, 1855-08-24
The Acquisition of Cuba.

Col. Jefferson Davis, Secretary of War
> on the occasion of his recent visit to Mis-
sissippi passed through Vicksbnrg, where
he was publicly received, and made {
speech in response to- an address of wei
) come. The Vicksburg Sentinel says thi,
speech met the high expectations of tn,
friends Of Col. Davis, and that it was {
complete and unanswcrablc defence of The
administration Of Preslcn, Pierce. ThC
Sentinel adds
He showed, what We have heretofore
endearored TO make clear to our readers
that the failure TO acquire Cuba and to re
pei with proper spirit the insults to oul
flag by the Spanish authorities in Cuba i,
not chargable upon the President, but upon
Congress; that the President had done all
in his power to vindicate the honor of our
flag, had left nothing undonc to acquire
Cuba, but Congress had failed to TO any.
thing; that upon the Black Warrior affair
his message was more warike than that OF
Madison upon which the Congress of 1872
declared war, but there.was not even a
vote of confidence, nor anything placed at
I his disposal that would enable him TO act
efficiently in the matter. His comments,
too, upon the position Of the President in
relation TO State rights could no; fail to
satisfy all that in Pierce We had a mau who
will guard our rights and protect by his
veto ull assaults upon slavery His com
ments upon the knOw-nolhings were play
fully felicitous and in perfectly good taste"
We are very strongly OF the opinion that
Col. Davis must be incorrectly reported by
the Sentinel. Recent events have shown
that the United States could not Justly
have gone to war with Spain on the score
of the Black Warrior difficulty. The fail.
urc to secure u diplomats settlement of
that difficulty at an early day arose, as we
understand the matter, from the neglect Of
Mr.. Soule to lay before the Spanish cabi-
net dispatch from our Secretary of State
prescribing the terms upon which the Uni
ted States would make an adjustment.
When, finally, that dispatch was commnni-
Gated to the Spanish minister, its terms
were speedily assented TO, and there was
an end Of difference about the detention Of
the Black Warrior
This single fact proves that Congress
was wise in Withholding u proposed uppro.
priation to meet an apprehcndedl cxigency.
Had the appropriation been made, the ad-
ministration might, in profound ignorance
Of the conduct Of Mr.. Soue in Withholding
Mr.. Marcy's- Black Warrior dispatch,
have precipitated matters with Spain, and
brought on war that could not be justi.
fed before the world. Nothing could have
been more unfortunate for the country and
the administration than this To have
acquired Cuba by means of hostilitics
brought OH through such a m;sapprehen.
sion OF facts as existed in respect to the
Black Warrior case would have inflicted Il
lasting stigma upon the Union. However
much We want Cnba, it must not be OBJ.
tained by unfair means.
1t was scarcely necessary for Col. Davis
to attack Congress in his defence of the
administration. 1t would have been deli
+ cate in him, as q member Of the admins.
tration, not to question the patriotism oI
Congress. The patriotism of the Presi
dent was not questioned in the act of fail
ure to vote ten millions in view of the son
dition of Spanish-Cn affairs, and fht
"'SNNln VI 'HC ulpiOHldSg VI thO uuiHiHtotio q
tion in regard to the whole subject is uni
versally approved. The only error was thu
original appointment of Mr.. Soule. W.
+ accord eminent abilities to that statesman
but he would have been more useful to thu
country at some other court than that o
Madrid.
But, we repeat, we do not believe tht
Vicksburg Sentinel correctly reports Col
Davis speech. He is too high-toned an(
honest a statesman to desire that the coun
try should have gone to war and takeI
Cuba under a misapprehension arising
from the fault Of our own diplomatic agent
Suppose Congress had voted money ant
confidence. 1t turns out that neither wa
, needed. We have not Cuba, but we hav,
= national honor.
Col DAVIS undoubtedly expounded tn
" true democratic doctrine touching Stat
rights and know-nothingism.- Detroit Ere
:. Press.
COULDN'T aSrAND IT-Fri0nd Victor, O