The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1923-08-04
Labor Leader Sends New Tale OF
Oppression In Virgin Islands
Rothschild Francis Says Wages
of Natives Range From Ten
Cents to One Dollar a Day;
Navy Rule Bringing Economic
Ruin. .,..,..yz.-.--.E 3.
(Crusader Service J

St. Thomas, V. l., July 31.-The
following statement was given your
correspondent here by the Hon
Rothschild Francis, organizer of Fed.
eral Labor Union No. 17261, and edi.
tor of "The Emancipator," for cir
cularization in the United States in
order that the colored citizens in the
States may realize to what a terri
BILE pass United States naval admin
istration has brought their brethren
in these islands:
Right here in these Virgin Islands
are a group of human beings who
are members of the working class,
They too, can tell tales of opres-
sion, of Misrepresentation, and Of ex-
ploitation that will cause your blood
to circulate above normal rapidity,
but the purpose of this statement is
to point out that they are a present
without any visible means Of sup
port. The men 60 idle from day to
day. Children are undernourished
and the economic condition of these
islands is something deplorable.
Federal laws have worked havoc
upon these islands. They have closed
the harbor of St. Thomas from out
side commerce and have chased away
the intellectual and commercial ele-
ment from. the Island Of St. Croix,
and have done more things too nu-
merous to mention here. These is
lands are under the DIRECT control of
the Navy Department. Thinking ma
tives hold in high regard the >person-
mel of the navy that are sent down
here to govern, but they are irrecon-
cialably opposed to the form of gov
ernment that is neither Danish nor
American. To present date only the
New York Call, the Nation-who re-
Gently had representative down
here-and the Messenger have paid
any special attention to happenings
down here. We want you to under
stand that our people are industrial
serfs who work for wages ranging
from ten cents to one dollar per day
They live in one-room houses; eat
scanty meals and are forced to move
about in a manner unbecoming civil
lied people at this age.
"Politically, they are poems with
OUT any lOIIH OI SoNOIIihChC F%S
termed off the American conception
Illiterates may vote but women may
not. The governor appoints and dis
charges the judges. The police judge
and government attorney are one anc
the same person and in short, there
are sadder things than these.
eve want you to publish this
statement to your readers. We want
you to give US space in your valuable
paper to voice our grievances. W.
want you to say a word editoriallJ
about a group Of people who, like
COWS, have no status, and are forced
to accept federal laws, are governed
by the navy and at present have M
means of eking out livelihood. Tel
the congressman of your state about
the conditions and ask them to say
something on our behalf in the com
ing congress that will give us civi
form of government and grant us op
portunities to improve our economic
condition.
"I sincerely grant that the coloret
press in the United States will gran
my request and come to the aid o:
the suffering colored people of tn,
Virgin Islands of the United States