The Washington times., 1902-01-26
ISLANDS SOON
TO BE OURS
History of the Danish West
Indies.
ONCE UNDER ENGLISH RULE.
OF Vast Importance to United States
OF Strategic Value in COnnec-
tion With Proposed Canal.

| the sovereignty of the Danish West Indies
by the United States, the following iacts
regarding the islands are of pertinent in
terest:
The Danish West Indies consist of three
small islands lying to the southeast oi
Porto Rico; St. Thomas, having about
1000 people; st. Croix, with 1000, and
st. John. the smallest and least important
st. Croix is the largest, but commercially
and stracgically not as important as St
| Thomas.
Nearly Always Danish.
| The islands have remained under the
rule of the Danish Crown since their
colonization in 1863 with the exception
of the period 1907 to 1915, when England
seized them, only to recognize the prior
| ity of the Danish claim and relinquish
/ them.
They have been ruled by royal gov
ernor and 4 colonial council of fifteen
! members. of which four were named by
! the crown and eleven chosen by the
| electors.
In such elections the franchise was re-
stricted to property owners, and those
/ having an annual income in excess OF
| $500 Thus out of the 1900 inhabitants
/ of ST. Thomas. only 200 exercised civic
/ rights.
/ Valuable to America.
! To the United States ST. Thomas has
| the greatest value With safe and easy
[ entrance, a roadstead. and almost land
| locked, afTording safe anchorage to more
/ than 200 vessels at one time, ii has be-
come the chief port OF call and the chief
coaling port in the West Indies.
More than 100000 tons of fuel. all OF
| which comes from the United States, are
handled there each year, and such is the
business of this town and its close con-
nection. with America that English has
been the language generally spoken for
the last fifty years.
Moreover. commanding the stream of
commerce as it viii leave the eastern
opening of the isthmian canal. by forti-
fcations the canal can easily be made i'm
pregnable All of these things have made
for annexation
Long Extended Negotiations
to the United States we're begun by W.
H. Seward Secretary Of State in 1869.
when a treaty between Denmark and the
United States was concluded. An election
held in the islands resulted in practically
unanimous ratification but when the
treaty reached the United States Senate
it was turned down.
m no thrnps
the reconstruction period. when many of
the Southern States were without repre-
sentation at Washington. There was a
heavy public debt. which many thought
could be wiped out only by reputation.
and the people were unwilling to add to
their burden. They rejected at the same
time the movement to annex San Do
mingo.
Renewal of Propositions.
Within the past six years the negotia-
tions were renewed. This time there was
opposition from the islanders. At least
one fifth of the population objected.
Many looked upon the United States
as a young but powerful factor in the
future OF the world. Ambitious. aggres-
sive, fully approaching the success of its
debut in the congress of lobe-encircling
nations the result could only be war with
some other country. In that event the
trade of the islands would inevitably be
interrupted perhaps ruined, and their
little prosperity swept away.
Difficulties in Denmark.
In Denmark too, there were difficulties.
chiefly the question of price. An intense
national pride also 6btruded into The ne
gotiations 1t was the Danish transla-
tion of the American formula. Where