Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1858-05-27
Letter Of MI. Cass.


The recent letter of Nj. Cass is an i'm
portant and able State paper, fully sus-
tanning the high reputation of the ven-
cradle statesman who presides over the
Department of : tate. It is in answer
to a request made by the English Gov
eminent for an increase ofthe squadron
on the coast of Africa
After demonstrating, conclusively,
the inability of the combined American
and English q cts, though the former
be increased as the latter requires, to
protect such an extensive coast as that
of Africa against the iproads of slavers,
he gently hints at the propricty ofbreak-
ing up the slave market in Cuba, the
only one ofany Importance in the world,
very justly concluding that it is impos-
sible to break up this traffic so long as
slaves can be obtained at such low rates,
and with such facility in Africa, and
sold at such an enormous profit and
with such impunity in Cuba, unless, in
deed, the spirit of philanthropy which
induced England to emaueipate all her
West India slaves, to the ruin both of
master and slave, and of her provinces,
be infused into the breasts of mankind
in general, including hard hearted slav-
ers of course. But, although all men
readily subscribe to the sentiment that
"mercy is twice blessed" yet, since ex-
periance, in this instance, has proved
its consequences reversed-that instead
of 'blessing those who give and those
who receive" it has cursed those who
gave and those who received, we despair
of the ability even of English philan-
thropy, "grand, gloomy and peculiar
though it be, to expand itself over the
rest of mankind. We conjecture that
this view of the question, (~breaking up
of the Cuba market) is a new and disa-
greeable one to England. It'll supposed
that to injure the slave trade in Cuba,
and, of course, in a corresponding degree
to injure the Island, would, on account
of the close commercial connection ex-
listing between that province and Great
Britain, touch and probe the pocket
nerve of England to al extent which
even philanthropy shudders to contem-
plate.
Unless English policy, brought down
by the disastrous failure of its West In
dia emancipation scheme, from its celcs-
tial fight amidst the atmosphere of Wis
ionary philanthropy into the regions of
common sense and sound reason, is very
different from what we have always un-
derstood it to be, We hardly expect the
United States to be troubled by any
more opportunities on the subject of in
creasing the squadron on the coast of
Africa. For those and other reasons
Mr.. Cass refuses to make any addition
to our squadron, but promises on the
part of the Government that our part Of
the contract already made, shall be COM
piled with, but submits that the expen-
diture of life and money in keeping up
the feet very far preponderates ovcr the
benefits accruing from it.
He then takes John Bull to task for
his impertinence in searching, or visit
ing, as he is pleased to term it, ships
sailing under the flag of the United
States, showing the blighting effect
amounting eventually to ruin-which
such a policy, if allowed by our Govern
ment, must inevitably have on our COM
merce in that part of the world, and in
forming him very plainly and emphati-
cally that such policy will not be sub
mitted to by the United States. We
hope Mr.. Bull will receive this warming
in good part and correct his evil ways;
if not, some stronger argument must be
used, which would be very forcibly sug-
gested to him On reading the history of
New Orleans or Lundy's Lane.
@-The Washington Union asks the
question, " Is the back bone of the Re-