The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-08-10
C q BA.

Those in the interests of Slavery Propaganda
ism are confident in the expectation that Cuba
is to be bought or conquered by the Federal
Governme ut at no distant day. 1t is stated by
leading Southern journals, that negotiations
are now actively going forward between Mr..
Soule and the Spanish Court, with reference to
this subject; and it is believed that the Span
ish Instruction will further the design, by
bringing the Government of Spain into pecu-
mary embarrassments, demanding supply of
money at any sacrifice. It is expected, also,
that in the event of tho success Of the rebels,
the necess ties of the new Government, in like
manner, viii constrain it to part with the
island of Cuba for " a consideration"
1t is true that Mr.. Soule most solemnly de-
clared in the United States Senate even after
he was looking to the Spanish mission, that he
would never consent to pay dollar for the
island; that he looked upon its purchase as
dishonoring to the people of Cuba; and that
no terms of acquisi ton were to be thought Of
but those of peaceful cession or open revolt
Such was the hollow language of Mr.. Soule,
only short month or two before he received
the appointment of Minister to Spain. But if
any one doubts the readiness of champion of
Slavery to eat his wor Dis, in order to pro-
great ignorance OF the true character of the
men and their principles. Slavery requires of
its votaries that they must act upon the maxims
that the end justi6es the means" and that
ono faith is to be kept with heretics" and
the man twho is not willing to come up to
this standard cannot be regarded as sound on
the Slavery question" The passage of the
Nebraska Bill, the reputation of the Declara-
ton of Independence as ga seEevident He,D
and the bold advocacy of revival of the Afri-
can slave trade, are cases in point, which serve
| to Illustrate the remark. We have seen tho
honorable men " and the chiSslry" of the
South repudiate all the maxims of the fathers
of the Constitution, and the oompacts into
| which the North and the South entered, in re-
gard to division of the territories; and we
can never be surprised at any act of perfdy,
any amount of fslsehood, or any crime, into
which the nation may be lwecipitated, while it
is ruled by the foul spirit of Slavery Propa-
gandism.
The tameness with which Northern presses
and politicians receive the proposition TO pur-
chase Cuba, at cost of from one to three hun
dred millions Of dollars at the moment when
the South would not consent that the British
Provinces should come into the Union without
charge to the public treasury, is amazing! 1t
is cooly proposed to buy an Island filed with
savage negroes, and moro savage Spanish mas
ters, ell speaking different language, and
| protesting different religion from our own, at
a cost greater than that of the American Rev
olution; and the domineering slave interest, in
the same breath, with unparalleled impotence
| and effrontery, declare eternal hostility to the
| peaceable annexation of a free, homogeneous
people, although it should not cost the Federal
Government a dollar. Are we free Repub.
lie, or are we the bond slaves of the three hun.
dred and seventy-fve thousand lordly negro
drivers of the Souths
Some Northern men, even Anti-Slavery men
! have spoken of the acquisition of Cuba as de-
sirable, on the ground that il win bring the
Spanish system of Slavery under the human
izing influences of our higher civilization.
/ This, in our Judgment is great mistake
With the single exception that constant
! stream of barbarism has been pouring intc