The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-10-24
DROP 1T.

The rejection by Denmark OF the
proposal to transfer the Danish West
India islands to this government is
the outcome, for the present at least,
of one of the strangest, most undigni-
fed and most humiliating efforts ever
made by any government whatever to
acquire the territory of another power.
1t is only necessary to recall few
pages in the entire chapter to be con-
WINGED that our national officials have
acted throughout without tact and in
such manner as inevitably to result in
the rejection of our overtures.
The first step taken in the latest ne
gotiations seems to have been on the
initiative Of Danish adventurer nam
ed Christmas, who had been court
martialed and dismissed from the DAN
ish army. The fellow succeeded in
getting the ear of President Mckinley,
who gave him letter or in some way
introduced him to the notice Of Secre-
tary Hay. That official, for some reason,
passed over the American representa-
that he must have known something of
the mans dishonorab1e antecedents-
and sent him with a letter to the Amer
lean embassy at London. The next ap-
pearance of Christmas was in the char
acter of diplomatic and business rep
resentative of this government, when
he turned up in Copenhagen with the
secretary of the London legation, and
undertook to open the negotiations.
The Danish officials bundled him out OF
doors, and refused, of course, to have
anything whatever to do with him.
But Christmas was armed with the
letter of our secretary of state and he
was accompanied by an American rep
resentative at the court Of st. James,
and was not to be denied. He went or
with the negotiations, and succeeded
in getting himself appointed by the
Danish government as it's representa-
tive in all future negotiations.
The investigation set on foot by the
Democratic leader of the house Of rep
resentatives, Mr.. Richardson, must be
looked to for the sequel to the opera
tons of Christmas with the dual sane
ton of the American and Danish gov
ernments. That investigation showed
that Christmas represented to the Of
ficials of his own government that
certain amount Of money would be
needed to secure favorable action by
the United States senate on the treaty.
The money does not seem, however, to
have been forthcoming, chiefly, no
upon whose diplomatic skill and honor
able character the great man at the
head of the state department set the
seal Of his approval.
We probably are far from having
heard the last of the Danish West In
dia islands as prospective possessions
of the United States. The Danish pre-
nier is understood to have Indicated
his purpose to apply for an extension
Of the time within which action might
be taken, and will probably do so.
Aside from the wisdom or otherwise of
the acquisition Of this West Indian
group by this republic, it is a serious
question whether this government can
give it's sanction under any circum-
stances to resumption of the negotia-
tons which have now resulted in the
unfavorable action Of the Danish
landsthing. The transaction is one, the
entire record Of which it is necessary,
for the honor of this government, to
have completely obliterated. This can
only be done by our peremptory refusal
to go any further in the negotiations
thus far carried on.