U.S. Virgin Islands - US Acqusition
The acquisition of the Danish West Indian Islands had been the subject of negotiation and treaty between the United States and Denmark for more than a half century. The United States first attempted the purchase of these islands in 1865, during the administration of President Lincoln. Secretary Seward appeared to be especially anxious that they should belong to the United States.
It appears that Mr. Seward first proposed to purchase the islands at a dinner party in January, 1865. Denmark had no desire to part with her West India colonies. The assassination of President Lincoln and the attempted assassination of Secretary Seward suspended the negotiations for some time. In the meantime, Secretary Seward visited the islands. It was not, however, until July 17, 1866, that the United States made a definite offer of $5,000,000 for St. Thomas, St. John, and Santa Cruz.
In 1867 Denmark declined to sell the islands for $5,000,000 but offered St. Thomas and St. John for $10,000,000, or $15,000,000 for the three. Mr. Seward replied by offering $7,500,000 in gold for the three islands. Denmark agreed to take $7,500,000 for St. Thomas and St. John but wanted $3,750,000 in addition for Santa Cruz.
Finally, Secretary Seward agreed to purchase vSt. Thomas and St. John for the price named by Denmark, $7,500,000, but further complications arose because Denmark insisted that the consent of the people of the islands should be formally given before the sale was consumimated. This was at first objected to by Mr. Seward, but he finally cabled the minister to concede question of vote, and on the 24th of October the treaty was signed.
The question was submitted to a vote of the people, the voting occurring in St. Thomas on January 9, 1868, and out of 1,039 votes cast there were but 22 votes against the cession. In St. John there were 205 votes in favor of the cession and not one against it. The treaty was submitted to the Rigsdag of Denmark and promptly ratified and signed by the King on June 30, 1868.
It was submitted to the United States Senate on December 3, 1867. Senator Sumner was chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations during this period, and the treaty remained unreported for more than two years, when, on March 24, 1870, Senator Sumner reported it adversely and the Senate declined to ratify it. The negotiations for the purchase of the islands commenced under President Lincoln and the treaty was signed shortly after Andrew Johnson became President, but it was not acted upon until the administration of President Grant.
Subsequently it appears that the purchase of the islands was considered by Secretaries Foster and Olney during the administrations of Presidents Harrison and Cleveland. On March 31, 1898, the Committee on Foreign Relations reported to the Senate a bill authorizing the President to purchase the islands for use as a naval and coaling station. On this bill Senator Lodge submitted an exhaustive report, giving in detail the history of the islands and summarizing the history of the negotiations for their purchase by the United States.
On January 24, 1902, a convention was signed at Washington by Mr. Hay, Secretary of State, and Mr. Brun, Danish minister, for the cession to the United States of 'the islands of Saint Thomas, Saint John, and Saint Croix, in the West Indies, with the adjacent islands and rocks,' the consideration being $5,000,000. This convention was favorably reported by the Committee on Foreign Relations on February 5, 1902, and ratified by the United States Senate February 17, 1902. The treaty was approved by one house of the Danish Rigsdag; but, October 21, 1902, the other house by a vote of 32 to 32 declined to ratify it.
Little was heard of the islands until the Great War, when the United States realized their strategic position and negotiated the purchase of the islands from Denmark in 1917 for $25 million in gold.
Of the importance of the islands, due to their geographic position, Secretary Lansing said: * * * "The commercial value of the islands can not be doubted. Lying in close proximity to many of the passages into the Caribbean Sea. the use of St. Thomas Harbor as a supply station for merchant ships plying between the United States and South America, and for vessels in other trades, is of great importance. The existing modern harbor works, floating docks, marine slip and wharves provided with electric cranes, oil reservoirs, coal depots, fresh-water tanks, machine shops, and warehouses contribute to the commercial advantages of St. Thomas Harbor as a port of call and transshipment for ships in the Central and South American trades.
"The political importance of extending American jurisdiction over the islands is not to be overlooked. The Caribbean is within the peculiar sphere of influence of the United States, especially since the completion of the Panama Canal, and the possibility of a change of sovereignty of any of the islands now under foreign jurisdiction is of grave concern to the United States. Moreover, the Monroe doctrine, a settled national policy of the United States, would have caused this country to look with disfavor upon the transfer of sovereignty of the Danish West Indies to any other European nation."
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