Show Buy the Danish West Indies There arc many reasons why the United St States tes should buy the Dan Danish h West Indies which according to dispatches Copenhagen s soon 90 will b be o offered f red to this c I J j But one reason alone is sufficient It is t f fV I V I. I The Panama cana canal 1 I Tile The waterway pa passage sage besides these islands n s is isa s. s a part ot tho most direct route from Europe to Panama Should Shoud they fall into the hands of a hostile Europ European an power they would woud command the principal route rout to the canal anal from Europe a and d be within str striding distance o o of th the prin prin principal S cipal route from the United States Three times before the United States has considered pu purchasing chasing th the islands but each time the deal fell through The first chance came when Lincoln was president but the project was wa lost in the grave problems of civil war In 1902 a purchase was arrange arranged the senate r ratified the convention convention con con- as did the the D Danish lower house j but the Danish refused to accept the plan It was then charged charge G German rI influences were at work to prevent the sale to the United States In 1910 Denmark again gaiI- offered to s sell ll the thc archipelago but before be- be O fore forc a transaction could be closed the offer was with withdrawn rawn I The rime price asked by Denmark will probably be more than the proposed price in 1902 which was between and t i There are t three ree islands in the group St. group St St. Thoma Thomas St. St John andst and andSt st St Croix They ha have ye inhabitants and cover 1 8 square miles They lie r c- c clie lie as the map shows just east cast of our American possession of Porto RICO V PortoRico o i 7 t.- t. r |