The Washington times., 1919-09-02
AMERICA BLAMED
FOR ISLAND FAMINE
Gross Neglect Of Territory Pur
chased From Denmark,
Charged By Envoy

While the Senate of ths unnsf
States and Administration Circles
generally have been engaead Cor &c
last several months n q discassioa
relative 20 the welfare of sde pscs
Of the King of Hediaz. of ths -
republic. of the Irish ana. q
Serbs Croats. End SloNenss. ~ rsri.
isatiOn suddenly has come lo Nesa-
ington that we have all bnt r6fE8f4
ten people only recently eenle un+
DER the supposed protectica 81 t1e
American nag
A little brown man witt ahi
collar and q derby hat which utEn1
have belonged to the vintage of tsI1s
came 70, Washingtou q few days ago
and. like an aparition out of the caot
recalled 20 our national lawmakers
the fact that the United States cans
into possession sonnething ike three
years ago of the Danish West Indies
now known IS the Virgin Islands.
He told q story Of neglect and dis
regard which seldom has been eqral.
ed in the annals of any civilized coun-
try and awakened Congress 70 the
fact that a was about time % send 3
commission TO the very doorsteps 81
the United States 70 ascertain tho
conditions among q people who had
come under the Professionals of this
country BY virtue Of 3 deed oe barter
and sale with the kingdom Of Den-
mark.
IsIanlera Faes starynaoa.
Starvation. he. said. exists rieht
among the people. who are iookipa
directly 70 the Government of the
United Stetes FOR succor. The plea
for this forgotten country was heard
~ Senator Kenyon, Republican, of
Iowa. and other members of the COM
mitteo on Porto Rico and the Pacific
islands. or the Senate. The WirgiD
Islands are neither in Porto Rico nor
the Pacific ocean. but no other com
mittee has been authorized % lock
70 their welfare. u - q plain trutn
that these islands. bought BY the
United States from Denmark fof
e25.o90, 900 Just before this ccuntry
enter e the world war, have been all
but fOrgotten since that time. The
hope Of the natives. for many years
under q king thousands of miles
away. that their new possessor1
would bring about = ehAnge cf con-
diti0ns was frustrated. The Unlted
States has done nothing for its new
people except spend 4 little moueY
IN sanitation.
Strange a. Il may seen IN thn
American colony, Danish cnstoms.
Danish laws. Danish methods Of jp-
dicial procedure, Danish methods 81
land control still prevail and the
American dollar in an American pes
session - az q discount
The lands In the Islands are held
BY Danes who, TO punish the natives
who voted In q plebiseite TO chan8e
their aiIegience from Denmark to tia
United States. have decided they Win
neither cultivate the soil nor 6sII It
they have mo4ed back 70 Denmark
leaving the lahd untlllsd Under tnt
Danish laws existing 81 tia Virgin
Islands absentee landlordism cannot
be taxed Therefore the uncultigated
land can neither be taxed nor sold
TO the natives, who under the cir
eumstances are reduced 20 the straits
OF importing food from the united
States az the exorbitant prices pre-
vailing in this country.
In the nearly three ysars that the
Danish West Indies have belonged TO
the United States nothing has been
done looking to the Amerfcanization
Of those islands. No American IN
have been introduced there.
No American schools, no American
courts, no American laws. nothing
looking to q change IN the deplorable
conditions Of the natives has been
provided.