The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-02
What Is to Become of Dan-
 ish West Indies?
THE GERMAN ASPECT
Better Docking Facilities Than Will Be Needed for Years Built at St. Thomas By German
 Line-Why?
By SIDNEY EsPEY

 sudden death of Frederick vIII King of Denmark, has revived the old question among diplomats here. What Is to be- come of the Danish West 1ndies?'
 Denmark every day finds 1t more and more difficult to hold it's possessions in the Carrihbean-the St. Thomas. St. John and the Santa Cruz Islands. In fact Denmark has no use at all for the colony The little sea-girdled European power has to maintain civil responsibility over these islands and keep garrison thers without deriving the least revenue from them. For decades past tbe Danes have tried to cultivate the islands in every crop usually grown in the tropics. but in vain Money has been poured into the West Indies but very little of 1t has been taken out.
 This is known from the efforts which Denmark has made to sell the islands to the United States-efforts which would have been successful had it not been for the weighty vote of at least one Euro pean power--a power closely affiliated, by ties both political and domestic, with the Danish royal family.
 It may have escaped the notice of the | casual reader that within the past de cade the Hamburg-American line, whose managing director, Herr Ballin, Is not only the confidential adviser of the Kaiser in matters commercial and finan- cial, but also the Emperor's close friend has erected immense wharves and docks at St. Thomas. These docks are far be- | yond it's present needs for handling the | n fix,alU of ar,fb 1 bean commerce which finds It's way into this port.
 | The trade of this portion of the Car ibbean is not large, and that of St. Thom- as is particularly unworthy of this marked attention. Sugar forms the prin- | cipal staple of commerce in that section and sugar, according to the latest state ment of Danish foreign and colonial conl- merce, would have come far from paying for the cost of the St. Thomas docking facilities erected by Herr Ballin's cor poration. As a winter resort the Danish West Indies are said to be ideal. But lit- tie effort has been made to exploit them in this respect and even the Hamburg American line which would be supposed to have the greatest interest in the is- lands, by reason of the money expended there, has failed to advertise the islands to any great degree.
 There may be nothing behind all the preparations made for docking big ships at St. Thomas and the Hamburg -Ameri- can line may be working for It's own best interests. But. if so. why was the water front extended so largely, when the Ham, burg line had absolutely no use for 1t for years to come7
 And. finally, why was the German navy department so interested in the venture as to lend the Knowledge of her naval de- signers and engineers-of course, in a merely unoffiical manner-for the avowed purpose of advancing the German mer- chant marine. an undertaking that shat ters all German precedents and oversteps her usual policies7
 These are some of the questions which the officials of the state department not to mention a number of foreign diplo- mats, would like to have accurately an- swered
 The late King Frederick and the Kaiser were intimate friends. The war following the punitive expedition into Jutland on the part of Austria and Prussia in 1864 has long been forgotten and forgiven, and the old song. 'Da wo am Belt die Moe wezicht.' is as valid today as it was 3 years ago. If there has been a tendency to work the Danish West Indies into the hands of Germany, as a sort of protec- torate, or if there has been some secret understanding fostered by the all-power- full Herr Ballln now is the time for a showdown.
 And there is apparently little doubt that there Is such an understanding. The Hamburg-Anerican line is a subsidized company of which the controlling inter est is entirely German owned. Were it not for the importunities of Herr Ballin. diplomats here claim, the line would not have thought of building the docks at St. Thomas.
 Attention has been called to the fact that any of the present units of the Kaisers navy could easily dock at St. Thomas right now and the provisions for coaling ships are as complete as are the docking facilities. Tn other words. 1t is the common opinion of the diplomatic circle that the little Danish island was prepared several years ago for the re- ception of such a part of the German fleet as the Kaiser might want to main tain in American waters and that orders were given to have these preparations made as thorough and complete as pos sible.
 The only thing that was laSting was an excuse for Germany to assume ma terial sovereignty over the West Indies and that excuse has been furnished by the death of Frederick VIII.
 But numbers of patriotic Americans will say, where is the Monroe doctrine?
 Doing business at the old stand-but. unfortunately for us. 1t does not appear to bear on the present case. The land is not an American republic or depen- dency thereof. It belongs to a European nation and has for centuries and we have no valid right to object to it's transfer to some other foreign power-rarticularly after this transfer has been made. By the same token we might object to Hol- land trading her portion of Dutch Guiana to France. or England selling part of Canada to some other power-we might object, but it wouldn't do us any good.
 If Germany has seen her chance to ob- tain strong foothold and a splendid naval base in the Caribbean-and who that has studied German history has noted many chances that she let slip?-- here is her best opportunity and Wash ington diplomats will be much surprised if the German flag does not fly o.er St. Thomas, St. John and the Santa Cruz Islands before many months have passed.