The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-10-04
Buchanan on the Cuba Question.


Buchanan on the Cuba Question.
In times like these, when party spirit has
diffuse itself throughout every part of the
land, it is difficult always to do justice to an
opponent. In the heat Of great political con-
test, men become blinded by prejudice, and
are apt to palIiate the faults Of friends or exag
gerate the opinions of enemies. In all our
criticisms upon the political character of James
Buchanan, we have endeavored TO present the
truth. If the record of Buchanan on the Sla-
very question were spotess if he had even
been consistent, honest leader of any party,
the Ostend affair would be sufficient grounds
for our opposition to him as a candidate for
the Presidency. The mOnstrous doctrine
there promulged, that nation has a right to
take by force or fraud what it cannot obtain
by grant or purchase, is unworthy Of the age,
and it will remain forever a stain upon the
characters Of those who dared to palm it off
upon the world as the sentiment Of the Amer
lean people. The document known as the
"Ostend Manifesto first canvasses the ques-
ton Of the acquisition Of Cuba, and arrives at
the conclusion that ats immediate acquisition
is of paramount Importance" and that Sin
view of its geographical position, it is as neces-
sory to the North American Republic as any
of its present members, and that it naturally be-
longs to that great family of States of which
the Union is the prOUidential nursery"
Having settled the question of the impor
lance of Cuba, it goes on to state the DaOdus
L
tain it, "by offering price far beyond its vaJue"
and 'if Spain, deaf to the voice of her
own interest, and false sense Of honor, should
refuse to SELL Cuba to the United States" then
the United States is to wrest it from her by
force of arms. ''U nder such circumstances p
says Mr.. Buchanan, eve ought neither to count
the cost nor regard the odds which Spain may
enlist against u.s." We will not make further
extracts from the Manifesto. 1t breathes a
spirit in direct antagonism with everything Re-
publican it is the argument Of the highway
robber, who asks you smlingly for your money,
and shows plainly that if you refuse, he will
take your life. There is not in the his
tory of this government an affair which
deserves to be treated with more scorn than
that meeting of demagogues at Ostend. What
right had James Buchanan or Soue, or Mason,
to tell Europe that we respected not our trea-
ties; that we were the advocates Of fraud and
violence. But upon this FilIibustering ques-
ton we will admit that Buchanan has ever
been consistent. He has been Bank and anti
bank, tariff and anti-tariff, an internal improve
ment man, and an ant-internal improvement
man, in favor of the Missouri Compromise,
and against it, but he has always been sound
upon the ques ion of stealing Cuba. And now
he comes before the American people for the
office of President, upon a platform which
dimly shadows forth his peculiar ideas" about
Cuba. The resolution touching this matter
is gotten up to read both ways, or any way
that the leaders may see fit to interpret it.
and if It is not nonsense it means that we
must pilfer Cuba. Happily the discovery o.
similar language in the manifesto helps to clear
up the matter by aid Of the context:
"Reso1vea That the Democratic party will
expect from the next admi abstraction every
proper effort to be made to insure our ascen-
dency in the Gulf of Mexico, and maintain a
permanent protection of the great QUILTS
through which are emptled into Its waters the
products raised on the soil, and the comno
dities created by the industry of our Western
valleys and the Union at large"
The platform, formerly James Buchanan
signifies his Willingness to "give up the ghost
and give Breckenridge the White House"
he can only settle the question of slavery
and aid Cuba to- the Union" The chances arr
that he will tgiye up the ghost" politically OF
the first Monday in November. We hav'
only endeayored to call the attention of on
readers to Mr.. Buchanan's position upon tn
Cuba question, hoping that they will examin
the records for themselves