Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-23
LIKELY TO TRY AGAIN.
Danish Government May Make An
other Effort to Have Treaty Ratified.

1t is probable, in view of the closeness of
the vote in the iandsthing in regard to the
transfer of the Danish West Indies, that the
Danish government will decide to make an
other attempt to secure the approval of the
treaty a a more auspicious time. This
may be accomplished by the simple de-
vice of negotiating with the United States
an amendment to the treaty extending the
time allowed for the exchange of ratifica-
tons of the original treaty. Such an
amendment could be easily arranged on the
part of the Danish government, for it could
be entered into without reference to the
rigsdag. But Is the treaty has been rat-
fled by the United States Senate the amend
ment In our case would necessarily take the
shape of separate treaty, and would re-
quire approval by the Senate as in the case
of the original convention There is some
reason to believe that a few senator's how
many cannot be told now, who were op-
posed to the, cession last session, but made
no attempt to prevent ratification because
of reluctance to break up the order of bust
ness at a critical moment, may feel at lib
erty to oppose the amendment in case one
were presented, and this contingency is now
under consideration. -'.-a
Purpose of Negotiations Accomplished.
The failure of the landsthing to ratify
the treaty for the sale of the Danish West
Indies to the United States Is giving no
concern to the men in Congress who were
interested in the adoption of the treaty by
the United States. The purpose that was
at the back Of the whole proceeding has
sold to any other government, and in the
course Of time there is little doubt that
they will come to this country.
At the time the Danish treaty was nego-
tiated and acted upon by Congress there
was no urgent reason why the United
States should come into immediate posses
sion Of the islands. There was an urgent
reason why they should not be sold to Ger
many, and Germany had been manuevering
in a way to obtain them If possible. The
United States could not put itself in the at
titude of saying to Denmark:
You shall not sell those islands to Ger
many or any other power Of Europe We
do not want them now and cannot predict
when We will want them But whether they
prove to be an expensive white elephant on
your hands or not, you must keep them be-
cause we will not take them now and we
propose to insist upon the spirit of the
Monroe doctrine, under which monarchical
power Of Europe cannot extend it's domain
on the American continent or to adjacent
Islands,
1t was largely in order to prevent the
country taking that untenable position that
negotla tons for the purchase of the islands
were pusued and the treaty promptly rati-
fled by Congress. Now all that could have
been accomplished by the ratification OF the
treaty by Denmark has been accomplished
For them the United States can wait.
Foreign Powers Kept Off.
Neither Germany nor any other power Of
Europe will now attempt to take up the
question of the acquisition of the Danish
West Indies. The United States is in a
position of readiness to take them, and
there is practically no doubt that that will
be the position occupied by the government
until the title is finally passed. That it
the islands are now an expensive attach
ment to Denmark. They form more of a
liability for that nation than they do an
asset and it will be only a matter of time
before they will become so great burden
that the country will gladly receive cash
for them.
No confidence is expressed here in any
scheme for the improvement Of the islands
in order to make them a source of income
for Denmark. They will, it is believed, con-
tinue in the future largely what they have
been in the past, until taken over by the
United States and developed by American
capital and enterprise. These necessary
elements for their future development will
not be found in the islands until they have
either passed into American control or men
of capital and enterprise have become con-
vinced that the transfer will soon be- made
and may wish to anticipate in their oper-
ations the rush that is apt to take place for
advantageous positions there in trade and
in the Industries that the islands are likely
to develop.