The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1855-02-06

thcbU nied States, in the celebrated case ot'the
,Amistad, Is Peters, 500, sustaining the .decii:
sion Of the Circuit Court, hold that these
negroes were unlawfully transported to Cuba
in violation of the laws and treaties Of Spain,
and the most solemn ediets npd, declarations
Of that government. Bythose laws, and trea-
ties apl ediets, the African slPye trade is utter
~ abolished : the dealing in that trade is
deemed a heinous crime. and that negroes
thereby introduced into the dominion of Spain
are declared 10 be free" If Cuba were direct.
~ annexed from Spain, without. an intermediate
state OF separate independence in which a new
fundamental law could be passed, great dilfi:
cuities mi shs arise on this point from the. ef
forts of tile AbolitiohistS .....
The next item in the.population is. the white
race This is estimated at six hundred thou:
sand, of which a small proportion, are Europe.
an S paniards, the residue are creoles-. about
equal; as class, to the people Of Mexico. Now,
can these people be relied upon 70 preserve
Slavery? .Eie Country being ap' old settled
country, there wo&ld be, as | have already
said, no great tide of emigration from the
South the comparatively few Southern men
that would 60 there, would be.counterbaanced
by an equal and adverse emigration from the
North. The continuance of slavery would,
therefore, depend on the Greoles of Cuba l
would consider this bad security. Slavery is
never secure, where the masters are ain inferior
white race. There is too, marked tendency
in the Spanish, Creole race TO emancipation.
This is owing to several causes.
lst. The equality Of the two races. They
assimate5 without difficulty there is no gnlf
between them. =,
Cd. The tendency of the Spanish Democrat.
sic idea is to ultraism !; they carry liberty to
the extreme of anarchy.
: 3d. Inability to govern themselves
produces bloody struggles, the leaders III which,
seek the aid Of the slaves. Hence it has result
ed, thct the Spanish American colonies, who
have set up for themselves, though under Spain
they we're slave communitios, have all gone
into emancipation. Have We any right 10 e.
pect anything more from the Creoles Of Cuba,
than the Creoles Of Central America!
There are only three modes by which Cuba
could be acquired, viz .,
BY Purchase; g. By war; s. By treaty
with Cuba as an Independent Power.
The first method. is impractible because
Spain will not tell.
+ BY supposiug this difficulty overcome, the
price would be SO enomous-Sl50,O00,0OOo or
5000, 0O-that would not be willing to give
it. look upon the advantages to the South
as too precarious to give so much money, es-
peeialy when see that the necessary effect of
such an expenditure, wouId1be to fasten high
tariff upon us indefinitely. There is no prac:
tical measure with the scope of Government
power from which the South would derive so
vastra benefit as from the reduction of the
tariff to the lowest revenue standard. shoald
be very unwilling to abandon this great practi-
cal measure Of deliverance to the South, for
tile uncertain hazards Of annexation.
As to the second mode, war, say nothing
of the shocking injustice of Wrestling from a
feeble power, without provocation, her most
valuable possession. .'. = -
! cannot forget that large portion,of the
treasure expended would be wiring from the
hard earnings of the Southern people, and
much Of the blood shed would be the best
blood of the South for our system of taxa.
ton is unequal !; and this being looked upon us
a Southern measure, the gallant young men Of
the South would volunteer with aaerity. But
of all modes which could be devised for the
acquisition of Cuba, for the benefit Of the South
war is the most fatal. For. no one who has
any knowledge Of the Spanish character, its
pride obstinacy and revenge, can for a moment
imag zine that Spain would stop at any steps to
blast the acquisition i'll orr'hands: The policy
Of Spain is obvious, she would cling to- Cuba
with the tenpcity Of a dying convplsiou, and
when she could hold on no longer, she would
decree universal emancipation. But, it may
be said, we would reverse this state, Of things
in our territory Of Cuba. Bnt, just. at this
iuncture, the people Ct, the North, who have
the control of the Federal Government, would
by a unanimous voice, bid us stay our hands {;
that non: intervention was ther:doctrne:; that,
by the Spanish law, there were no slaves in
Cuba. The result would be, that the South:
after all her sacrifices, would have acquired a
free negro colony, the greatest curse .imaglna-
bic. -. - :: =
Another motive which makes me FILLMORE
determined MOTTO 20 TO war with. Spain for.
Cuba, is tllatwe Of the; South are npon the eve
OF great sCfuSSfe WIFI d hoSr'Ie Hi'Jj"'"y W
the North, and we.wiH need all our resources
not to tuake~foregu conquests. but to defend
the very ground upon which we stand, lam,
therefore, unwilling to weaken our resources,
or complicate our post on, by an attack Oh
Cuba others, who hear only the songs oil
peace in the future, may take different course
As to the third mode. treaty with Cuba.
This implies that Cuba has thrown OH the
Spanish yoke, and established independence.
If it were desirable. 10 acquire Cuba, this
seems to me to be the only mode it could be
dons;bene6cially TO the South. By this mode
we would escape the agitation of the slavery