The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-10-05
THE ACQUISITION OF CUBA.

Every great movement demands Time for its
and perfect success. Whoever
will Look back over the long range of years will
be struck with the delay in extending the south
crn boundary Of our Confederacy. This extern
sion, inevitably marked as it was, was only
reached after years Of fiui,less negotiation, to
,e closed at last on the fields Of a brilliant but
'loodywar. Yet fiom the very frst-from even
he days of Aron Burr.-it was perfectly evil
dent to all that i, must and would take place
That this conviction existed even in Mexico, is
most distinctly traced in The sharp diplomatic
correspondence between our Minister, Wilson
Shannon, and the Mexican Minister, Bocanegra,
during the Administration of MIR. Tyler. 1t
was inevitable, but wha. length Of time elaps
ed before il burst from the slow bud into flow
err
No, unlike the position of the United States
towards Mexico then, is the attitude she occu-
pies towards Cuba now We are not ven.uring
any extravagant assertion when we say that
there is not an American citizen who does not
feel that, sooner or later, we shall possess Cuba
THIS is feeling which no disaster and no reverse
can extingush, and diplomatic delay can
weaken. The unfortunate issue Of the Carde-
mas affair only gave fuel TO the flame, and the
second expedition, fatally closed as i, was with
the butchery Of the unfortunate Crittenden and
his comrades, has only impeled our people to
look more steadily to g the good time coming
in the future. Through the smoke Of Las Posas
they see the folds of the American flag waving
in the winds of the Havana.
The American people do not have this feeling
alone. The General Government certainly did
all to prevent the setting out Of the expedition $
standing its evident antagonism TO +" filibuster-
ing," the opinion that we intend to acquire pos.
session of the island is held by every rival
nation. This conviction despite our former
Governmental action, appears from the English
and French press, and the proposal for the Tri-
pariie treaty was only natural result of tina,
conviction. The proposal to guarantee by such
a treaty, the future possession of Cuba to Spain
for all time, was Of course, Indignantly rejected
by Mr.. Everett, then our Secretary of State
Much praise has been awarded to this gentle
man for his conduct on that occasion, but it is
difficult to perceive what other course could
have been taken which would not have been al
entire variance with the united public opinion
of the Union. The refusal was foregone con
clusion, and there discretion allowed
him. We must allow him the credit of having
stated the determination Of our Government
with diplomatic skill and courtesy, and unans
werable argument in justification Of it, but tn.
praise of far-seeing statesnanship, if any Their,
be, belongs TO the people at large.
To US Of the State of Iowa, the question is o
no common importance While it is readil,
conceded that the possession of Cuba would b,
of incalculable benefit to the United States as
body, yet it is equally evident that those state
lying along the line of the Mississippi, are NOR,
Immediately interested in its speedy acquisition
Destined as we are, to be great producin.
state, relying on the world for market, it con
Germs our highest welfare that we secure as man,
outlets as possible. The position of Cub
makes it easy for the force of that island 10 tur
the greatest stream in the world into a mer
state canal. 1t has been called in a phrase no
more trite than true, the key to the Gulf, an
its acquisition is geographical necessity.
There is another consideration, which, adde
to those already given, indicates most surel
the future action of our Government. This
correctly stated in the recent letter of MI
| Everett
"There is no doubt widely prevalent in thi
country feeling that the people of Cuba ar
justly disaffected to the government of Spain
All the ordinary political rights enjoyed in fse
countries, are denied to the people Of that island
The government is, in principle, the worst form
Of despotsm, viz: absolute authority delegates
to a military vceroy, and supported by an arm
from abroad
We may regret or exult in, the fact tina
the American people possess trait of characte
distinctly marked in the history of the mothe
country strong trudency to involve them
selves in the affairs of other nations, when the
assume warlike aspect. This trait has left il,
decided mark on the pages of Anglo Saxol
annals. At almost the very inception of TN
race this characteristic is observed. In latte
years it is yet more plainly perceivabIe. Da.in.
| from the revolution Of 1858, England has ex
pended more than serenity fire hundred miition
Of dollars in wars waged entirely on othe
| shores, "not one of which," says one of he
|psnPhleteers, " has been in defence of ihei
own hearths or homes" In our own times, ou
readers have seen our people aid the South
American Republics, sympathize with Greece
assist Texas, volunteer for Canada, all but star
out for Hungary, project expeditions on the
Sandwich Islands, give strength to new revolt,
in New Mexico, and fit out two separate expedi
tions to assist the Cubans. Most of these move
ments were made against the declared wishe.
of Government, and how significant they are
when considered in reference to the present sub
ject Lett be remembered that Government
n0so unlike the cowardly, bloodless, admins
istration of '49, is known to sympathze in some
degree with the oppressed people of Cuba
Let it be remembered that public opinion indi-
Gates but one thing. Let us recolet TOO that
the barbarities practced on the high spirited but
misled soldiers of fortune under Lopez, have
changed what was once a feeling of generous
y"sPos"yS mto ueSlIe OI revenge
Let us besides remind ourselves that Young
America is fresh from the triumphant battles of
Mexico, and that the earthquake voice of vic
tory isyet ringing in its ear
The future is neither dim nor doubtful. and
for one, we bid it welcome
% The London Times is VIGOROUSLY the
most illiberal paper in the world towards Amer.
lea. Throughout its whole history it has been
careful to omit no occasion to put forth its scan-
delous ibels on our Government and people
At every opportunity it has ridiculed our litera-
ture, held what it calls our "provincial man.
ners' up to the scorn Of the world, moderated
our public institutions, endeavored to sow dis.
sension between us and foreign n,tions, sought
to falsify our history nation, and breathed
nothing but spirit of the most malignant ha.
tired towards us. The remembrances of the
victories of '76 and 1919 rankle in it, and it
clings to the past modification with a perfectly
" barbarian memory Of wrongs" These facts
are notorious through the world wherever the