Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-05-01
DETECT INTRIGUE
SCHEME TO SECURE DANISH
WEST INDIA ISLANDS.
AMERICA MUST MOVE.
will Not Allow Denmark to Sell to
Any Power or Germany to Pur-
chase Them.

New York, May 1.-The Times pub
fishes an elaborate article declaring tnat
Secretary of War Roots address at tne
Grant dinner last Friday night in which
he limited at the possibility of war to
maintain the Monroe doctrine. was call
ed forth by an intrigue concerning the
Danish West India islands. 1t appears
that H. H. Rogers of the Standard Oil
made a verbal agreement with
Denmark, that if she should negotiate
a sale of the stands he should receive
a commission of 10 per cent of the pur-
chase price. Captain w. Won Christ
mas Observation-Disclosures has also
been acting as agent of the Danish gov
eminent. All accounts agree that Den
n@r is very anxious to get rid of her
West indian possessions. Mr.. Rogers
and Captain Christmas having quarrel
ed, and the former having declared that
it was in his power to defeat any negoti-
ations that did not recognize his rights
as agent, Captain Christmas advised
Secretary Hay of a plan to exchange the
island with Germany for territory in
Europe. He states that unless ongres
acts on the Danish West indies Islands
matter before Jun l, a scheme will be
carried out to exchange the islands with
Germany for the whole or a part of
North Sc~hleswig, which, with Holstein,
was taken from Denmark by Germany in
1867, and which country it has always
been the fondest hope of all Danes to re-
cover.
The sudden appearance in this country
of Secretary White of the American en-
bassy in London has also to do with this
matter of the sale of the Danish West
Indies, according to the Times. Mr..
White was the agent of the United
States in Denmark during the negotia-
tons and to him the Danish government
named the price it wanted for the
islands, between 49, 900. 900 and $40 0 900.
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 department the fact that
failing the negotiations with the United
States, was sure to get possess
sion of the islands, either through ces-
sion or lease. 1t is to make these mat
ters more clear to the state department
while congress is still in session that Mr..
White is here.
1t was not until the early part of 1899
that negotiations concerning the Danish
West ndian islands were taken up. At
that time Captain Christmas was So
Journlng IN Germany as a retired captain
of the Danish army. He had just re-
turned from a trip to the Danish West
indian islands. where he had been max
ing maps of the harbors and fortifica-
tions there. He was approached by a
syndicate of Germans. who asked him to
use his influence in Copenhagen to OBJ
ain from the Danish government a con-
tract with Germany by which the latter
could purchase the island of St. John.
Captain Christmas vas not slow in as
sorting that this would be next to i'm
possible, for the reason that the United
States would neither allow Denmark to
sell the island to a foreign power nor
would allow Germany to purchase it be-
cause of the Monroe doctrine.
In his report to the Danish govern
rlent Captain Christmas attaches the
proposition of the syndicate to his pa
pers. This shows that the head of the
syndicate was Admira Won Zirzow of
the Royal German navy, and that he
and others Of the syndicate had, in an
ticipation of the ceding o. the sale of
the islands to Germany. bought up op-
tons on all the land adjacent to the har-
brs and so, in the event of the acuuisi-
ton of the island by Germany, h and
the members of the syndicate stood in
the position of virtual owners of the land
and it could dictate terms to the pur-
chasing power.
When the impossibility of this scheme
was pointed out to Admira Won Zirzow
he asked Captain Christmas to obtain
other concessions for the syndicate.
on the island under the Danish flag ana
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 Hoering in
its true light. The outcome of his was
that the permission was denied on dip
lomatic grounds, the Danish government
recognizing that, should any such COM
plications arise, the sale of the islands
to the United States would be next to
impossible. This led to Captain Christ
mas coming to America.
Captain Christmas. according TO the
Times. has had an interview with Presi-
dent Mckinley and pointed out the i'm
portance of purchasing the islands. AS
a consequence Secretary White was sent
from London to negotiate directly with
Denmark. His mission became known to
MI. Rogers. Insisting on his 10 per cent
commission and declaring that he would
prevent a sale to the United States I'M
less he received $500, 900, Rogers became
involved in q quarrel with Captain
Christmas. Thereupon the captain re-
Fealed to Secretary Hay the entire story
or the German intrigue. It seems that
Denmark is now disposed to make the
deal with Germany. 1t has been said
pS those who are close to the Danish
government that King Christian will nor
allow the United States to Mead the
Monroe doctrine as a bar to the negotia-
tons with Germany for the cedinp Of
the islands to other countries. Ne vii,
maintain that he has already given the
Monroe doctrine sufficient cOnsideraf ton
IN that he offered a number of times +,
Sell the islands to the United States ana
every time the negotiations have fallen
through on account of the failure Of
congress to ratify the agreement.