The southern press., 1851-09-17
THE SOUTHERN PRESS.
Cuba and Lopez.

course ana result OF tllul HlosCHicut
We think that the evidence is now sufficient
for judgment on that enterprise.
1t is plain that it proceeded from the niorlna-
ticn and belief that the white population of that
island were in favor Of revolution. The i'm
putation, therefore, of piracy ard robbery, which
has been so freely made against those who We're
engaged in it, by the London Times, National
Intelligencer, and other papers Of the same
school, falls to the ground. Tine expeditonwas
undoubtedly in vio.ation.of our laws, and that is
about all that can be said.
We look on any attempt to disturb an exist
ing government by force, as the assumption OF
very great and grave responsibility. And
when it is attended with violation of our own
laws, the thing becomes criminal offence. As
a general and almost universal rule, the perlna-
nent government of any country is the one to
which it is best adapted and it is also very
general rule, that it is wrong aud impolitic to
attempt the overthrow of such government by
force. But as for the attempt to stigmatize such
amovement as piratcal or predatory, it is absurd.
Robbers seek merely the property of others by
violence. Pirates are robbers who seek property
on the seas by murder. The men of the Gu.
ban expedition evidently intended to revolution
ize the government Of that island according to
the wish of lis people, and intended their bene.
fit, although at the same time 4 reward was ex-
pected for the service. That this belief existed
il the minds of the men who went with LOPEZ
10 Cuba, is evident from their number. For
they never would have made such an attempt
with less than FIVE hundred men, except from the
conviction that the mass OF the native white
population desired revolution, and would join
them. They may have been mistaken in this
expectation, but that does not affect their belief
their intention, and the moral quality of the en-
terprize.
But were they mistaken in supposing that the
Creoles desired revolution! We think not
Cuba is more heavily taxed than any other coun-
try under the sun, and the government is in all
respects pure despotism, and in addition to
that, the despotism of foreign people. The
nett taxes are paid into the Golfers of Spain,-a
country on the other side of the sea, and of the
rlobe,-and the offices anl honors OF Cuba are
monopolized by people of alien, of Spanish birth
Cuba,whch has only half million of whites,l ays
$4,000, 900 of taxes-haf the amount VIII ch
cur federal government leves on tweniy-three
millions Of people In Cuba there is no trial by
jury or Lateas corpus-so person or property is
safe against the ll-will or suspicion Of alien and
suspicious public officers. Besides all that the
Creoles are not permitted 10 have arms, although
they are in the midst of large body Of slaves
and exposed at any tire, 10 seryile insurrection
This exclusion Of the native white Cubans from
office, from repre- sentation, ard from arms proves
that the Spanish government Itself either re-
CARDS them as disaffected, or wantonly ant
causelessly oppresses them. To suppose, there
fore, TINT the Cubans DO not desire independents,
or annexation to the United States, is TO imput,
10 them a degree Of stupidity and debasemen'
not compatible with the success which has at
tended the culture Of the island, and the wealth
which, undcr so many difficulties, the peopl,
have acquired.
But we are told the people cannot desire
change or they would have joined the STANDARD
of LOPEZ. How could they! In Cuba ther,
il a standing army Of twenty thousand men
one soldier 10 every five or Fix Creole adul
malcs--and then there are some twenty or thir
" thousand Spaniards besides in Office, or resi-
dent in the island. No despotsm in Europe o
any where else Is thus fortified. How could al
unarmed, unorganized and dispersed population
like this feel authorized to rebel, with the nil
merely of four or five hundred strangers! Ger
tanly, our fathers Of the revolution who deliber
ted and hestated long before they declared in
depend ,nce, had no such difficulty to encounter
There is no doubt LoPEz himself expected e)
operation, or he never wonld have taken tb
risk which proved so desperate. But the cns
Of I.orEz is that Of many gallant, and enthusi
as,ic man who has expiated, by his blood, th,
indulgence Of hopes too sanguine. and Of a con
fdcnce in the virtue and energy Of his fellow
men far above their deserts As for the impu
tation Of treachery or hyproctisy now mad
against Lorsz, it is crushed by the heroic man
ner in which he pledged his own life for hi
faith, the courage he displayed III battle, the for
tiiude with which he met his fate.
Call such a ian pirate, robber, or a hypo
critic. Why he was Spanish American b
birth and a Cuban by residence Who had
better opportunity Of knowing the wrongs o
bis country--who had more imperious duty d
redress them than he " LAFAYETTE, Koscl
usxo, PULLsKf, and STEuBEN, were received b
us with honor aud distinction, as great aud GOO
men, for cooperating in the liberation CT tor
e;rn country shall we denouncc LoPEz for AT
tempting to give freedom to his own
We are told that .be levied war without th
authority Of government. Well, was not tb
battle of Lsxington fought without such au
thor;ty9 And do we think the less Of thos
who fought that battle for that Ne, rather th
l. Al