Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1851-09-03
CUBA AND CANADA.
BY CORA MONTGOMERY.

SCUBA and Canada are approaching the orbit of
our system and, instead of denying the fact, we
should study their influences, and decide whether
they are to become stars in our constellation"
Sad and silent, Cuba sits on her island throne,
crowned with gems, yet with chains On her
beautiful hands-like captive queen, circled
round with the relentless power Of her Spanish
despot. Too enlightened, too powerful, and
too progressive, to endure much longer the tyr
amy and exactions of her hard taskmaster, she
turns her anxious and desponding eye to every
quarter, and asks deliverance.
The soldiers Of Spain patrol every highway,
and keep watch at every door. They stand
guard at the portals of every ballroom and thea
ire; and their censors supervise every written
word, even to the phrasing of festive invitation
or the inscriptions of the tomb. The press only
speaks what, after due examination, it is permit
ted to say; and the voices of scientific lecturers,
of public singers and players, and even the min
listers of the altar--for in Cuba religion is but
the liveried servant Of the court-are subject to
the same espial and restraint. Massive fortress
es-of which the cost ofsconstruction would
have educated the whole population, and inter-
crossed their island with railroads-domineer
over every town, and convince the aint.hearted,
by the open mouths Of their cannon, of the di.
vine rights Of the weak and hapess girl who
wears the crown of Spain, to gather the first
fruits of Cuban industry. Supported 10y these
strong and ever ready arguments, Spain wrings
for herself twelve millions year out of a pop.
ulation of something less than 100000, who
have, besides, to take care Of their own domes-
tic interests and local government.
This twelve millions-which, however would
be made twenty millions by the people of Cuba,
if it could be applied to the purchase of the ISL
and by the United States-is now paid in bitter
discomfort, because it is only contribution to
the corruption, extravaganza, and despOtism OF
Spain, who, with cutting irony, persists in sty-
ling herself the Mother country.
With part of this money, twenty thousand
soldiers are maintained among them, to retain
the islanders, who are not permitted to keep
arms, in due subjection to this affectionate pa.
rent.
Another portion, which is the assignment to
the Queen Mother-the royalty vrtuous Chris.
tina-is employed by her in the slave-trade
which is thus permanently fastened upon the
protesting Creoes, who are compelled to endure
the stigma and Inconvenience of this infamous
traffic, which is really in the hands and chiefly
sustained for the profits of few persons of the
government party. The evil name of support
ing it falls upon the children of the soil, whose
instinct of selfperscrvaton, if not wise mora
sense, would abolish it, to make room for ;
strengthening white immigration.
But this white immigration it is not the poll
cy of Spain to encourage Without arms, anC
without that conference of thought and actor
which it is the care of fettered press to pre-
vent among the Creoles, a large slave population
must be an eternal check on any movement TO
independence. Spain could place in the hands
of the negroes the arms she forbids the whites
and, with the injunction, "Burn, KILL and utter
ly Destroy" aided by her paid and disciplined
soldiers, she can well hope to reduce at will he
discontented colony to the chaos and imbecilit.
of Hayti.
| England shares in this wish and work. ia
maica is ruined as source of power and prof
to her crown; and all that remains to her is t,
make it the nucleus of n nation necessarily hos
tile to the southern states of this republican con
federation. To increase the numerical power o
the coored race. and reduce that Of the whites
in Cuba as well as in her own islands, is an es
sential, though unavowed element in her policy
With all the pressure Of famine at home, an,
amid all the plans for relieving her over-popu
lated domains, there is no real encouragement
scarcely the afiectation of shadow Of it-al
lowed to emigration to her West India colonies