The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-01-31
SOMETHING ABOUT OUR
LATEST ACQUISITION

| especially pcrilous. With ST. Thomas in Che
| hands Of an enemy, Porto Rico could be seriously
menaced or its usefulness as base impaired.
| The United States could not afford to see Il puss
| into other than neutral hands, and even as d
neutral port, it would be a troublesome refuge
| in time OF war in the West Indies as it was in
| the Civil war, when the Confederate blockade
runners throngcd its harbor in great numbers.
| Reluctant as many Americans are to assume new
| mastery in the West Indies, they cannot escape
It, Nature compels it, and whether the nomi.
| nal dominion is British, French, Danish or
Dutch, the real dominating power is the United
States.
The growing Importance OF United States In.
terests in the American Mediterranean points TO
the wisdom OF controlling its most central dis.
tributing point That long has been st. Thomas.
In the days of sailing vessels it was the place
| OF transfer to all the other small islands, and
even with steam, before the development Of in.
dependent lines from Europe and the United
States direct to the other principal ports, the
great bulk OF West Indian imports were un.
loaded there and then distributed by smaller
vessels. 1t is still, probably, the chief port of
call and coalng station Of the Lesser Antilles,
rivallcd only by Santa Lucia, Englands West
Indian Gibraltar, though Bridgetown, Barba.
does, and Port of Spain, Trinidad, are now more
important commercial centers. The Ancgada
Passage is the safest route for sailing vessels to
the east from the Caribbean, and the most di.
rect road for steamships to Europe from the 18th.
mus. Tho Hamburg American line makes st.
Thomas its West Indian headquarters, has large
coaling docks there and runs eight regular lines
of steamships into these waters, making sixteen
calls month going and coming at st. Thomas,
besides many extra calls. The French line also
has its coang station there, and though the
British Royal Mail Steamship company has re.
| moved its headquarters to Barbadoos it has an
| auxiliary line to st. Thomas, and maintains
there floating dock The Red d and Quebec
and other lines also make it a port of call. Its
present low fortunes are not peculiar, but are
shared by all the smaller West Indies, the Brit.
ish islands being the worst off OF them all; and
under the stimulus OF American connection, the
Danish islands could be made the most pros.
porous OF the Lesser Antilles.
The mass OF poor people are enthusiastic an.
neXationists. The boatnen all are. Their craft
have names like Uncle Sam, Liberty and Olym.
pia and generally have an American flag or
shield painted on the stern lrge majority of
the sugar planters of st. Croix also are said to
favor the sale In all the islands the official class
and few men who have grown wealthy under
present conditions, or who were left wealthy
by the old days OF prosperity and have no inter-
est in renewed activity, are, of course, in oppc.
siton. The governor is reported to be entirely
neutral. The anneXationists confidently say that
II vote should be taken it would be for the
sale by large majority.
st. Thomas faces one dangerous possibility in
annexation which it will be necessary for Ameri.
can lawmakers to guard against. st. Thomas is
an absolutely free port for call and trans-ship-
ment. 1t could face any reasonable tariff on
consumption and production OF its own people,
but it must remain q free port, or substantially
one, if it is not to be ruined. il the French
and German vessels which now touch at St.
Thomas without paying a cent, coal there and
give the majority of the people their living, had
to pay the tonnage charges levied at New York,
they would simply move their headquarters and
leave the island to starve. Happily, the Supreme
court in its Porto Rican and Philippine decis.
ions has left the United Staes free hand to
deal with this as with other colonial, problems.
The government at Washington will be wise,
therefore, not to make any provision in a
treaty, ii purchase is made, which would give
the Danish islands status as constituent parts
of the United States, and the Danish government
will not serve its subjects by insisting that they
be made American citizens under the constitu-
ion. AS colonists, they could receive such spec
al privileges with regard to trade as their peo,-
liar situation calls for, and it is only necessary
that our government, in case of annexation.
should keep in mind local conditions like this
necessity for free port, and make its laws oc-
cordingly.