American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1851, 1851-08-28
From the Southern Press.

of support, and urged by entreaties to aid in
liberating them from oppression and tyranny.
| Rash and enthusiastic men have listened to
these appeals. They have been met by the
agents OF oppression with resolution, and those
who have fallen into their ruthless hands have
paid the penalty Of their venture with theii
lives. .......
All war is piracy, except in national defence
II ever there were pirates, kings and generals
| have been such. Their invasions were piratical
IN the truest sense, because no good end was to
be served 1; nothing but plunder, vengeance and
ambition of the worst kind, was to be gratified
| by them Here, however, is what MANY will
call legitimate and good result to be attained
the liberation of q beautiful country from the
caprice and oppression of a distant government.
The invaders are invited by the inhabitants,
whose grievances are made known to them, and
the success of the enterprise would be hailed
with pleasure, we do not hesitate to say, by the
whole world aa1 Gta''
Inc men have gone-not to plunder, not to
deyastate country, not to rob friends or foes
or insult women, Common crimes of invading
armies, but to rescue people long painting
for liberty. Such men do not deserve the epi-
thet of pirates; and Americans will be the last
to apply it to men who risk their lives in SO
glorious cause .0 at Haus
1t is the fashion to talk of neutrality, and yet
ence of European powers with the right of other
nations seeking freedom. Surely, freemen have
as much right to take sides actively with the
oppressed, as the despot with the oppressor.
Indeed, the right is justified by the fact that it
is in the cause of humanity. aG as@t
CUBAN ANNEXATION is strongly opposed by
| the Charleston Mercury in leading article
| evincing much thought, although partaking of
| the peculiar slavery sentiments which pervade
every subject treated of by the South Carolina
press. The Mercury argues that the annexation
Of Cuba would be followed by deplorable con-
sequences, but denies that the effect would be
| to draw slaves to Cuba from the northern slave
States of the Union, because the present organ
ization of the system of slavery in Cuba, which
is self-exhausting one, would, in case of an
nexaton, be altered and assimilated to that Of
our own southern States, which the Mercury
believes to be social, kindly, and self sustain
ing. The Mercury points out what it considers
two radical defects in tho Caban systcfn, " hioh
it thus states r
81. TheSpanish laws allow slaves to buy their
| freedom, by obtaining valuation from public
functionaries and paying up the amount as
they can. Hence there is constant inroad
upon the slave population by emancipation, and
there is at this time in Cuba free population,
nearly equal to the whole of the same class in
the United States. - .....
90. The slave trade, within the last thirty
years, has had peculiar character Denounced
as piracy by the great nations it has necessarily
taken much of the cruel character of piracy
The difficulties in the way of transporting slaves
have given rise to the disproportionate impor-
tation of males, both because they could best
endure the trials of the passage, and perform
most labor when introduced. In the census of
Cuba for 1927 there were one hundred and
aInF thpnn thn,, IL ,I~
hundred and three thousand females. We have
not seen later census embodying this item
but the disproportion of the sexes has not been
diminished. Slavery has been in Cuba rather
| an industrial speculation than a social institu-
| tion and the consequence of this incessant
emancipation on the one hand, and the substi-
tuition of newly imported Africans on the other
| has been that the institution has assumed a pc.
culiarly harsh character, eminently unfayorable
| to the duration of life. We have heard it said
that forty years is the ordinary limit of the life
of slave on the sugar plantations, and that for
considerable portion of the year they work
eighteen hours in the day.
''Now in regard to each one of these consider
ations, we think it nearly certain that the re-
lease of Cuba from the Spanish dominion would
work great change in favor of the permanent
character and natural increase of the slave
population The cessation of the slave trade
Woud soon put an enu 10 the emancipation sys-
tenn, and with it to the still worse system Of
working slaves with eye to exacting from
their sinews the greatest amount of labor"
The Mercury, however, opposes the annexa-
ton of Cuba, because the union would be incon-
| gruous and unnatural, and "because il is for
| the interest of the South that there should be
| ntha- slavo seo..~;as tkn> oun," together
with some other reasons affecting consolidation,
the increase of the army and navy, the pern-
cious effect of extended dominion, etc.--Ledger.