Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-05
VIRGIN ISLANDERS
HIT j. S. ATTITUDE
Editor Holds Unthinking
Stand Here Has Blocked
Ports Recovery.
BY GEORGE Z. Audafn,
Editor Of the Mail. st. Thomas,
Nirrin IslandS


ST. THOMAS, Virgin Islands. May 5
1.-The fact that the Virgin
Islands are today an effective poor
house." as President Hoover has called
them, is due to the unthinking attitude
of Washington, whence came laws
inimical to their prosperity. These evil
workers are the quarantine. immigration
and prohibition regulations.
The Public Health Service has done
and is still doing excellent work, and Ii
without infringing the spirit of the
regulations a little more regard had
been given IN years past, harm suffered
would have been avoided.
5ul p9snB0 9Asu suo!1TlnSeI 9sauL
loss of harbor activity which yearly
yielded more than $4,000.
Every year the sugar manufacturers
of Santo Domingo contracted for thou
sands of laborers. chiefly from the
neighboring British islands, who stopped
at st. Thomas on their way to and from
Santo Domingo.
Consular fees, clearance and other
charges made up a considerable item of
the port receipts. But difficulties put in
the way by port regulations caused the
Schooners to discontinue calling.
Philippines Case Questioned.
Prohibition has certainly done no
good 10 the islands. 1t was unnecessar-
lily applied, contrary to the wish OF the
people and against their commercial
welfare. And the question Is asked why
prohibition is not enforced in the Phil
ippines.
pie are allowing dislike to Supplant their
regard for America. They are humll-
lated by the knowledge that they are
not self-supporting. They did not be-
lieve the President of the United States
would insult them. Now, in Despair,
they are letting their thoughts wander
to their former mother country.
If the United States does not ADOPT
quick and Conscientious means to re-
store her good name in the Islands, the
result will be serious.
The islanders cannot revolt. They
are too peaceful and too few. NeltSer
can they institute q boycott, for they
are too poor.
Hold Confidence Betrayed.
But the United States will be pointed
to by the West Indies and Europe as
having betrayed the confidence OF a
trIstful people.
True, the islands had been decadsnt
commercially many years. But the peo-
pie, especially those Of st. Thomas,
more than IS per cent of whom are
commercially inclined, never lost faith
In ultimate commercial regeneration.
From 1867 the commercial declirS Of
st. Thomas was steady until 1913, when
there was a large increase in ships en-
tering the port, and the activities CT
several companies, especially the West
Indian and the Hamburg-American
Line, gave promise that st. Thomas
would come into her own once more.
But the war interfered, and later,
when the Hamburg American Line had
again built up its feet, prohibition was
there.
A considerable part Of the cargoes
formerly consisted of rum from the va
rious islands. Prohibition prevented the
storage and transportation of intoxicat-
| ing beverages, and thus heavy blow
Twas given the islands chief means OF
sustenance.
Before prohibition bay rum was ex-
ported in large quantities to Europe arlc
to several of the West Indian Islands
notably Jamaica. Today the prohibi-
4 ton laws demand that the article con-
tain an Ingredient that will prevent
| its being used as a beverage. Knowl-
edge of this has caused the other Is
lands to manufacture their own bay
rum.
Tourist Trade Killed.
Naturally, to encourage the new IN
dustry, the governments Of those is
lands have enacted laws to protect 1t
| Prohibition has likewise killed the
tourist trade, from which a consider
able revenue formerly was derived.
Prohibition WIS forced on the Islands
against their will. They protested. but
the administration of Gov. Oliver ca
joled them into accepting local meas
ure, which stated that one year after
the war it would be subject 10 revision
So, after the war, the legislature
nassed an act resembling the measure