Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1852-12-02
EASTERN TIMES,
Bath, Thursday, Dec. 2, 1852.
Cuba.


who has a particle of patriotic blood IN hi
veins. to witness the repeated insults to thu
American flag in the barbor of Havana. Be
cause an officer on board one of our ships il
suspected of participating in " reasonable
schemes" which he promptly denies, an Amer
lean ship must be visited and ransacked BY
Spanish officers American officers are insult
ed, forbidden to come into port again unless thu
suspected officer is dismissed, and system o
petty annoysnces practiced upon our commerce.
disgraceful to be borne. And the last intelli
gence we have is, that the Crescent City steam
er instead of enforcing respect in the harbor Of
Havana to the American flag. is not to be per-
mitted to return unless purser Smith IS dis
missed What kind of government have
we, to manage such an affair in so bungllns
manners The same administration that al
lowed one hundred Americans 10 be massacred
by Spanish blood hounds without even the
shadow of an attempt at intervention ,..s
Has it come to This, that Spain is to say what
kind of men are to be employed in our national
vessels Suppose, an American officer, in his
cdEneSb pyiHPathy lOt oPliSSoS~ PN~I->f
speaks out the sentiments of his heart, and bids
success to revolutions Shall he be removed
in disgrace: Yes, according to the new-fan-
gled notions of republican rights tolerated by
the present administration, which has already
SO far succumbed to the insolent demands of
the Governor General of Cuba as to refuse to
forward the mails IN any steamer IN achich Mr..
Smith is purser But we say NO An Amer
lean on American soil or on board an American
ship has right to condemn oppression and SYM
pathize with the oppressed everywhere. And
he has right to the protection of the Ameri-
can government. Heretofore an American cit
izen was thought to possess such rights; but it
seems that Spain intends to shut our ships and
our citizens out of her ports altogether. We
hope she will not succeed in placing the COM
mercial intercourse between the two nations on
this new footing, as seems to be the plan start
ed by SPAN, and reciprocaed by the admins
tration in power in this country. If the plan
succeeds, it will make another snarl for the
democratic administration of Frank Pierce to
undo
The English papers taking up the subject
of our difficulties with Spain, ana the London
Times threatens that France, and probably
England, will look upon the acquisition of Gu
ba or the Sandwich Islands by the United
States, as a cause for war. Let them threaten.
They threatened and growled about the acqui-
sition of Texas, about interfering in the war
x,;tl Movinn aud th,t oil fbax- tbon h,
expedient to do. The fact is, according to the
old Monroe doctrine, they have no right to IN
,erfere in any question connected with Ameri-
can territory. Neither France or England has
of right any thing to say on the question of the
transfer either of Cuba or tine Sandwich Islands
to the United States. Have not the Sandwich
Islands been civilized by American citizens and
christianised by American missionaries: Who
has a better right to those islands of the sea,
that great central point on the highway of the
Pacific, connected to us by every tie. CONNER
cial and social, than the United States. And
when the proper time arrives, despite the srowl-
ing of France and England, the Sandwich ISL
ands must come under the esis of our protec-
tion.
As to the annexation of Cuba, we presume
it will not be brought about immediately
Several anterior events must take place. The
"gem of the Antilles must be redeemed from
the crushing thraldom of Spain, before she can
be set in the sparkling coronet of the republic
The most fertile island in the world, and capa-
BILE of progressing in productiveness and enter
prise ten field, Cuba is loaded down with out
rageous taxation, and fetterei in every conceiv-
able manner. to feed and pamper royalty in
the old crumbling kingdom of Spain. Our
commerce is hampered down under the most
unjust exactions, our products are loaded down
with the most outrageous duties, by the same
power that sucks leech like at the life blood of
poor Cuba. Under the re-vivifying effects of
open ports to the commerce of the United
States, our small vessels would enter at once
upon gigantic and profitable business lines
of steamers would be established from Boston,
New York, Philadelphia, Charleston and New
Orleans to Havana, Matanzas and other Cuban
ports; American enterprise would develop her
resources to an extent beyond calculation, and
this beautiful island of the ocean would form
one of the most salubrious and most frequent
ed watering places on the American continent.
Geographically considered, Cuba belongs TO
the United States. She holds the key of the
Gulf of Mexico. She forms the halfway point
on the Atlantic in our intercourse with our Pa
ci6c States of the future, and she is located but
q short distance from our southern coast. There
is no reason why Spain, three thousand miles
off, should rule the destinies of Cuba. But it
is said Spain has right to the island, and we
should not interfere. 1t was once said that
England had a right to the American colonies,
but our patriotic fathers thought and acted
otherwise Spain has right to Cuba as long
rs she bows in submission; but the time is at
hand, we hope, when the patriots of Cuba will
rise in their might, and, supported by the sym
pathy and efforts of freemen, show to the world
that they can redeem themselves from the con-
dition of serfs to European royalty, and crush
with good right arm the power of the tyrant.
When that day comes, we shall go in for the
annexation of Cuba, despite foreign or domestic
threats.
France