The North-Carolinian. [volume] (Fayetteville [N.C.]) 1839-1861, 1852-12-18

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der standing army for the preservation Of
order Indispensable; nor to the difference
Of race, which, would make it the hardest
VI all things to introduce our political in
shtutiOns there; nor to the fact that there
has always been an established religion in
the Island, lcaSued with the Government,
claiming universal obedience, and suppor-
ted by tithe uf the produce Of all lands;
nor to the <quaI,y imposing fact that with
its present Commerce, and with the habits
OF smuggling that have grown up every
where, Cuba must be filled with custom
house police as well a standing army,
aud thus become the mere creature OF the
Federal Government, and its natural ally
in every aggression upon the South-wc
pass over all these weishty considerations
and find in the sole condition Of slavery
in Cuba powerful argument against its
| annexation.
The present white population Of Cuba
| IS 6OO.0OO; the free coIored population
soMe what more than 100000 and the
slaves abodt 100000. Cuba is but little
larger than South Carolina. and has almost
twice the population. 1t has grown
through, centuries uIder set Of laws aud
customs little changed. Its habits, ideas.
and whole social spirit, are far more fixeL
than those of any State Of the Union.
Is the slave trade with Africa. and anotll-
er iicessant emancipation, and this through
the operation Of an established law. Every
slave has the right to buy his freedom, and
the max imum price which the master can
demand is $500. Moreover, the law al
lows til. slave to have his value fixed, aud
then tu take his own time to pay it, giving
to him portion OF his time corresponding
to the portion Of his price which he has
paid. Thus, all the d;ssatisllsaAs las. aA4 sf4 III IL
perpetual transition towards o....e and
the class OF free coIored people, which or
d'nar'ly increases very slowly. is in Cuba
the most rapidly advancing Of all. In the
last ten years it has increased 25 per cent.
The slave population is kept up by thu.
African slave trade. The annex xation Of
Cuba would be a death blow to this trade.
Our laws, and the universal feeling Of our
people are opposed TO it;' and If this were
not enough, our Government is uow in tn.
hands OF the Free States, and in league
with England aud France for the suppress
sion Of the trade.
With this suppression Of the slave
trade on one side. and this incessant EN-
ancipat!"n on the other, what chance would
Cuban slavery have Of escaping from the
| AOOlitionists of the North. and the free
negroes with whom it is thronsed? More
over, there is an additional obstruction to
the preservation Of the slave population,
in its actual condition. The male popula-
tion exceeds the fcmale in the proportion
Of about 5 to 3, and this has been the case
for period dating back to the earliest
census Of the Island which we have seen.
1t is said, indeed, that such is the severity
Of labor. that this enormous irresularity
of the sexes produces little Of that irrcsu-
larity Of conduct that would nearly destroy
all natural increase under a mild system,
but it is an essential consideration in esti-
mating the prospects Of the slave popuIa-
tior aud are bound to conclude that
without the slave trade, all the great plant
ins interests uf Cuba must undergo a
steady aud fatal decline.
We vainly hope that the laws thus des-
tructive Of it would be changed by the
anne exation of Cuba. We should not be
her Legislators. were she State Of the
Union. Cuba is already peopled, and by
IA race that would retain its jealous ex-
clu,iveness with all the ferved tenacity Of
religious bisotry, and national and social
repulsion.