The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1853-02-18

shipped to Florida about thirteen thousand
bales Of cotton. ln 1916, when the war had
ended not a solitary bale. These figures
show how great wss the advantage Of having
a neutral Power upon our borders, and how
much suffering was avoided which must
otherwise have been endured. The vast in
crease of the Gulf trade renders such an
outlet OF far more importance now than at
any former period and it is difficult to 'esti- ,
mate all the advantages which may flow from !
it.
Let me turn nov to a more general view
of the subject. Cuba has population Of
one million two hundred thousand Inhabitants.
Or these about six hundred thousand are
whites little more than two hundred thous.
and free blacks, and the remainder slaves,
most of them of recent Importation. If the
Island of Cuba were turned over TO US to-
morrow without cost, with this heterogeneous
population, how is it to be governed! Not
one Of them has ever exercised the right of
suffrage Not one OF them ever for
moment felt the iron-hand of military des-
potism relaxed. They could not be trusted
to govern themselves. The habits and the
preiudces of centuries are not to be shaken
off in an hour. They would still cherish a
decp-seated attachment for the spendor Of
royalty, and as deep contempt for the plain
republican government which would slipplant
it. To such people constitution and
State government after American models
would be a curse, leading inevitably to
anarchy, constant disturbances, and daily
scenes of violence and boodshed.
Another imposing difficulty is to be found
in their establAhed religion. With us that
could not continue. The magnificent cerc-
monies which they have been accustomed to
see, surrounded and protected by the full
strength of the law, would at once lose that
protection; and the cowled priest, whose
titles are now paid to him as legal right,
|. would find himself dependent upon the charity
of his flock, whom therefore he would have
every motive to render dscontented and
/ turbulent. Who can estimate the effect oI
this upon an ignorant, bigoted, and supersti-
tious race, speaking a different language, ac.
, customed to different laws, despising our in
5 stitutons, looking upon us with jealousy ant
, fear! This blow ut a religion which has beer
, transmitted to them from century to century
5 would dissipate the last hope of cordia
, union between the races, and render it nearly
, certain that in order to govern Cuba peace
, ably we first must make it solitude, an,
! then people it with emigrants from thes
2 States.
But, sir, if every other objection to th
= annexation OF Cuba were removed thcr,
would still exist an almost nsuperable diff
, ticuliy in the number of free blacks win
r swarm about the island. Ignorant and vicious
they would be found ready instruments in an,
! work of mischief. Mingling freely with tn,
. slaves, they would be constantly exciting The
. latter to insurrcctiOn and revolt, and thus
render the lives of the planters every moment
f insecure. 1t may be asked why these evil.
r are not now felt! I'd some degree they are
but they are felt less sensibly, because, owe
4, these as over the rest of her subjects, Spail
maintains sleepless military rule. They
can turn in no direction without meeting
, company of infantry or troop Of horse; an,
the certainty with which heavy punishment
, follows suspicion, ever operates as an elicctua
check upon their vicious propensities. witt
us it would be wholly different. There woult
be no soldiers to overawe them, no military
executions to keep alive their terrors, II,
t police exercising over them a constan
t vigilance, and checking every plot in its frs
inception. In the South, we understand til,
difficulties and the dangers which arise from
this class of population, and most of the
southern States have passed laws to exclude
them from their limits; but they are already
located in Cuba, and The difficulty is to gc
rid of them.
There are other arguments which might
advance, but it is not needed, In the elaborate
discussion which these resolutions have caus
cd, 60 not rccollcct to have seen single
tcnuble reason advanced in favor of the
acquisition of Cuba. Its possession is as
sumcd to be of mmen sc advantage; but in
what that advantage consists we ure wholly
uniformed. We are not told how we are to
be benefited by throwing away revenue OF
five or six millions of dollars annually. We
are not told how we are to be benefited by
destroying the culture of sugar in the south
ern States. We are not told how we are to
be benefited by changing the character of Il
neutral harbor into which our commerce
might be safely poured in time of war. We
are not told what advantage we are to derive
| ''oh Incorporating uulonp US mass ol
wrctched human beings, whites, free blacks,
aud slaves, unfit to govern themselves, and
unwilling TO be governed by us.
Not one of these things seems to have
been considered OF sufficient Importance to
| attract attention. In the eloquent speech OF
the honorable Senator from Louisiana, Mr..
SoULE,] was particularly struck with the
absence of all this. noticed also, another
significant omission. lie did not venture to
tell ns when or in what way he thought Cuba
ought to be acquired. lie told us that he
was not in favor of its purchase, but there he
stopped | am sure he does not desire that
it should come to Us as the result Of an un-
provoked and aggressive war, There is but
one other mode in which it can come, and
that is by successful revolt of the Cubans
themselves. Well, sir.if that be his method,
we are pretty nearly agreed. am willing
to compromise on that; for it is toleraby
certain that he and I will both be cold in the
grave long before that revolution is begun,
much less accomplished.
The Senator froLi Florida Mr.. MALLoRYl
N hn, shnt q h,