and currency
depreciation
and you
have
the situation
in
a nutshell.
No
plre>
has
been
more
extensively
adverused
or
Kep!
more
in the lime-lignt
in
the American
press
and
booxks
than
St.
Thomas,
wich glowing accounts
of its
beautiful
harbor,
spiendid
geogravhical
situation,
and
incomparable
strategic
position for
a fortified navai base.
When
the
United
States
entered
the
war
and
big
guns
began
to
be
mounted
on
our
hills, it seemed
as if the
dream
of half
a
century
had
at
last
come
true.
Bur
de-
mobilization
and
abandonment
of
tne
camps
and
the
removalof hundreds
of
marines
showed
it to be
transitory,
and
abruptly shiattered
our expectations.
That
was
a
heavy
blow.
But
what
now greatly alarms
us
is
the
probaoikty
Yot‘ seeing
the naval
administration
with-
drawa.
It is to consider
this
and
other
mattors
that you,
Honorable
Gent
emen,
have
journeyed
nere.
Needless
(o
say
we shall
remain
in a state
of the
d22pes*
anxiety until
we know what
your
report
and Congress’
decision
will
be,
lor,
i
the [Javy
ceases
connection
now,
9¢
in
the
near
furure,
leaving
us
in
our
pre-
sent heipless
s:ate,
disaster
will
r sult;
to repeat
a ‘amiliar phrase,
it will
mean
c¢rape
on
the
door
knob.
Whether
the
decision
will
evoke
a
Requiem
or
Te
Deum
remainz
to be
seen.
[ne
Navy's snnnort
is
nrezentlv
and
for a consicerable
time
to come
mst
re-
main,
the
ma:nstay
of
the island,
and
instead
of its withdrawal,
we
de:ice
to
see
it better represen:ied
by
ships.
We
want to see
more
men
in uniform
on
our
streeis
Not
that
we love
militarisn
so
much,
but beczuse
1t means
more
11o)ney.
That
10
us
is what
the Navy stanl;
for.
It is our life-line, our daily bread,
the
re-
liance
alike
oi
burgher,
bootblacik—-ail.
Both
in value and influence
it
is
1
pre-
cious
tie.
Sever
it and
we
suffer.
It is
to partly oftfset
the lossof
trade
thac
the
outlay
from
the
Navy
is
most
h 2 pful.
S 0 poor
is
the
island,
so lackingin
re-
sources,
so
peculiar
our
condicion
and
circumstances,
that
it
should
bz
lealt
with differently from otl:er rich
net
onal
home
or ouiiying
territory.
Whea
this
1s done,
and
tae
island
put
uvon
strong
financial legs,
the Navy
may retire
2race-
fully and with
our
warmest
graii ude.
I ha¥l the honor close
on three yecysago
to address
a
welcome
so
the first
Avineri-
can
Governor,
Rear
Admiral
O:iver,
pledging
the people’s
loyally and
co-op-
er
tion.
We
renew
that
pledge
today,
reposing
in ycu
our trust that afte-
lear-
ing our peticions,
you
will
reach
a
eci-
sion
best suited
to
our
welfare.
[lough
hard
times
dampen
our
optimisri,
we
will not be
diskeartened,
believing
that
our great
Mother Country,
the fri=l.c and
heiper of all mankind,
which-has
saeri-
ficed
sc
mucia
for the
world’s gouc,
will
not leave
us
undone,
but rather
p ovide
freely
for
our
wants,
not
with
doles,
however,
bu:
in
a manner That wil
start
us substantially
on the road
to prosperity.
M 0
B
LNy
N
If not,
we shail suffer the
fate
of
a
de-
serted
place
and
a
sorely
disappointed
people,
Amid our uneasiness
we
recall
the
as-
surance
conveyed
to us in President
Wil-
son’s memerable
cable
message,
that
we,
nis fellow Americans,
shall
never
have
cause
to
regret
having
joined
our
lot
with America.
:
So may it be.
St. Thomas
Mail Notes,
Feb.
sth.
.
g
eoy
@
TELEGRAMS.
ST. TROIX STATION.
L.ondon,
Feby. 4th.—Accord.ng
to
the
“‘Standard’’,
the
Governniet
has
taken
steps
to reduce
tne
paper
money in
cir-
culation by twenty
million pounds.
Portemouth,
England,
Feby.
3rd---Sir
Robert
Borden arrived here with Admiral
Lord Jellicoe in the
H. M. S.
'‘New Zea-
land’’ and proceeded.
New York,
February
sth.—A blizzard
which occurred
on Thursd:y,
with a fi ty
mile gale
sweeping
the
North
Atlantie,
has
delayed
shipping and
eansed
minor
wrecks
alor
g the
coast.
The
storm
was
the
worst
for
many
years
and
caused
high tides
Paris,
Feby.
sth.—The
prohibition
of
~ake-makinz
and pastry,
wholly or
cart-
ly of wheat
flour, after the twentieth
in-
stant,
ie
ineluded
in
new hread
regula
tions just issued.
Havana,
i'eby.
bHth.—- The
House
last
night
voted the ratificatioi.
¢f the Peace
[reaty
without ainendmen:..
The Senate
aporoved
tne
[reaty
in
December
last.
London,
Feby.
sth. -Despaiches
from
Viadivostoci,
dated
the
end of
January,
ceport
that
after
tne peace:ul
occupation
of the
eity by the Revolutionists,
the
Al-
lted
missions
proceeded
westward
and
are
believed
to be
safe.
London,
Feby.
dth.—Mr.
Samuel,
M.
2.
for Farnham,
Surrey,
In an
laterview
nublished
oy
the
“'Manchester
Guar-
dian”’, advocated
the drastic
reduction
of
importations
of
manutaciured
luxuaries
irom
America,
deprecaited
the squander
ing of money
at
holiday
resorts
on
the
coniinent
and
the
importaction of
wines.
ine
worst
e feet
of the
exchaage
situa-
tion,
he stac2d,
was being {:lt on the
con-
tinent, becaise
paymen.s
{rom tne
coun-
iries
there
miust
be
made
. hrough
Lon-
don.
The
''Mancnester
ssuardian’’,
in
Izs Liverpoo. market
reports,
says
the lall
ol exchange
lis putting effectively a
defi-
nite siop
Lo any ideas ol importing cotton
under
the ruling conditinas.
Paris,
Fe).
bth.—A
portion
of
the
new
IFrench
loan will be
iloated
in
the
United States
throu
h a erasort
of bank-
ers
and
will
be
placed
in
dJdollars
with
the view of easing
the
ex:hange
siiia
tion.
[l'ne bonds
wiil bear
five per
cent
interast,
as in Fraiee,
and
be
redeama-
ble with
atifty per
cent
vonus,
within
sixty years.
It is
undeisivod
that
the
amount
of the
bonds
to be placed
in the
United
Staies
has
not
been
fixed,
but
so ne estimate
it as
high
as
two thqusand
miltlion dollars.
Beilin, Feb.
sth—The
''Tageblatt’’ says
that the
list of perscns
demanded
by the
Allies surpasses
anything
even
the
great
est pessimists
considered
possible,and
that
one
now
realizes
what
tremendcus
stu-
pidity it
was
to
offer
to
cign
a peace
treaty impossible
of execution.
London,
'Feb.
sth. Mr.
Hitchens,
Chairman
of Cammell,
Laird
and
Com-
pany,
advocated
a
capital levy
on large
fortunes,
in
order
to
reduce
currency
inflamation and
the high cost ot living.
Berlin,
Feb.
sth.
- According
1o a state-
ment
made
by the French
Charge
D’Af-
fairs
by former
Minister
Mueller,
the
Government
disapproves
of
the
attitude
of
Baron
Von
Lersner
in
refusing
to
transmit
the
list of
persons
whose
:ur
render
is demanded
by the Allies.
Paris,
Feb.
sth.—Dr.
Mayer,
the
Ger-
man Charge,
will leave
Berlin
for
Paris
this evening and
has
received
formal
in-
structions
to accept
the
Allied
note
de-
manding
the extraditio
.s, according
to
a
despatch
via Basle
which
aiso
says
that
the
Government
has
summoned
the
chiefs of the various
parties
in
the
Na-
tionalAssembly
to
convene
in Berlin
on
Saturday
to discuss
the question.
Berlin,
Feb.
sth.--The
‘‘'Vorwaets”’
says that if the Government
attemnts
to
arrested
the
persons
demanded
by
the
Allies,
severe
internal
disorders
wil,
oc-
cur.
The
Government,
it
adds,
cannot
enter into such
a struggle tnless
its
own
convictions
agree
with
the
majority
of
the nations.
Thure
is no question
of
sym-
pathy
for the accused,
but
the method
o:
deaiing
with
them
is
purely
a
German
affair.
Loudon,
Feb.
sth.—-I'ne
'‘Daiily8! eteh”’
says
that
Mr.
Roberts,
the
Food
Minis-
ter,
has
resigned.
His
resignation,
it
saps,
dres
n_t
imply
dissension
in
the
Cabinet,
but
was prompced
by the
exam
ple of Mr. Barnes,
who also
resigned.
Washington,
Feb.
sth.—President
Wil
son
has approved
tne
sale
of
thirty
for
mer German
passenger
vessels,
subject
to
War
Department
requirements
for
the
navy
in case
of a national
emergency.
London,
Feb.
sth . —The
Roumanian
Legation
announces
that
the
Bucharest
Government
has
ordared
the
retreat
of
the
Roumanian
troops
in occupation
of
Hungarian
territory
to the frontier fixed
by the Peace
Conference.
New
York,
Feb.
sih.
The
leading
Wall Street
bankers
have
taken
steps
to
prevent
the development
o
a mveney
pa-
nic.
It is undersiood
that
the necessary
understanding
has
been
reached
at
a
se-
ries of informal conierences,
bur
the
de-
tails
are
unavailable.
Mr. Sanders,
Pres-
ident of the Amervican
Manufaciurers
Fx-
port
Associalion,
said
ihai
the
present
demoralization
which
is
the
result
of
economie
factors, points
to the imperative
necessity
of accelerating
the
purchase
of Kuropean
securities.