The Virgin islands, our new possessions, and the British islands

Front matter

OUR NEW POSSESSIONS AND THE BRITISH ISLANDS

By JOHN T. FARIS

OLD ROADS OUT OF PHILADELPHIA

Preface

THE authors of this volume have tried to put into concise form the facts concerning the story, the present conditions and the possibiHties of the Virgin Islands of the United States for the tourist and the business man as well as for those who must be content, for the time being, at least, to make their journeys to the West Indies in imagination. At the same time, the attempt has been made to weave into the fascinating story something of the romance that cannot be separated from the thought of the islands in the mind of one who has had the pleasing experience of spending in these newest possessions of the United States a winter that was the culmination of a number of seasons on other islands of the dreamy Caribbean.

The absorbing history of the Virgin Islands is told in sufficient detail to enable the reader to understand by what a devious road they came at length into the possession of the country to which they logically belong. Without this historical setting it would be impossible to tell also of the

PREFACE

rise and decline of the commerce of the islands and of the reasons for the conviction that there is a great commercial future before them.

The book would be incomplete without a chapter on the islands of the Virgin group which are under the flag of Great Britain. Then a chapter of definite suggestions to those who are planning a trip to St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix is a needed supplement to the portions of the book which tell in detail of the attractions of the islands and of their great value as a resort for visitors from the United States, while a chapter of condensed agricultural, shipping and banking information, quoted from the government documents, completes the volume.

A careful study has been made of such literature as has appeared on the islands. These publications are described in the Bibliography. Facts gained from these sources supplemented the careful observations made by Mr. deBooy, who spent the winter of 1916-1917 on the islands while compelling them to yield the secrets of a vanished race which for centuries have been buried deep in the earth. The archeological work, of which glimpses are given in the volume, was conducted for the Museum of the American Indian, Heye 4

PREFACE

Foundation, in which may be seen many specimens secured from the kitchen-middens of the Virgin Islands.

Kitchen-middens are responsible for the preparation of this volume. Having become interested some years ago in the waste heaps built up at pre-historic back doors which the archeologist calls kitchen-middens, I welcomed the opportunity to talk of these absorbing relics of the past presented when I made the acquaintance of Mr. de Booy in the West Indies, where he has spent a number of winters in scientific exploration. His fascinating stories of experiences in the islands of the Caribbean led me to urge him to write this volume. He consented only on the condition that the book should be prepared jointly.

The acknowledgments of the authors are due to the writers and publishers of the books and papers named in the Bibliography, as well as to the "Geographical Review," the "Scientific American Supplement" and "Forward," for permission to use illustrations which appeared first in these periodicals, as well as for portions of the material which accompanied the illustrations.

The courtesy of E. M. Newman in granting the use, for the volume, of photographs taken by

PREFACE

himself is acknowledged. Mr. Newman, at the time of the transfer of the islands from Denmark to the United States, was m Charlotte-Amalia, gathering material for "one of his famous travelogues. WilhamT. Demarest also has supplied a number of photographs which he took in October, 1917. The authors thank him for his help.

With the exception of photographs otherwise credited, all illustrations are from originals made in the islands by Mr. de Booy.

Especial thanks are due to the American Geographical Society of New York for the interest shown in the authors' undertaking. The splendid hbrary of this institution was freely placed at their disposal and the maps used in the volume were made and compiled under its careful supervision. And grateful homage is paid to the kindly inhabitants of the former Danish West Indies, who know so well how to make a visitor in their midst feel at home, and to the Danish officials who ruled the islands when the Dannebrog still waved over them.

i'HiLADELPHiA, January, 1918

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

I. FROM DENMARK TO THE UNITED STATES . 15

Nine nations in the West Indies — ^The story of the eUmination of Denmark — Why the treaty of 1867 failed — ^The Dannebrog gives way to the Stars and Stripes — ^The value of the American purchase — Provision for the government of the islands — Future possible purchases and what they would mean to the United States and the Panama Canal.

Chapter I From Denmark To The United States

NINE NATIONS IN THE WEST INDIES— THE STORY OF THE ELIMINATION OF DENMARK— WHY THE TREATY OF 1867 FAILED— THE DANNEBROG GIVES WAY TO THE STARS AND STRIPES— THE VALUE OF THE AMERICAN PURCHASE— PRO- VISION FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE ISLANDS— FUTURE POSSIBLE PURCHASES AND WHAT THEY WOULD MEAN TO THE UNITED STATES AND THE PANAMA CANAL

UNTIL 1898 nine nations were represented in the West Indies. Of these, Spain, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and Denmark were European nations; Hayti, Santo Domingo, Venezuela and the United States, were American nations. The latter two are included in this list, as the peninsula of Florida may rightly be said to belong to the Antillean area, whereas Venezuela can claim to belong to the West Indies by the fact that it owns the islands of Margarita, Coche, Cubagua, and a few other unimportant cays, all of which lie in the Caribbean Sea.

On the conclusion of the Spanish-American war, the United States took the place of Spain in

Porto Rico, and a new nation, the Republic of Cuba, was created. By the ceding of its American colonial possessions, Spain was eliminated as a European nation holding colonies in the American hemisphere.

On March 31, 1917, the United States took formal possession of the Danish West Indies, by far the larger portion of the Virgin Islands. The history of the sale and the transfer of these islands is somewhat involved.

During the Civil War in the United States the lack of a naval station in the West Indies was a serious hindrance to those who sought to prevent the blockade-running of the Southern States. Consequently, on the conclusion of the war, American diplomats sought to secure a stronghold in the Caribbean. The Danish West Indies were chosen as a likely spot, partly because it was felt that Denmark — owing to the reverses which this small nation had undergone, and the losses which she had suffered in her war with Prussia — might be induced to welcome the sale with open arms. Mr. Seward, who was then Secretary of State of the United States, secured a preliminary survey of the islands in 1866. After a personal visit he 16 seemed more determined than ever to obtain St. Thomas and St. John for the United States, and he was prepared to pay for these islands $5,000,000. St. Croix was regarded as a separate venture, and was offered for a like amount, on condition that the government of France, which might object to the sale owing to the conditions of a treaty made in 1733, should allow the transfer to take place.

At last, in October 1867, a treaty was concluded for the purchase of St. Thomas and St. John for $7,500,000, subject to the consent of both the Danish Landsthing (Senate) and the Senate of the United States. A popular vote was taken on the islands to see if the inhabitants were desirous of transferring their allegiance to a new flag. When the returns were counted the inhabitants, by the practically unanimous vote of 1244 to 22, showed their approval of the proposed transfer. The Danish Parliament then consented to the treaty, and nothing was required to complete the sale but a ratification by the United States Senate.

In fact, the proposed sale seemed so certain that on November 27, 1867, the following royal proclamation appeared in the St. Thomas "Tid- 2 17 ende," the paper wliich published the oflScial government notices:

We, Christian the Ninth,

By the Grace of God, King of Denmark, the Vandals and the Goths, Duke of Sleswig, Holstein, Stornmam, Ditmarsh, Lauenborg and Oldenborg. Send to Our beloved and faithful Subjects in the Islands of St. Thomas and St. John Our Royal Greeting.

We have resolved to cede Our Islands of St. Thomas and St. John to the United States of America, and We have to that end, with the reservation of the constitutional consent of Our Rigsdag, concluded a convention with the President of the United States. We have, by embodying in that convention explicit and precise provisions, done Our utmost to secure to You protection in Your liberty. Your religion. Your property and private rights, and You shall be free to remain where you now reside, or to remain, retaining the property which You possess in the said Islands or disposing thereof and removing the proceeds wherever You please, without Your being subjected on this account to any contribution, charge, or tax whatever.

Those who shall prefer to remain in the Islands,

may either retain the title and the rights of their natural

allegiance or acquire those of Citizens of the United

States, but they shall make their choice within two ears from the date of the exchange of ratifications of aid convention, and those who shall remain on the slands after the expiration of that term without having eclared their intention to retain their natural allegince, shall be considered to have chosen to become itizens of the United States.

As We, however, will not exercise any constraint over )ur faithful subjects. We will give You the opportunity f freely and extensively expressing your wishes in regard o this cession, and We have to that effect given the necssary instructions to Our Commissioners Extraordinary.

With sincere sorrow do we look forward to the evering of those ties which for many years have united fou to Us, and never forgetting those many demontrations of loyalty and affection We have received rom You, We trust that nothing has been neglected n Our side to secure the future welfare of Our beloved nd faithful Subjects, and that a mighty impulse, both aoral and material, will be given to the happy developaent of the Islands, under the new Sovereignty.

Commending you to God !

Given at Our Palace of Amalienborg, the 25th

October 1867.

Under Our Royal Hand and Seal.

Christian R.

L. S.

Royal Proclamation to the Inhabitants of

St. Thomas and St. John.

But the treaty was deliberately pigeon-holed in the Senate, owing to internal dissent for which Senator Charles Sumner was principally responsible, probably at least in part, because of his personal enmity towards President Johnson. Denmark granted an extension of time for the ratification of the sale, but the matter was not again taken up, despite the efforts of Secretary Seward and of his successor. Secretary Fish. Finally, on April 14, 1870, the proposed treaty lapsed automatically.

The Danish king made a dignified proclamation announcing that the sale of the islands had fallen through :

We, Christian the Ninth,

By the grace of God, King of Denmark, the Vandals and the Goths, Duke of Sleswig, Holstein, Stornmam, Ditmarsh, Lauenborg and Oldenborg, send to Our beloved and faithful subjects in the Islands of St. Thomas and St. John, Our Royal Greeting.

You are aware of the motives that actuated Us at the time to give ear to the repeated and urgent requests of the North American Government for the cession of St. Thomas and St. John to the United States. We expected that We, in that manner, should have 20 been able to lighten Our realm of the heavy burdens incurred by the then recently terminated war, and We hoped that the annexation to the United States would have afforded the islands advantages so important that they could have contributed to soothe the pain which a separation necessarily must cause in the Colonies, no less than in the Mother Country. You, for your part, and the Danish Diet, on the part of the Kingdom, have concurred in these views, and We all met in the mutual readiness to accommodate ourselves to what appeared to Us to be recommended by the circumstances.

Unexpected obstacles have arisen to the realization of this idea, and released Us from Our pledged word. The American Senate has not shown itself willing to maintain the treaty made, although the initiative for it proceeded from the United States themselves. Ready as We were to subdue the feelings of Our heart, when We thought that duty bade Us so to do, yet We cannot otherwise than feel a satisfaction that circumstances have relieved Us from making a sacrifice which, notwithstanding the advantages held out, would always have been painful to Us. We are convinced that You share these sentiments and that it is with a lightened heart You are relieved from the consent, which only at Our request you gave to a separation of the islands from the Danish crown.

In, therefore, making known to you tliat the Convention made on the 24th of October, 1867, for the cession of the Islands of St. Thomas and St. John to the United States of America, has become void. We entertain the firm beHef that Our Government, supported by your own active endeavors will succeed in promoting the interest of the islands and by degrees efface all remembrances of the misfortunes which, of late years, have so sadly befallen the islands. To this end We pray Almighty God to give Us strength and wisdom.

Commending You to God !

Done at Our Palace at Amalienborg, the 7th May,

1870.

Christian R.

L. S.

A writer in the "Review of Reviews," referring to the disappointing failure of 1867, said:

*'If we had purchased the islands at that time, our influence in the West Indies would have grown in such a way that it is reasonable to believe that we could subsequently have purchased Cuba from Spain, and thus averted two or three wars, and much misery."

Not until after the Spanish-American war was

the purchase of these islands again seriously con- 22 sidered. Once more the United States had felt the need of a naval station in the Caribbean. Consequently, another treaty was negotiated, in January, 1902. Owing to the efforts of President Roosevelt and Secretary of State John Hay, this treaty was promptly ratified by the United States Senate. The Folkething (Lower House) of Denmark readily gave its consent to the proposed sale of the islands for $5,000,000, but the Upper House of the Danish Parliament failed to vote in favor of confirmation. It has generally been thought that German influence was responsible for the failure to sanction this treaty. Possibly the German government itself hoped, at some time or other, to obtain a foothold in the West Indies.

While there were in 1911 and 1912 attempts to renew interest in the purchase, nothing came of these. Not until the latter part of 1916 was another determined effort made to induce the Danes to cede the islands. For the three principal islands and their outlying cays $25,000,000 was offered. A popular vote of the Danish people was taken in December, to see if it was their wish to give up Denmark's only tropical colony. As the cost of governing these islands had become far greater than the revenues derived from them, and as the Danes were forced to admit that the inhabitants of the Dutch West Indies were themselves greatly in favor of the transfer, 283,000 voted for the ratification of the treaty while 157,000 were opposed to the sale. This favorable vote was hailed with great joy in St. Thomas and St. Croix.

The islands finally came into the possession of the United States on January 17, 1917, when Secretary of State Lansing and Minister Brun of Denmark signed the ratification of the treaty of cession.

In this ratification it was stipulated that the islands would be taken over within ninety days. The final act was staged on March 31, 1917, when the Dannebrog (the official name of the Danish flag) was replaced by the Stars and Stripes. It was the original intention that this change of flags should take place with great ceremony, but the exigencies of the international situation, and the fact that the break of the United States with Germany had just taken place, made a popular demonstration inadvisable, and the plans made by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy to assist 24 in the celebration with part of the United States Atlantic Squadron were cancelled. But, in spite of the comparative lack of ceremony, the lowering of the Dannebrog and the hoisting in its stead of the Stars and Stripes was an impressive event, an event which every thinking American should regard with pride. Once again the adherents of the Monroe Doctrine rejoiced in the acquisition of additional territory, needed to promote the peace of the world, and one more European nationality ceased to be represented in the complex political scheme of the Antilles.

While the transfer of the islands was not viewed with imiversal joy by their inhabitants, it can be said safely that fully ninety per cent, of the natives were only too glad to be adopted by the American government. They were not dissatisfied by the treatment that had been accorded them under Danish rule, for the government by the Danish officials had been benevolent and paternal; but Denmark was far away, and — especially in the last three years when regular communication with Europe was hard to maintain — a long time was required to consult the home government on matters of importance, and to bring about necessaiy improvements in local affairs. They felt that under the rule of the United States any public business could be attended to speedily. Furthermore, practically all the commerce of St. Thomas was with the United States, and the imports from the mother country were but a negligible item. The St. Thomians were more used to American customs and manners than they were to those of Denmark, owing to the frequent visits of American ships to the shores of the island. In St. Croix, also, it was felt that adoption by the United States would give a new impetus to the sugar industry, that there would be a new development of all her latent resources, and that there would be an outlet to Porto Rico for her surplus population.

It was of course a sad thing for the Danish government to view the lowering of the Dannebrog which, with but two short intervals in the nineteenth century, had proudly waved for two and one-half centuries over the little group of islands. Yet it was the wish of Denmark not to stand in the way of the prosperity of its colonial dependents. While there will undoubtedly be a few who will regard with disfavor the innovations that will

be introduced by the United States, the majority 26 will be grateful that the uncertainty which began in 1866 and lasted until 1917, is now ended for all time.

It was left to the present inhabitants of the islands to decide whether or not they wished to become citizens of the United States. Those who, within one year of the date of transfer, should signify their desire to do so, would remain subjects of the Danish King. All others would automatically become citizens of the United States, having all the rights and privileges of this status.

According to the National Geographic Society of Washington, the total area of the three principal islands acquired by the United States is 132.47 square miles. With the cays and rocks that form part of the group, the area might possibly be as much as 150 square miles. The population has been variously stated as being from 30,000 to 33,000, of whom about ten per cent, are white. A study of earlier statistics shows that the population has decreased greatly during the century. In 1828 there were 46,000 inhabitants, but by 1841 this total had dropped to 41,000.

Because of their situation, the islands are the logical distributing center for goods destined for the Lesser Antilles and they have long been a shipping point of some importance. In the days before the European war, a number of Inter- Colonial steamers called at the ports of St. Thomas and St. Croix and connected the towns of these islands not only with the Leeward Islands but also with Porto Rico, Santo Domingo, Hayti, Cuba and Jamaica.

That this value of the islands as a shipping center was well realized when their purchase was considered, is shown by the report of Secretary of State Lansing, transmitted to Congress on January 22, 1917. In this report he said:

*'The commercial value of the islands cannot be doubted. Lying in close proximity to many of the passages into the Caribbean Sea, the use of St. Thomas harbor as a stopping station for merchant ships plying between the United States and South America, and for vessels in other trades, is of great importance."

Though the United States took over the islands at a cost of about three hundred dollars per acre, there is no doubt that, from all points of view their value is incalculable. It is more than probable that the revenues derived from them will 28 suffice to pay the cost of their government, and none of these revenues are to be expended upon matters not directly related to the local government. The act providing for the temporary government specifically states that debts and taxes collected on the Virgin Islands of the United States shall not be placed in the treasury of the United States, but shall be used and expended for the government and benefit of the islands.

The government of the islands will not be expensive. The form has already been fixed. In the language of "an act to provide temporary government for the West Indian Islands acquired by the United States from Denmark," "all military, civil and judicial powers . . . shall be vested ii^ a governor and in such person or persons as the President may appoint and shall be exercised in such manner as the President shall direct until Congress shall provide for the government of said islands." The governor, who may be an officer of the army or navy, is appointed by the President, subject to senatorial confirmation. The first governor appointed was an officer of the navy. Rear Admiral James H. Oliver.

Election laws and local laws are to remain in effect and are to be administered by the local tribunals. Judicial tribunals have their jurisdiction extended to cases in which the United States or a citizen is a party.

Under the new customs regulations, no duty is charged on articles coming into the United States from the islands, providing they are native products or do not contain more than twenty per cent, of foreign materials. All other articles pay the same duty as imports from foreign countries. Sugar pays an export duty of eight dollars per ton, regardless of its ultimate destination.

The elimination of the Danish nation as a power in the Antilles left the flags of but three European nations in the Caribbean: those of Great Britain, of France and of the Netherlands. It is not inconceivable that Great Britain, at some future time, may be induced to cede to the United States some of her islands in the Caribbean. The Bahamas, for instance, are to-day in very much the same position as were the Danish islands during the twenty years before the transfer. They depend upon the United States for the majority of their imports and for a market for their exports. The tourist resort of Nassau, on the Island of New 30

W"

COWELLS BATTERY AND ENTRANCE OP ST. THOMAS HARBOR

CHRISTIAN S FORT AND THE HARBOR FROM GOVERNMENT HILL CHARLOTTE- AMALIA

CHRISTIAN S FORT FROM THE HARBOR, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA, ST. THOMAS

DANISH CRUISER VALKTRIEN IN ST. THOMAS HARBOR

Providence, is visited almost exclusively by Americans and would lose its only claim to importance if the revenue from this source were cut off. This condition is well appreciated by the Bahamians themselves; they would, in all probability, welcome adoption by the United States, for their fruits would find a duty-free market and thus the one agricultural possibility of the islands would be given an encouraging impetus. Jamaica, while having more intercourse with Great Britain, practically depends upon the United States for the sale of her entire banana crop; where one steamer communicates with England, ten seek the nearer ports of the North American continent. It must be understood, however, that the sale of any of the British West Indies is but a remote possibility, although within the bounds of probability.

A far more probable purchase would be that of the Dutch islands of the West Indies. The possessions of the Netherlands in the Caribbean are a loss to the government and a menace to the mother country. In the event of war between the United States and one of the larger European nations, the first hostile act on the part of the latter might well prove to be the violation of Dutch neutrality by the seizure of the island of Curagao, which possesses an excellent naval station and a well protected harbor. Such seizure would be a serious menace to the safety of the Panama Canal, and there might be far-reaching consequences. If, on the other hand, the United States had Curagao in its possession, the approach to the Panama Canal, by way of the southern channels of the Lesser Antilles, would be safeguarded. This also applies to the Dutch islands of St. Martin, Saba, and St. Eustatius in the northern group of the Leeward Islands; should these come under the United States flag, the entire range of islands from the Florida coast to the mainland of South America would be dominated by the American navy.

A glance at the map of the Caribbean will reveal the truth of this statement. The Guantanamo naval base on the southern coast of the eastern part of Cuba can control not only the Florida Straits, between Florida and Cuba, but also the Windward Passage between Cuba and Hayti. A fleet stationed at Culebra Island and at St. Thomas could give battle to any squadron that should try to force its way through the Mona Passage, between Santo Domingo and Porto Rico, 32 or through the Virgin Passage, separating Porto Rico from the Virgin Islands. This same fleet would also be in a position to protect the passages due east from the Island of St. John.

From the Island of Barbuda to the Island of Trinidad, however, can be found some twelve deep water channels, which, in the event of war with a maritime nation, would require a patrol fleet of almost prohibitive size to give warning of the approach of a hostile fleet.

If, therefore, the United States can prevail upon the Dutch government to sell her West Indian possessions, not only would the sale be to the advantage of Holland, since it would relieve her of her unproductive colonies in the Caribbean, and would remove the menace of having these colonies seized by a European nation, but also the strategic importance of the naval station to be established by the United States on the former Danish West Indies would be materially increased. A chain of defenses could thus be thrown around the Panama Canal that would afford complete protection from all the Atlantic approaches.

3 33

Chapter II Glimpses Of Four Hundred Years

THE STORY TOLD BY OLD POTTERY— THE NAMING OF THE ISLANDS— NATIVES ATTACK THE SOLDIERS OF COLUMBUS —EXTERMINATION OF THE NATIVES AND THE COMING OF ELTIOPEANS- THE EMANCIPATION OF THE SLAVES

THE story of the Virgin Islands of the United States may be told in three parts. First comes their record until their settlement by European natives in the seventeenth century. Next is the period of European settlement, until 1733, when, on the purchase of St. Croix from France, the three islands were joined under one government. From that date the history of the islands can be described as a whole.

Before the discovery of the Virgin Island group by Columbus, these islands were inhabited by a warrior nation of aborigines. The Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, of New York City, was the first institution to devote itself to an archeological survey of the three islands under discussion. This museum has devoted a large amount of its energy to furthering archeological work in the West Indies. 34

~^wy

It was found necessary to gather some data and pre-Columbian specimens from St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix, in order to enable students of the pre-Columbian occupation of the Antilles to make a comparative study of the remains of the primitive r^ces that at one time inhabited this region. The researches proved that they had been inhabited by tribes that made long voyages for purposes of trading, or for purposes of warfare, practically throughout the West Indies.

In the excavations conducted by the museum expedition, the finding of some of the so-called " coUarstones " proved that voyages to Porto Rico were undertaken, for these highly ornamented stone objects up to the present time have been found only on Porto Rico and Santo Domingo, and assuredly could not have belonged to the low cultural development that must have existed on both St. Thomas and St. Croix. The presence of a grotesquely carved "swallowing-stick" in the aboriginal deposits suggested a communication with Santo Domingo, where the native priests used sticks of this character in their ceremonies.