent from
London to negotiate directly with Den
mark. His mission became known t.
Mr. Rogers. Insisting on his ten per cen
commission and declaring that he wOul,
prevent a sale to the United States I'm
l less he received $300, 900, Rogers became in
volved in a quarrel with Captain Christ
mas. Thereupon the captain revealed t
Secretary Hay the entire story of Ger
man intrigue 1t seems that Denmark il
now disposed to make the deal with Ger
/ many. 1t has been said by those who ar
close to the Danish government, tina
King Christian. will not allow the Unitei
States to plead the Monroe doctrine as
barrier to negotiations with Germany 70
the ceding of the islands to other coun
tries. He will maintain that he has al
ready given the Monroe doctrine sufficien
consideration in that he offered mum
Der of times to sell the islands to tn
United States, and every time the nego
tiations have fallen through on accoun
E of the failure of congress to ratify tn