Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-03-02


The question OF buying the Danish
west Indies has again been brought to
tho attention of the United States !
Twic" bc!orc--iu Lincoln's and in |
RooscNclts administrations - negotia-
tons were entered into for the pur- |
chase OF these islands. only 10 fail of
ratification at the last moment This
time, however. the offer comes from
Copenhagen with assurances that the
peop!" or Denmark have announced
themselves in favor OF the propositions |
80 now II is up To Uncle Sam.
The Danish West Indies are the is
lands of 81. Thomas. st john aud ST.
CrolN III the Antil'can group lying east
Of Porto Rico. the nearest. 81 Thomas
being only thirty-siN miles away The
Islands are on volcanic origin. and ia"
high cliffs Of their coastlincs make
them natural Qualifications
/ or the three Islands. -. Thomas. al
though the smallest. ia the most Inn
portant. Possessing an excellent har-
Dor. and called the Gibraltar Of Amer
lea. II would be strategic asset TO the
United states bO;h in military and
commercial sense With batteries
mounted on the juttimg cliffs which
shelter its harbOr OF Charlotte Amelia.
Uncle Sam could make o. this island
valuabl" accessory in the defense OF
the Panama Canal. II would also form
an outer defense for Porto Rico and
Cuba. which in turn comma nd the Gulf
Of Mexico. Moreover. the establishment
of strong naval baac in the West
Indies would give us control of the
Caribbean ana strengthen the Monroe
Doctrine
Other Nations Want Them
Furthermore. the islands are coveted
by other nations; SO that their i'm
portance To the United States lies not
ONLY III their IL y.lto 80. ,,,,,
in the menace OF hostile ownership In
case OF war with nation holding st
lhomhs, the enemy would have "A base
IN the western llcmis pherc. and threaten
the Panama Canal. Hence the Import
ancc OF buying these islands and OF
buying them nov
rhe commercial possibilities Of the
Danish West Indies need onlv the
strong hand of the .Anglo-Saxon 70 d..
vciop them into facts. For many vears
the islands have proved nothing but
an expense to the Danes. However
they nave laid out the towns in neat,
wide streets; they have built com
Portable houses and established IL
hrarcs schools and churches: they
haN" put in drainage systkms, and built
good roads. Yet they have failed TO
make the most Of the resources OF the
soil and have been unable TO main
tain trade. which has fallen OF con
"i"tid'iE III Tile last rev years.
The harbors are good. and the land
Will" rocky in places. is tropically YER
dant and especially adapted TO the
growing of sugar cane There are
many large sugar Plantations which
employ most of the negro population.
The negroes are descendants OF slaves
imported in tho early days by the
D"tch, and subsequently, given their
freedom by the Danish Parliament
They arc typical West Indian negroes
OF the sort that built the Panama Canal,
only {: trihe miider and laniei
Climate ma Population.
The islands enjoy moderate eli
mate. the temperature rarely going
below 40 or above 90 degrees. Dur
ing August. September and October
whcn the south winds prevail, the at
mosphcre is hot and sultry. and many
thunderstorms occur Earthquakes
happen often, but are not violent
enough to do any damage; occasion
ally, there is a cyclone which does
a great deal.
ON 81. Thomas Island almost the
entire population. lives in the town Of
Charlotte Amelia. Lying on the sides
OF three lofty hills, banked with tropi- |
cal foliage, and with its front street
shaded driveway, skirting the blue
waters Of the harbor. Charlotte Amelia
has an extremely picturesque setting.
In its prosperous days. before the head
quarters Of the large trading compa-
uics moved to the Barbados, the har-
Dor was visited by warships of every
| nation, which dropped anchor there
between December and April Began.
then, round of social gaNcty. Drnrcs
were given at the government house,
and dinner parties. picnics and moon
light deck parties succeeded each other
until the ships were off again.
Now all this gayety has vanished,
and Charlotte Amelia is Just quiet
harbor settlement where living is
very cheap. a large house, with
spacious grounds and vcrandas, can no
had for so5 month. and servants mt
from s. to 81 monthly. Food is also
inexpensive. There are plenty OF vcgc-
tables and fruit; live stock is inn
ported from Porto Rico, and the sur
rounding waters abound in fish.
How Denmark Got Them.
The islands were first discovered by
Columbus on his second voyage to
America and were named by him tho
Virgin Isles. They were declared the
property OF Denmark in 1865 by one
Erik Smidt. at the head of Il large
trading company Denmark has held
them ever since, With the exception Of
a short interval in 1901 and again from
1907 to 1915, when they were capiu,ed
and held by the English as a war ex-
pcdient. Peoples from almost every
nation on the globe have settled here
Tho architecture Of the islands is q