The new age. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1902-190?, 1902-05-30


preston from the thoughtful writer's
on living issues. as touching the an.
nexation of the Danish West Indian
Islands, bearing upon the Negro ele.
ment which composes nearly the bulk
OF population in st. Thomas. ST. Croix
and st. John. Especially have | ex.
pected to hear from the West India
islanders themselves. of whom there
are not few in this country. Failing
10 be thus gratified, my pen is dipped
and the following is jotted. being
based from and upon personal knowl.
edge intimate acquaintance and cor.
respondence.
Inc American people are doing a
great guessing on this annexation
question and are anxiously awaiting
developments of the Copenhagen.
washington negotiations. They an.
pear to be extremely reticent and re.
fues to express an opinion to foreign.
ers, particularly to those who they
think are Of West Indian birth. or
VINO should by chance happen to be a
newspaper correspondent. 1t has.
however, been ascertained that the
merchants would be satisfied with the
change, provided st. Thomas remains
free port, as it is at present. and no
lines of distinction are to be drawn on
account of color.
The ratification of the treaty, ap.
proved by the Senate of the United
States, in reference to the transfer,
has advanced through its first stage.
The Lansthing. or upper house or Den.
marks national legislative body, has
approved it by the small majority of
four in a toal of sixey-four votes.
The st. Tomians.
The better informed islanders, which
makes up about seven-tenths of the
population. are Negroes; and these
are better informed than any other
men of color. and they are watching
the movements in Porto Rico and
Cuba; and in fact, all legislation in the
United States-state and national-as
affecting the Negro in life. property,
and general pursuit of happiness.
Her Exports, Etc.
Excepting bay rum and bay oil, the
exports are practically nothing. At 81.
John about 1000 persons obtain their
| livelihood from burning charcoal. The
chief rsource of the island is in the
trading interests AMI shipping bust.
ness. The dry dock is owned by a
British syndicatej and docs a good
business. Several ship chambers of
Negro management are of first-class
rating. At present Denmark is com
PEELED to pay yearly contribution of
$500 as a supply to make up her
deficit. This can not long be endured
and the merchants consider it inevi'
table that the islands must, at some
time, and in the near future, come
under American control But with all
this, they are very much displeased
and divided as to the news received
from the United States concerning
American progress i'm Porto Rico. The
thing of tariff will never do for st.
Thomas. The thing is unknown to the
islanders and such an Institution is
considered an impossibility and will
be considered as a menace to their
rights and privileges and viii be sure
to meet with resistance; for with a
tariff. or in other words, a closed
port. the consensus of opinion seems
to be that the islands would be worse
than they are now.
The Race QUESTION.
Aside from the question of free port,
come the next objection-civil, social
and political rights. II is an exception
to meet a white man in these islands.
The average American is astonished
at the intelligence of the Negro in
these islands Many of them have
been graduated from French, English
and German universities. and all, as a
RULE mean the West Indians-are
educated. II is not = rare thing 10 find