Carson City daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1907-1930, 1916-08-07

Three islands of the Danish West 1ndes-st Crdx, St. Thomas
and St. johnnie due last of Porto Rico, and their value to the United
States is strategic from a military point of view.
The harbors of St. Thomas and St Croix are OF first Importance to
the American navy and St. Thomas itself lies in the lane of shipping
from Europe to the Panama canal. Important German, French and
English mail companies hsve soaEns stations there.
The acquisition of the islands by the United States has been the sub
jet of unsuccessful diplomatic negotiation since the Civil war. Secre-
tay Seward began negotiations tor their acquisition in 1865, because the
naval operations OF tn ar had shown ne necessity OF a ase In tn
West Indies. A treaty was made and ratified by Denmark. but the
to thrtysix feet OF water, the roadstead a accommodate the largest
Intellectual efforts were made to reopen the negotiations during
President Grants administration, and in 1902, after President
senate this time ratified the treaty, but the Danish senate defeated it
The three islands of ST. crox, ST. Thomas and St John, in order of
their size and population, were discovered by Columbus in 1893. Span
ish, British, French, Dutch and Danish flags have hoated v n or
all Of the islands at various times.
St. CrMx, lying sixty-fve miles southeast of Porto Rico, has an
with its two towns OF Chritianstad and Froderikstad. It was held at
one time Nv v tbs Hniebts Of Malta havina besr sivn to t It sm m
order by Louis XIV of France.
St. Thomas, which lies only forty miles east of Porto Rico, and is
less than 1900 miles from the entrance OF the Panama canal wa at one
time chief distributing center of West Indian trade.
The temporary occupation of the island by the British during e
eral periods of the Napaleonc a added further to the Importance of
After the novelty has % off your thoughts will travel back to that
than 10000, mainly negroes, is still ar important coaing station tor
steamers in the West Indian trade. With a depth of from twentyseven
to thirty-six feet of water, the roadsetead an accommodate the largest
merchant ships which sail these seas.
The export and import trade has become negligible since the rapid
decline of the sugar industry, which the Danish government has tried in
vain to revive by granting annual subsidies.
ST. John, least important of the islands, lying four miles to the cas-
of St Thomas, has al aea OF twenty-one square miles. 1t is scarcely
more than a tenmne mountain ridge. with but ne distinguishing
feature, Coral bay, the best harbor of refuge in the Antilles. Crux Bay,
While Danish is the oa,,ia1 language of the islands, English is quite
Naval officers regard the Danish West Indies as most valuable for
any European government wishing to quarrel with the United States,
and have urged it a essential to the highest degree to keep them from
falling into unfriendy hands They have pointed out that they ar very
nea the naval station at Guantanamo, only 1000 from Key West, and
a mace to the free navigation of the Windward and Mona passages,
tile Caribbean sea and the routes to American Atlantic coast cities.
A western organization has recently adopted the slogan, "rhe truth
in politics." Every campaign develops its own Observation-Disclosures
Inquierer.
This call of meetings in fifty German cities to protest against an
nexng Belgium and Poland shows persistent lack of confidence in the
Allies -Boston Herald.
1t having been definitely established that hand shaking spreads germs.
we are all the more proud of our heroic Observation-Disclosures Post.
carded. If they only stop there they'll never do anything very wicked.
Washington Post.