Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-06-05
From the Pittsburgh Gazette,
THE CUBAN SLAVE TRADE.

Our government in protesting against the search
OF our merchant vessels by the British government
for the alleged purpose of ascertaining whether
they are engaged in the pratical Slave Trade, ac-
knowedgos it ability to take upon itself the police
duty OF watching and searching American vessels
prevent their service in that hellsh traffic. and
cognizes, aso its obligation to perform that police
duty.
But has this duty been performed We hear Of
ships being dispatched by the government to pre-.
vent British officers from searching American ves-
seis, but there is mention of instruction to the
officers Of these ships to perform the neglected
Edaty ofsinteIcepting and arresting American ves'
sells engaged in the Slave Trade. The plain English
Eof this}s that we will not permit the British to
foyeshaal the pirates, nor do it ourselves Practc.
fally, .yiilc making great fuss over the protec-
tor OF american coN4h.eTee, this government has
given the hest possible protection to the Slave
traders. For months past they have been using
tle American flag to up ther Infamous trafhc
ard now tfey carry it on with impunity, secure
against visitation from any quarter.
! 1t is now more than four months since Lord Ma
pief, under date Of January II, addressed to Mr.
Cass the Secretary of State, letter, show
ing that the late expansion of the Cuban Slave
Trade has been stimulated by the formation of
company in Cuba styled the "Expedition OF Afri.
CO." the existence Of which is nov openly avowed,
which is supported by house OF known wealth, ,land
which has deliberately adopted the use of Americ.
an vessels the employment of the American flag
for the purpose ofthis nefarious commerce. From
0thor precious statements mado by Lord Napier to
MIR. Cass, and which 60 fully to confirm, by the
enueraton of particular facts officially ascertain
ed, the current runors of the day, the extent to
which these Cuban Slave traders carry their en-
croachment upon our flag and our nationality is
painfully apparent. The New York Tribune says:
'lhe vessels engaged in this trade, by whomso,
ever owned, whethor foreign residents or colonial
parierds, and whether fitted out in the harbors of
n lfp fron, tha of I'm,
ba, nave almost universally adopted the habit of
ho;sing the coors of the United States for the pur
pose OF sheltering themselves against the search
ing OF British cruiser When boarded the master CT
the vessel claims the privilege of his flag; and fire.
9uently exhibits American papers, forged or OBJ.
tained on false pretenses from the Custom House
authorities CT the port from which he has sailed
With these specous but fraudulent signs of ma,
ti0naty no defes the British officer to raise the
matches under which are securely hidden the proof
of medtated crime. In some cases the master
does not afect to conceal his nefarious purpose-
With EN- American flag over his head and Amer
can papers in his hand, he avows the object of
his voyage and points scornfuly to the instruments
and appliances of the trade-his mess kids, his
slave deck already laid and the other conveniences
OF an African cargo"
All this information has been in the hands of
the government for months. On the 24th Of De-
cember, 1857, Lord Napier furnished to Mr.. Cass a
American flag protection. that had been over
hauled by Brit ish cruisers and found to be slavers;
and there can be no doubt that the number that
escaped was much larger. Yet not q step was ia
ken from that hour to this, by our government, to
prevent or punish this infamous abuse of our flag,
or to arrest any one of the notorious ofeUders-
What is the inference Are we to conclude that
the government Is stepping forth to the rescue of
the traders, and of starting new points of maritime
law for the very purpose of enabling them to set
the British cruisers at defiance?
correspondent of the Boston Atlas in viewing
these facts, asks the following questions:
"If the slave trade is to be abolished, and as
you say in your paper of Friday 1t is to be carried
on chiefly in American vessels, how is it going to
be done, if these vessels are not oyerhauled and
searched
"You cannot tell by merely looking at her colors,
there must be something more certain than that
Now, think, if the right of search is going to be
abolished, the slave trade will be carried on with
greater activity than ever it was before, because
any vessel carrying America an colors, can have es
many slaves on board che pleases, and no vessel
of war dare to overhaul her, Perhaps my ideas
may be wrong, but as merely ask the above ques-
tions for information, ! hope they will be graft
fed"
To these pertinent queries the Atlas replies:
"The inquiry is q natural one, and the hrst
thing to be said iu reply is that, it is not an easy
matter to suppress the slave trade SO long as
avaricous men viii. fit out slavers in our ports,
aud ESPECIALLY SO long as We have national ad-
nlinistration which encourages the slave trade
and winks at it's piracy and inhumanity, the slave
trade can never be wholly suppressed.-The most
certain means of bringing this nefarious traffic to
an end, is to secure such change in the Federal
Government as will make it the enemy and not the
friend of the slave trade-As to the right of
sea-ch, we certainly never can permit the war
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