Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1852-12-22
Important Correspondence.

Certain official documents, throwing
great light on u transaction In MI. FOLK
Administration, much talked of at the
time it occurred, have just been printed
for the first time at Washington. On the
18th of February last, the House of Re-
representatives. made a call on the Execu-
tive for all the correspondence and docu-
ments in its possession relative to the po-
iey of the United States in relation to
the Island of Cuba. In accordance with
this resolution, the President has had
printed correspondence between Mr..
Buchanan, Secretary of State, and Mr..
Saunders, the American Ambassador at
Madrid. from which it appears that Mr..
Folks Administration offered Spain one
hundred millions of dollars for the Island,
and that Spain refused to hear any pro-
positions whatever for its purchase, either
at that price or at any other.
Mr.. Buchanan says in his letter that
the United States can never consent that
Cuba shall become colony of any other
European power than Spain. He then
goes ON to show the danger of our domes-
tic and foreign commerce and even to the
Union Of the States, which he apprehends
from the acquisition of Cuba by any pow
erful maratime State. He then exhibits
It's advantages to us, if annexed to the
United States. The population in 1914
is supposed to have been only one million
seven thousand six hundred and twenty
four: but it is believed to be capable of
sustaining ten millions of people
Were Cuba says Mr.. Buchanan, a
portion of the United States, it would be
difficult To estimate the amount Of bread
stuffs, rice, cotton, and other agricultural
as well as manufacturing and mechanical
productions; of lumber, of the produce of
our fisheries, and of other articles which
would find q market in that Island, in
exchange for their coffee, sugar, tobacco,
and other productions, This would go
on increasing with the increase of its po-
pulation. and the development of its re-
sources, and all portions of the Union
would be benefited by the trade
The letter of Mr.. Saunders gave his
tory of his efforts to carry out the purpo-
ses of our government and state that his
propositions were very courteously but
very decidedly declined. The feeling of
the country was represented to him to be
such, that. sooner than see the Island
transferred to any power, they would pre-
fer seeing it sunk into the ocean,
Mr.. Saunders account shows pretty
desperate state of the finances and pub
liz debt of Spain. The foreign debt is
estimated at four hundred millions of dol
lars, of which the Agent Of the English
creditors claim four hundred and fifty MIL
lions. The domestic debt is stated at
three hundred millions. The average
receipts of the last four or FIVE years pre-
ceedinS the Gaie OF atr Sanders Se":.le%1' llc:.te:
sixty-Gve millions of dollars, and the ex.
penditures seventy millions. The army
is computed at $50. 900 in the Peninsula,
is or go 900 for Cuba, and $4,000 for
the other colonies. The Spanish govern
ment place much higher estimate on
the revenues of Cuba than Mr.. Bucha-
mans calculations. They place it at IT,
100000 dollars and, after deducting
the expenses of the civil and military,
claim for the treasury six millions. Be-
sides this, the orders or rents on the trea-
sury, pay to the navy, and employment
to persons who would be entitled to re-
firing pensions at home, together with the
profits from the flour monopoly, make,
according to the estimate here, some tif-
teen or twenty millions annually
1t is pretty evident from these docu-
nlents that Spain, Great Britain and the
United States have very deep interest
IN Cuba. and that it is not likely to change
hands very soon with the consent of its
present owner or of Great Britain.