Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1855-03-27

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the pretext for committing fagrantinjustice,
as in the partition of Poland, and other
similar cases which history records, yet the
principle ITSELF though often abused, has
always been recognized.
"The United States have never acquired
foot of territory except by fair purchase,
or. as in the case of Texas, upon the free
and voluntary application of the people of
that independent state, who, desired to blend
their deslinies with our own Even our ac-
QUESTIONS from Mexico are no exception to
the rule, because although we might have
claimed them by the right of conquest, in a
just war, yet we purchased them for what
was then considered full and ample equiv
alent. Our past history forbids that We
should acquire the island Of Cuba without
the consent of Spain, unless justified by the
great law Of self-preseryation. We must
in any event, preserve our own conscious
rectitude, and our own self.respect Whilst
pursuing this course, we can afford to dis
regard the censures Of the world, to which
We have bsen so often and SO nnjustly exs
posed. Atier zoe shall habs offered Spain
price for Cuba, far beyond itspresent value,
and this shall haze been refused, 1t tuiH then
be time to consider The question, Does Cuba,
in The possession of Spain, seriously endan-
ger oar internal peace and the existence Of
5r cherished Unione Should this question
be dnswered in the affirmative, then By every
law, human and divine, ,e should be justified
in wresting il from Spain, # aUe possess the
po,cer;; and this upon the very same princi-
pie that would justify an individual in tear
ing down the burning house Of his neigh
Dor, if there were no other means of pre-
venting the flames from destroying his own
home.
"Under such circumstances, we ought
neither to count the cest nor regard the
odds which Spain might enlist against us
We forbcar to enter into the question wheth
er the present condition of the island would
Justify such measure. We should, how
ever, be recreant to our duty, be unworthy
Of our gallant forefathers, and commit base
treason against our posterity, should we
permit Cuba to be Africanized and become
a second St. Domingo, with all its attendant
horrors to the white race, and suffer the
flames to extend to our own neighboring
shores, seriously to endanger or actually to
consume the fair fabric of our Union.
1"We fear that the course and current Of
events are rapidly tending towards such a
! catastrophe. We, however, hope for the
best, though we ought certainly to be pre-
pared for the worst. We also forbear to
investigate the present condition of the ques-
tons at issue between the United States and
: Spain. A long series of injuries to our
people have been committed in Cuba by
Spanish officials, and are unredressed. But
recently "a most fragrant outrage on the rights
of American citizens and on the flag of the
United States, was perpetrated in the harbor
r of Havana under circumstances which, with
t out immediate redress, would have justified
I resort to measures of war in vindication
of our national honor.
"That outrage is not only unatoned, but
the Spanish government has deliberately
{. sustained the acts of its subordnates and
assumed the responsibility attaching to them
o Nothing could more impressively teach us
the danger to which those peaceful relations
it has ever been the policy of the United
Z States to cherish with foreign nations, are
!, constantly exposed, than the circumstance
II of the case. Situated as Spain and thu
United States are, the latter have forborn,
to resort to extreme measures; but thi
: course cannot, with due regard to their owl
is dignity as an independent nation, continue
!, and our recommendations now submitte,
# are dictated by the firm belief that the ces
Il sion Of Cuba to the United States, with stip
" uations as beneficial to Spain as those sug
'e gesled, is the only mode of settling all pas
d differences, and of securing the two couu
A. tiles against future collisions" ...,
e. In plain English, this means, the Unite
States are determined to have Cuba, at a
Mt hazards. Being little afraid of Englan
lr and France, as well as the public sentimel
of the Free States, they would rather pa
lie a hundred millions or so of the people
or money for it, than risk war of conques
he But if Spain cannot be tempted, coaxed,
frightened into selling it, then we must ca
n, about Immediately, (while Spain is rent wi
internal feuds, and England and France a
a. busy with Russia, to find some sort of pr
ret text for making warlike attack upon Il
island, and forcibly wrestling it from Spai
vt The pretexts urged, are: /. That Cuba m,
!" be Africanized; or, in other words, slave
lie may be abolished in Cuba ltwould nev
- do for a FREE people to allow neighbour
O. state to abolish SLAVERY 1t might enda
ur ger "the fair fabric Of our cherished Union
Ike If Cuba attempts TO give freedom to h
ID. slaves, America-the land of the free mu
nd send an invading army there to conquer t
is country, cut it up into slave states, and a
,b. mex it to this land of liberty 2. If Gu
,se does not attempt to free her slaves, then
~; must Try some other plan to getinto 6gl
~ Perhaps we can persuade some of the d
ust contented spirits of Cuba to rebel agar
,er the government, and then encourage fil
nit clustering expeditions from this country.
to: not, then we must pretend that Spain h
in insulted us, and nothing but Cuba will a