Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-01-01
FROM rHE CHARLESTON MEpcUnY.

The persistence of the New York Steamship Company
inattemptng to force certain "Purser SMITH " upon
the Inequalities of Havana and the recent publication
voluminous diplomatic correspondence between Spain
and the United States touching the Of Cuba
minatng with proposition Of Mr. Polk Administration
to buy the island for $780, 000 which peremptor
ly rejected by Spainthese two things coming together
have given the affairs Of Cuba unusual prominence
Our relations with Cuba not only interesting, but
critical The publication of the diplomatic correspond
ence has not indeed any direct connection with recent
difficulties but bears the strongest evidence to the
determination of the United States control the des
mics Of Cuba the extent Of preventing its transfer
any Of the great maritime Powers and finally to secure
the possession of for themselves by price,
it will be very natural especially for other nations, to
connect the matter of this correspondence with the multi
frious attempts by citizens Of the United States to involve
the Government in conflict with the authorities Of Cuba
In the commencement, these hostile enterprises
formed the plan of evadng by secrecy and the mask
of peaceable adventures in trade and travel the inter
Of the Federal Government suppress them The
adventures claimed that the Cuban people devoted
Republicans burning for opportunity throw off the
hard Government that subssted by grinding the skim 81
news and bones Of its subjects They affirmed that their
only the signal for firing the gun Of Cuban
patriotism not the gun itself the force support it,
How these assertions sustained by events is known
to all me lnvauerS IOunQ, not only party, out no
friends in the Island The Spanish troops
hostile to them than the Cuban population Even in
of the prison which they broke open joined the Gov
eminent forces against them. They isolated as
they had landed in South Carolina, like enterprise
Of revolution and destruction.
These private nyasons have been reinquished
and the pretexts for them viz the dsaecon Of the Gu
ban people and their desire unite their desnies with
ours have been contradicted and exposed by such
of sound evidence that they given up as commodi-
ty that longer finds market But the attempts upon
Cuba not therefore suppressed The spirit of host
ty has ceased to work The Government has been
assaed necessarily through the press most exaggerated
statements Of its seventies have been circulated with the
manifest purpose Of leading the way substantial
hostes and every opportunity eagerly used to drag the
Government of the United States into quarrel with Spain
Now nothing is more certain than that the parties in
all these later attempts the same and their purposes
the same, in the former war between the United
States and Span II is taken for granted would be i'm
ediately followed by the invasion and conquest of Cuba
and thus the very object of the original Fbusters would
be directly aimed and much certainly achieved
than by any crude undertakings Of their own.
We shall not stop to discuss whether this conquest
would be such matter of course as is assumed Grant
that it would be made and secured what then would be
the aspect of the whole affair the pages Of history
The diplomatic correspondence is first in the order of
time though last in coming to light 1t shows that for
series OF years the Government of the United States took
pains TO enforce upon Spain the certainty that they would
interfere with all their MEANS TO prevent the transfer OF
Cuba TO any great maritime Power and finally, that they
were Wiling 10 guy the 1SAnu Ior great sum. rms
proposition purchase being firmly and finally rejected
by SPAIN there occurred long time afterward more
than one attempt by armed parties from the United
States to seize upon Cuba with the avowed purpose OF
converting it into independent State and annexng il
to this Confederacy These irregular enterprises though
scarcely nterfered with by the Federal Government
trey failed of their object, and followed by
cession of irritating disputes for which there the
smallest occasion in the necessity of things but which,
being magni6ed by interested Misrepresentation were
fosered into war; through which the United States at
tanned at last the longchershed object of the posses
sion of Cuba
history so written would probably provoke the indg
nant comments of large part of the press of the United
States such rs the press of the country would be after
this imagined conquest; but IL would inevitably be tn,
history that would survveto after tines because woue
exhibit something like consistency in the course of ou
Government; and moreover, it would be near tn,
truth that it is likely any man who aspired to be re
membered by posterity would devote himself to the
futation Of it
We desire earnestly exhibit this subject of our rea
tons with Cuba in its aspect and to us tina
in what have already brought forward there
raj points established by sufficient evidence that 90 far
relieve the question Of portion Of its difficulties
l. Spain has absolutely refused to sell Cuba. We ma,
therefore be at the danger of its being trans
ferred to any other nation by private agreement Ii
fact Spain parted with any of her territorial pos
sessions except under the urgency Of dire necessity Tn
United States win always be party to any disposition
the island by force.
2 The people of Cuba have proved conclusively tina
Government for any which their friends in the Unite
States may be anxious confer upon them. And the
not without Cuba is q great and hourishin
colony advancing rapidly IN nearly all the elements
prosperity Where the other Spanish colonies thos
that century ago far ahead Of in strength
merce, industry, and reputation, They have tried tn
experiment Of substituting military governmen
by anarchical democracy and from the moment Of thu
change they have been sinking into feeble impoverished
and despised communities We are not to suppose tina
the people of Cuba are incapable Of making these compa
fsons between their wealth and envabie prosperity
and the degradation and misery Of all the Spanish colo
mics that have tried the experiment Of separation and
publicansm On the contrary IL Judge by their acts
they have considered the subject we'll and decided tina
whatever ree Government may be for Others 1t is poison
and destruction for them.
3. II il quite evident that the present difficulties with
Cuba have been and ostered by the same parties
who vainly attempted to seize the island forcbly Il
fiibusterism in new guise, but with the old spirit
and the old hopes. We say with oil solemny that d.
not believe there is wel-nformed in the United
States who assured in his own mind that these dis
putes would have arisen but for the desire anc
hope OF parties in this country to drive them
Of a war which shoud end in the conquest Of Cuba
We consider, then, the acquisition Of Cuba BY fou
MEANS as the real question before the public.
Ought the people Of the United States to aim at sue
an object Ought the Southern people to treat it
project for their good?
To the whole country the subject this aspect
Spain viii not pesceably yield this colony, for a
exorhdtant pecunary consideration The United State
can only acquire it by AS far present difcule
are concerned, they only acquire il by war tha
would have neither justification in the laws Of nations
nor the sympathy Of any portion Of the civilized world
They would even stand suspected II not convicted,
having tried every way TO attain vorie object NOR
covery and OF resortng violence only when chespe
nut4lr I'D rn& $500