Show The Virgin Islands twenty five million dollars to DenA Denmark Den Den- FTER paying paving A AFTER AFTER- seemed to islands Uncle Sam A- A Amark mark for the tho Virgin have forgotten th that t ho owned them until recently when a commission of Congress headed by Senator Gay went t I over there to investigate conditions and make a 0 report of the from the native nativo workers It was a petition islands setting forth a n long 1 list st of grievances declaring that housing accommodations sanitary and moral conditions conditions con con- were were in infinitely worse than when the islands were ere under Danish rule that arouse Con Congress ess to a n realization of ownership and Uld responsibility populated by colored races The islands are largely largel and md it may well be doubted that they are fitted for form of administration administration self government nor even en for the tion which Porto Rico and Hawaii enjoy At the present the islands are being administered practically as in in the days of their Danish sovereignty so and the Danish language lan kin The chief guage gua-e and Danish currency are arc still in use authority is an American admiral who does about as ashe ashe ashe he pleases though no criticism attaches to his administration administration admin admin- so far as known Arthur Henderson writing in in McClures McClure's s magazine however howe discloses some startling conditions with respect respect re re- re- re American to the morality of the natives standards of race purity he lie writes are thrown to the winds here bere The population may be considered as a a. L mixed race In America our census inquiries show four classes of persons single persons single married mamed widowed or divorced di In Tn the Virgin islands a n fifth class is is added d which includes a large p portion rt on of the native nathe population those those who live together without the marriage cere cere- mony With ith the he Philippine islands island on our hands and with the recollection of the arduousness of the work there therein in assimilating and educating the Filipinos the wonder is why we purposely and voluntarily added to our troubles troubles troubles trou trou- bles by taking over the Virginians But there w was a reason The Virgin islands it will be remembered were vere purchased in 1917 when we e were at war with I Germany Their Their- proximity to the Panama canal and the fear that they might fall into the hands of an unfriendly foreign power impelled their purchase Mr Henderson f thinks hinks we paid paia about four times what they are arc re worth but those were w war r times and war ar prices prevailed However they are arc said to be beautiful to look ook at U at a n picture of tropical beauty and and capable aside from of development dc into valuable possessions their heir strategic value alue Sooner or later therefore it may be expected that American enterprise and capital will be attracted to them by the opportunities they offer for industrial exploitation |