Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-08-28
Annexation.

If anybody is dstonished, says the Era, at the
undsguised anxiety of the shareholders to am
mex Cuba to the United States, we Judge that
their establishment will cease on perusal OF
the following article, which lays lays bare the
hidden motives for this project. Let the country
read and be convinced. We copy from the
Hartford Republican.
"It is we'll known that the institution OF
slavery was re.invgorated in this country by
the rise and growth of the cotton culture. There
arc Indications that the cotton planters long to
restore the foreign slave trade.
=" We find in the Southern Press communl.
cation from A Cotton Planter OF Georgia.
showing that il is impossible fol the cotton grow
ers to prepare three million bales OF cotton Tor
market annually. He says they have not slaves
enough 10 pick more than 100000 bales, at
the utmost. however many millions may be PLAN
ed. The Press copies this communication from
the National EnteIhgencer and appends remarks
as follows:
GA writer IN the Westminster Review, in
l849. when the cotton crop was short, and the
price rose nearly 100 per cent, simply on account
of the deficiency Of Is per cent OF quantity, adj
yised that the best policy for the British Govern
tnent would be, if she was friendly to her own
national manufacturing supremacy-pa particular
" her 500 millions involved in cotton mills, and
labor connected there wih--to take Oft all re-
strctons on the slave trade. Then the poornc-
groes could be brought again freely to America
and the West Indies, and would tall IN value to
i $780, and they would also escape the murders
to which they are at present subjected, by thous-
ands yearly, under their own cruel rulers in
| A IA frin fact hu
the accounts of English and Dutch Government
agents, sent to examine the nature OF the negro
Government, and their social position in Africa,
as recently as 1892
"Ths shows clearly enough what works in
the heart of the Slave Power. 1t sufficiently
lntimates what it would do if it could. If the
continuance of the slave trade had been limited
to 1852 instead of 1903, we have no doubt that
our modern Shareholders would now be found
declaring It's prohibition unconstitutional. They
have perpetrated quite as great outrages on the
, Constitution
"One reason why the shareholders are so
, eager to annex Cuba is, that they hope by means
of Cuba to annex the African slave trade
, They desire to have Cuba as great reservoir
from which to feed the system in the planting
, States. They object to introducing slaves from
, the Northern border slave States, because they
, fear to hasten emancipation in these States
! Their policy Is to check this tendency to draw
! the slave population from the Northward into
= the more Southern Slave States. They aim to
keep the area of slavery as large as possible.
Therefore Cuba, with its slave-trading habits
and facilities, must be annexed, i'll order to be
= used as bountful source from which supply
. of slaves may flow in to stock the plantations
= and check the slave trade with Maryland, Viz
+. ginia, and Kentucky. In this way the planters
q mean to avail themselves of the African slave
trade, to strengthen and to spread their instu-
! ton.
8 "'But our laws forbid the foreign slave trade
The Constitution itself forblds it ! The Span
ish Government forbids the African slave trade
, England, the United States, and others, hay
!; united to make it impossible; yet the slave
~ traders continue their business, and Cuba
constantly supplied with fresh cargoes of slav
y from the African coast. The annexation
u Cuba to the United States would effect
II change IN this piraical commerce. This sla
trade would Continue to be carried on clande.
timely, as it is now. Probably annexation woulG
y give ii fresh vigor for the Slave Powew in the
~ States would do its utmost to increase its facili-
- ties and give it security. If Cuba were anne,
- ed to the Union, any number of slaves could
brought from that island into the planting STATE
q by virtue of the inter State Siave trade. Al
n planter could go there aud buy cargo fire
q from Africa, and take them TO his plantation
Georgia, Mississippi, or Alabama, with as r1ut
q lmpuDlty as IT he brought home drove from
4 Virginia.
a ".Here is one reason why the project of an
4 uexing Cuba has been started at the South with
so much favor and eagerness. 1t is regarded
as the best of all schemes for invigorating and
spreading the peculiar institution. What is
done clandestiney in Cuba would be gradually
extended to the Southern States, and the law
= less and piratical African slave trade would get
o new impulse. If this scheme for annexinp
It Cuba is to be encouraged, let all concerned con.
: slider well what they do, and carefully count the
: cost"