The Washington herald., 1912-05-16
Fate of Danish West Indies.

The sudden though not unexpected
death of King Friedrich VIII OF Den
mark, who was stricken while en- route
home to Copenhagen, revives the old
question, What is to become of the
Danish West Indies?
Little Denmark finds it more difficult
every day to hold its possessions in the
Caribbean-St Thomas, St John, and
Santa Cruz Islands. In fact. Denmark
has no use whatever for the colony,
which is even a poor sugar producer.
The little sea-girded European power
is deriving absolutely no revenue from
the possession, where it has to main
tain civil responsibility and petty gar
rison. We know this from the efforts
made to sell the islands to the United
States, efforts that might have been
successful years ago had not other Eu-
ropean powers put in their telling veto.
1t may have escaped the notice of the
general reader that within the past
decade the Hamburg-American Line,
whose managing director. Herr Ballin,
is not only the confidential adviser of
the Kaiser in matters commercial and
financial, but also the Emperor's close
friend, who has declined all kinds of
political honors and titles of nobility
Just to remain Kaiser Wilhelm's friend,
has erected immense docks and wharves
at St. Thomas, far above its present
needs in so small a port of landing for
the West Indian, Honduran, and Ven
ezuelan and Gulf traffic, all of which
has long ago given the close observer
food for serious reflection.
There may be nothing in all this,
and the Hamburg-American Line may
have been acting for the best of its
own interest in the future and for an
expected growing trade. But if 50,
why was the privilege paid for so ex-
travagantly to the Danish government?
Why was the water front extended so
largely, when the company had abso-
lutely no use for it for many years to
come? And. finally, why was the Ger
man Navy Department so interested in
the venture as to add the knowledge of
naval designers and engineers, of course,
merely in an unofficial capacity, and
for the avowed purpose to advance
German merchant marine undertakings?
The late King Friedrich and the
Kaiser were intimate friends. The war
following the punitive expedition into
Juetland on the part of Austria and
Prussia in 1864 has long been forgot
ten and forgiven, and the defeat at the
''Dueppeler-SchanLen" is mere history.
Danes, Scandinavians, Teutons, are of
the same North Gothic stock, and the
old song, 'Da wo am Belt die Moewe
zicht," is as valid to-day as in the days
of yore when "Schleswig- -Holstein
Meerumschlungen" was the northern
most German territory, ere it became
a temporary dependency of Denmark. If
there has been tendency to work the
Danish West Indies into the hands of
Germany, as a sort Of a protectorate,
if there has been some secret under
standing, fostered by the all-powerful
Herr BALM, now is the time for
show of hands.
But, exclaims the patriotic reader,
how about the Monroe doctrine7 In our
opinion the Monroe doctrine has no
bearing upon this case The land is
not an American republic or depend
ency. 1t belongs to a European nation
and has for centuries. By the same
token, we might object" to England
trading off Honduras or Canada, or
France Guiana, &c 1