New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-11-25

we are beginning TO offer prices 80 exorbltant
for coveted territories that our neghbors must
fancy us somewhat touched in the brain by our
abandonment to the speculative mania. For
Louisiana, Florida, New Mexico and California,
together, comprising more than half the ara
bic land in North America, We have paid the
aggregate sum Of Thirty-six Millions; and now
volved us in apublic debt of Seventy Millions
by war of conquest, cOolly offered, IN our be-
half, and without even pretending to be au-
thorized so TO do or 70 have consulted il any
manner the Peoples Representatives, the nice
little sum Of One Hundred Millions of Dollars
for single ono land this not the largest) of the
West India islands, sum nearly equal to the
cash cost Of our Revolutionary struggle, and
more than sufficient to build Railroad from
tie Mississippi to the Pacific.
Had Spain closed with this proposition the
One Hundred Millions must have been wrought
out of the sweat and sineTs of the laboring peo-
pie Of this country. Cuba would never have
paid fraction of it; she would have contribu-
ted to defray the common obligations of the
Union only as other States contribute, through
Duties on Imports under our Revenue Tariff
and these Imports would have been immensely
diminished BY the increase of trade between
that Island and our present States, paying no
Duties and yielding no revenue whatever. Ii
her Imports from all other countries should
amount to Twenty Millions per annum, paying
Four Millions of Duties, it would be all that
could in reason be expected; and if the island
could be protected and duly governed for this
sum, tho economy Of its administration would
indeed be commondable. There would remain,
then, Five or Six Millions per anDum as inter
eat. aud One Hundred Millions ultimately as
principal, TO be paid by the People of our pres
ent States-and for what
DO consider Mr. Buchanan's logic. with
Cube In hostile hands, he says that tho mouths
of the Mississippi may be shut and our South
orn Coasting Trade entirely cut of Bat, who
does not see that this would or wOuldnOt be as
our Naval power or that of our adyersaries
should predominant With feet able to hold
possession of the seas, we need borrow no
trouble about our COasting Trade or the clos
ing Of the Mississippi, while without such
feet we must submit TO suspension of our
COasting and Foreign Trade, Cuba or no Cuba
The case is too plain for argument Suppose
Cuba had been ours through outour last war with
Great Britain, what could it have done for us
The Havana would have been blOckaded, just
as New-York or the Chesapeake was, and Cuba
would have been pcrpetualy calling urgently
for troops and ships to defend her soil, instead
ofcontributing anything to the defense or secu-
rty of the Continental States. We could not
command" strait so narrow and SO land
locked as Long Island Sound during our last
British war, and to talk Of commanding the out
let of the Gulf of Mexico, except by a fleet
challenging combat and defying all opposition,
il 10 talk the wiudiest nonsense. A Quaker
gun On Fire Island to defend the approach to
New-Yorl, would be as efficient as the u. S.
eerrigon at the Moro in defending the Com
merce OF the Mississippi.
If there be on! one who has read Mr. Bu-
cLanans dispatch to Mr. Saunders without
unutterable loathing, we envy neither the OBJ
tuseness of his moral sense nor his lower-law
conceptions of statesmenshp The whole doc
ment is too thoroughly base to be deemed
clever, or even adroit Commencing with tho
bold lalsehood, We axe content that Cuba
shall contirue colony Of Spain it proceeds
TO eyincc toward Great Britain tho spirit Of
Iago, in language which BELTS bar-room
much better than an important State Paper.
II next indicates, with distinctnesS which no
suppression Of paragraphs can obscure, de-
termination 10 uphold and perpetuate Slavery
in Cubs, 1t Whatever expense of treasure or
good faith on the part OF our Government
but Be vii not proceed with our analysis.
The whole document is before our readers,
and we ask them to judge whether Folks and
Buchansn's and Saunders's Alterations of
concern for the stability of Spanish power in
Cuba. and their suPerservieeable efforts 70 up
hold and forriy it, are not among the basest
exhibitions of hypocrisy and knayery to which
even Diplomacy has ever descended.
We rejoice to learn that these intriguers
disgraced themselve, for nothing. The Span
ish Ministers, one and al, utterly and peremp.
tOiily refused 10 entertain any proposition for
the sale Of Cuba at any price. They assured
Mr.. Saunders that no Minister would dare en-
terrain il. no natter at what price; and that
Spain would rather see Cuba sunk in the
ocean than transferred 70 any other Power;
and thus the negotiation was defnitiyely
closed and has no. since been renewed. Such
is the state Of facts on which sometime
Wing Iaper-Thc Nee R1rk Tio.tS-eom.