The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-10-12
From the n. o. Commercial Bulletin.
The SUGaS PLANTERS AND THE ACQUISITION
OF CUBA.

I
The Alexandria D.m3;ra, Of tho 2I4s has q
| long asticl9 under substantially tn, foregoing
head Tho write. very clearly aui t-c.af.i!!y
argues that sugar Is nov as low n L31i-iaua
| planters can sfjTd Cd raise l.; that tho prob
abilities are that the tariff viii &c lezca~d
! instead of increased; thu competition with The
| production of Cuba, where negroes only cost
! from two TO three hundred pillars per head
aud where the rolling season extends from jan
nary to Januarv Is entirely out of the question
that the control Of the sugar market would ia
the best tariff the planters Of louisiana ccJlI
possibly desire; and that the acquisition CECuL.
affords the only means Of obtaining such n-
troll. Although we do not exactly agree with
our cotemporGcy IN his premises Ind cCnciu-
sions, we are free to stay they axe we'll IN. end
ably argued, and that they em5oay gre-
deal moro truth than poetry.
Ono proposition is absolutely certain: si-.r
cannot be raised in Lo1jsiaaa chs2par than e
now IS At the rates that hays ruled tha pas
season, the cUitare OF the cane has proved aly,
thing but q profitable business Could Inc
voice Of tho sugar planters BE- fully AID lr1ak-
~ heard, the expression Of being Gblo q msze
both ends of the year meet y would b fl0ad
universal. And, "a matters row stand, ne fli
sugar growers, in many directions, preparing
to quit the business, advertising their machine
~ for sale, and casting around for soms other
means Of making a livelihood Ia nc q.arter
do we hear Of che opening OF now plantaGCns.
Facts Ike these arc nc5 only indsputRDio, uIt
full Of grave import, ana should oOmmsnd oGTe-
fol consideration at the hGnds Of our fellow
citizens Of o.her States, as well a. Of cUr rs
tional Law makers.
If tho present tariff ne taken off or even ma
tsrially modified the sugar Interests o. L'1i-.-
ana viii be irret-ievably ruined. There -5 no
use Of Disgusting the met. Under tho C,rcuai-
stances that now surround &c, We cannJs hope
to compete with Cuban free sugar. Oar b. 81
priced lands high-priccd negroes and HI h
priced labor preclude as from competing with
the cheap lands, cheap negroes, ana chesp Ia
Dor of Cuba, to say nothing of tho superior fer
tility Of her soil, and other Obvious adTa-t1Ees.
But, as we have often asked betoTc, without Oh
tanning an aaswer--WOuld our destruction ben
eff the consumers o. sugar! No, most er--
phasically, say we On the contrary, l. would
iniure them at no distant day. Why's CdDlu
productions would be unable Co supply the de-
mand as it is now supplied; aud, as an inevi-
table consequences, the prices Of sugars would
appreciate largely. The invSria0ie laws Of
supply and demand prove this incontestab!y.
1t seems to us il would BE- poor consolation 70
the consumers to know that they had ruined
a large end unoffcndirg class OF their fellow
citizens, in order to obtain cheap sugars, ard
that then they had TO pay higher prices thal
ever! Such however, would to the inevitable
consequence Of the admission Of CuCaa sugar
duty free.
The advocates of tho acquisition Of Cuba
argue that as soon as 1t belongs to the United
States the African slave trade must cease, and
that the price Of lands, negroes, and labor,
would approximate the value OF the lands, ne
eroes, and labor, of Louisiana, which would
place our planters upon fair business equal
ty with those Of Cuba. There Is great pcac-
teal truth in this argument. The acquisition
Of Cuba would not be tenth part as harmful
as the repeal Of the sugar duties. Were we
compelled to choose between the two alterAa.
tiyes, we should certainly support all honora-
BILE measures having acquisition in view.
Intimately connected With the repeal Of tho
sugar duties are the interests of the cotton
planters Force the growers Of sugar TO ab5n-
don their present business, and 80 20 planting
cotton. ard three or four hundred thous nd
bales will be added TO the crop annually
Planters now say cotton is low enough-ss low
as they can afford 10 raise it. Add four hun
bred thousand bales to the crop, and o great
decline in price, for years to come, will be the
inevitable consequence. So it is pretty evident
our ruin cannot be effected without injury to
the consumers Of sugar and the producers Of
cotton.
We will conclude by quoting from the DsHs-
ocrot q portion Of the conclusion Of It's article,
going to show that the acquisition Of Cubs af-
fords the only means for tho peeuniafy calva-
ton of our sugar planters, together wish ether
remarks and revelations, all o. which we give
for whst they gre worth:
awe state what is believed to DO undenia-
ble-what is al admitted faet--tkat CH5a m H5t
| be YeUoltstionised 10 GUert ecttS 1htch h7eo' {.
our destruction. That island must pas 10
| the hands Of OUT countrymen before we can
have any assurance that we viii DO paid f'r
our toll and labor But how is this to be el-
| fected a so.ns will ask. Tho tale has been tod
\ a hundred tiuneA and all must De familiar
with Il Cuba is Iipe for Tevolution-her Gre
oles proan;ng under the yoke of the most inf
nous despotism that djsgraces Gods footstO0i
are yeayning FOR freedom, aud have stretch
I'd out their arms, imploring the aid af ali good
men and true. They have done more Khan
this. They have sent abroad means With
which they may be assisted in the strugs'e,
and are ready 60 raiss the standard of revolt
whenever suceor comes to hand Wbenevt r
arms are placed in thor hands. Their appeal
hos been heard and resp ended 20 BY men Who
know perfectly well whss they are about IN
expedition is on foot for the regeneration CT
the island, and that expedition has the cord;ai,
undivided support, FISAScIALLFiaado otherwise,