The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1853-02-18
Thy hand, great Annrch, lets the curtain fall,
And universal darkness buries ALL

French Revolution, II any one predicted the
excesses to which il gave birth, he would
have been regarded as a madman. What
security have we against the occurrence of
simiar We are human, as they were Our
law Of being is the same and if we once
depart from the plain path Of prudence and ,
Of recttudc, no human wisdom can forsee /
the result.
The present acquisition Of Cuba, In my
opinion, in any way, is of questionable pro-
prety; but if il is come to US as the result of
war and violence, instead of blessing it will
prove deadly i'll. When Caractacus was
carried to Rome, to grace the triumph of his
conqueror, he gazed with wonder and awe
upon the splendor and magnificence with
which lie was surrounded. Then, turning to
the Emperor, he expressed his simple wonder
that one so rich, SO powerful, so blessed with
the possession Of everything that earth could
bcstow, should have envied him his humble
cottage home in the forests of Britain. With
what force, with what property, might not.
Old Spain address to US a similar appeal!
Possessed oc a territory extending almost
from the Northern ocean to the region of the
tropics, embracing every variety of soil,
| climate, and production, why should we envy
Spain the last Little island o. her once mighty
dominlons! We do not need it for agriculture
we do not need it for purposes of national
defense.
! The assertion that Cuba commands the
Gulf trade is a fallacy which it requires a
very slight examination to dispel. Tortugas
and Key West command the Gulf trade, and
not only that, but they command Cuba itself.
With those points properly fortified, a hostile
fleet in the harbors of Cuba would be power
less ior mischief. This fact has long been
familiar to English statcsmen and on that
account the ccssion of Florida to the United
States was made the subject of excited de-
bate in the Parliament Of Britain. Spain
was greatly censurcd for making the cesson
while she pfolessed to &c an ally Of England
and the conduct of the Ministry in permitting
it to be done was animadvcrted upon in term.
equally severe. Nor are we without authority
from our own officers. Commodores Rodgers
Perry, and Taltnall, have all made reports
showing the immense Importance OF thest
points, and their absolute command of the
Gulf trade. Commodore Porter repeated y
experience while he was in command of tn,
Mexican fleet. General Totten has submit
| ted to the War Department an elaborate re
port to the same effect; and Lieutenan
Maury, in one of the ablest papers written b,
him, shows conclusiyely that no vessel unde
, canvass can leave the Gulf without passing il
sight Of Tortugas aud Key West; ant
estimates the amount necessary to complete
the iortilications at these points at somethin.
, less than two millions of dollars.
1t thus appears that it is the part o
economy, as well as of honesty, to fortify ou
own possessions, and leave our neighbors il
undsturbed enjoyment Of what belongs t,
them. 1t is surely better to appropriate 50,
100000 to complete Forts Taylor and Jefle-
son, than to cxpend $lO0,OOO,00O in tn,
purchase of Cuba. or uncounted millions in
lis subjugation and conquest. Nor would the
heavy outlay rendered necessary by either
mode of annexation cover our whole loss
We derive now from duties upon Cuban i'm
ports, an annual revenue of $4,000 900 o
S6,000,000. Ii Cuba be annexed, tha
revenue ceases entirely Higher duties mus
be laid on other articles, and we shall have
renewal of the discon.ents, chickering's, and
dissensions which attended the passage o
our earlier tariff laws. | am not in the habit
of using arguments addressed to the North
or to the South. No argument can be good
one which docs not address itself to the whole
country; aud the statesman whose patriotism
is limited by u State line is an unsafe lcgs-
lator for great people. But sectional APP
. ! npuIl huv bnn "A I
them. In no one aspect in which can look
at this question does tpresent any appearance
! but that of injury to the South. II Cuba
came in AS slave State, it would give us no
additional political advantage, no additional
political power. The once cherished dream
OF southern statesmen of maintaining Il
balance Of power in the Senate of the u S.
has been completely exploded The North
has already obtained a prcpondcrance, and
that preponGcrance will be increased from
year to year. What we have lost can never
be resained. For the maintenance of our
rights, and the preservation of our privileges,
we must look to other sourccs--to the good
sense of the American people, to their deep
love for the institutions under which we live,
to their innate sense OF right and justice, and
to the certainty that any serious cncroachmcnt
must be followed by commissions which would
shake the continent.
Cuba AS slave State, would not restore
the balance Of power, and is therefore,
politically, Of no Importance. In pecuniary
point of view, it would be oppressive and
d,'"""'s !" tho s"t"s"e. 1t would Lrinu
powerful rival iR direct competition with
the most profitable productions of the south.
crn States. Remove the duties now levied
upon those articles winch come from Cuba,
and lhtir culture in the southern States will
soon sicken aud die. The present tariff upon
sugar is highly protective, and its removal
would prove grievous burden; but there is
even greater danger to be apprehended from
its increased production. Spain has been
slumbering Tor hundred years. Not long
since, met an intelligent Louisiana planter
in Havana, who assured me that he had
traverscd nearly the whole island, that he
found in its fields but one modern plough, g.
in It's mills scarcely single modern improve.
ment. His opinion was hat if Cuba belong
ed to the United States its productions would
be quadruplcd. II that opinion be correct,
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