South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-08-18
LAND FOR SALE
LAST 80 YEARS
Three Islands 10 be Purchased
From Denmark Have Been
on Sale Half Century.

WASHINGTON. Aug 1S.-The Sc
lands of st. Thomas. ST Croix. and
- John. comprising the Danish
West Indies which have recently
been added 20 Uncle Sans domain
under treaty awaiting ratification.
have been on the international real
estate market for more than half
a century. The United states and
Germany have been bartering for
them since the civil war. only the
enormous price that the United
States IL now ready 10 pay 20 get
the islands as a part of the defense
scheme OF the Panama canal has
made possible the contamination Of
the deal.
Secretary Of state Seward was the
pioneer advocate Of the purchase OF
the islands from Denmark by the
United States He foresaw their i'm
mense strategic value in the main
tenance of the Monroe doctrine long
before the building Of the Panama
canal was considered a possibility.
He launched the project at a dinner
given at the close OF the civil war
and Immediately entered into dip
lomatic negotiations With the gov
eminent of Denmark for the acquis-
ition of the islands.
BY 1857 his negotiations had
reached the form OF a treaty pro-
viding for the purchase of the is
lands Of St Thomas. and St John
for S7.50O,O 600. but the country was
then struggling under the heavy fin
ancial burden of the Civil war and
the project received only lukewarm
support. Finally. in 1870, Charles
sumner. then chairman of the Sen
ate Foreign relations committee,
made an adverse report against the
purchase OF the islands and the ne
EQUATIONS came 10 naueht.
Germany Wants Islands.
During the Grant administration,
frequent reports came from across
the water that Germany was negO-
Eating for the purchase Of the is
lands to get "A foothoId in the West
ern hemisphere after her triumph
over France in 1871. but these re-
ports were denied from Berlin when
he state department investigated.
The project for the purchase was
revived in 1892 by Secretary OF
state Foster and encouraged by his
successor. Richard Olney. secretary
of state in the Cleveland cabinet
Senator Lodge. OF Massachusetts.
now ranking Republican member OF
the Senate foreign relations com
mittee. brought forward a plan for
acquisition of the islands again in
1898. and secured the committees
endorsement OF his bill for the pur-
chase Of the islands secretary of
state Hay negotiated a treaty with
the Danish government N 1902 pro-
Niding for the sale of the islands 10
United States for $5.0OO.000. The
treaty was ratified by the United
States senate and was received with
enthusiasm in Denmark The act
was ratified in the lower house of
the Danish Rigstad but when il
reached the upper house German
influence is SAID TO have produced
such pressure that the treaty was
rejected 10y "a narrow margin.
The completion of the Panama
canal made the American govern
ment determined 10 secure the Dan
states navy has already established
great base at Guantanamo. cuba,
SO that the object on the acquisition
is chiefly 10 prevent any other great
power getting control OF the islands.
They have been called the keystone
of the arch OF the West Indies and
their control by any European world
power would have been constant
menace 70 the safety of the canal
and the Monroe doctrine.
The islands are only about 142
square miles in area and have pop
ulation of about $1,000 mostly ne
grues. who speak "A spanish dialect.
christopher Columbus IS said to
have landed on them once and they
were famous during the eighteenth
century as the rendezvous for buc-
cancers OF the Spanish Main.