Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-03-07

has an extremely picturesque setting.
In, its prosperous days, before the
headquarters of the large trading
companies moved to the Barbados,
the harbor was visited by war ships
of every nation, which dropped an.
Choir there between December and
April. Began, then, round of social
gayety. Dances were given at gov.
eminent house, and dinner parties,
picnics and moonlight deck parties
succeeded each other until the ships
We're off again. '..-
Now all this gayety has vanished
and Charlotte Amelia is just a quiet
harbor settlement where living is
very cheap. large house with spa
cious grounds and verandas can be
had for twenty-five dollars a month
and servants from five to seven dol
lars monthly. Food is also inexpen-
sive. There are plenty Of vegetables
and fruit, live stock is imported from
Porto Rico and the surrounding wat
ers abound in fish. ~
The islands were first discovered
by Columbus on his second voyage
to America and We're named by him
the Virgin isles. They were declared
the property of Denmark in 1866 by
one Erik Smidt, at the head of large
trading company. Denmark has held
them ever since. with the exception of
short interval in 1901 and again
from 1907 to 1915, when they We're
captured and held by the English as
a war expedient Peoples from almost
every nation on the globe have set
tied there. The architecture of the
islands is mixture of Danish, French,
Spanish and Dutch, and the business
signs are in various languages st.
Thomas was an old rendezvous of the
black flag fraternity and the ruins Of
two forts built by pirates are still to
be seen on the cliffs. Here. too, came
the blockade runners during the Civil
war and established southern coal
ing station, which first suggested their.
military value to the United States
government
Secretary of State Seward was the
first to agitate the matter of purchas-
ing the islands from Denmark during
the Lincoln administration. The as.
sassination of Mr.. Lincoln and the
chaotic political situation which fol-
lowed delayed negotiations, but a
treaty was finally ratified in Copen-.
has en. eeding the Danish West Indies
to the United States for the sum of
Is 7,5O0,000. In the meantime Presi-
dent Johnson had succeeded to the
white house and bitter feud between
him and congress. The fact that the
administration was in favor of the
purchase was enough to kill the treaty
in the senate, which declined to rati-
fy.
Another treaty for the purchase of
the islands for the sum of five mil
lion dollars was signed by President
Roosevelt and ratified by the senate
in this country, but failed Of ratifica-
ton in the Lansdthing, or upper legis-
lative house Of Denmark. In the case
of each treaty the question Of cession
was put to popular vote in the islands,
resulting in an overwhelming major
ity in favor of the transfer
Denmark has now approached the
United States with another offer to
cede the islands, for which it has
been recently rumored that Germany
was opening negotiations. In carry
ing out it's program of preparedness
the United States could take no more
expedient' step than to purchase the
Danish West Indies. Their value in
controlling the Caribbean and guard
ing the pathway to the Panama canal
cannot be overestimated. Al it is,
they are constant danger to our
West Indian possession, for Den
mark has not strongly fortified the
islands and they could easily be seiz'
ed by foreign power. AS a measure
of safety alone, they should belong
tn Uncle Sam, ..u---