Litchfield enquirer., 1859-02-24
SPEECH OF SENATOR THOMPSON
KENTUCKY.
VI 1As1It T OOI1A T ,al.- AM HI1L AnnIIIcIHEnM nF <1IIRA

- A~ASSAA O4 o41AN A1 1OAs 4AAOAAAA IVA OF KENTUCKY,
 ON THE ACQUISITION OF CUBA. IN SENATE, Wednesday, Feb 16, 1859. i The Senate resumed the consideration of the bill making appropriation to facilitate the acquisition o Cuba. Mr. Thompson spoke as follows !:
 Mir. President-It is annoying to me that, after having been on good terms with all my brother Senators, I have had so much difficult ty i'll getting the floor to say what little have to say OH this subject, just as am going out. I will not say that it is impolte or unfeeling, but it is certainly very annoying. l desire to say something on this bill, which proposes to make an appropriation |" to facilitate the ac- quisition of Cuba by negotiation" so far as my strength and voice may hold out
 In the first place, 1 object to the title of the bill. It imports that we are to acquire Cuba by negotiation, and that we simply want scne facilities for that purpose, which in mer- cantile phrase, means money. Here 1t means $30,000.O00. will not vote to commit my self to anything of that sort and besides, before get through, hope to show to any reasonable man that the whole scheme is ill., timed, improper and uncalled for.
 The zeal and ability with which the Sena- tors from Louisiana press the acquisition of Cuba, have struck me with some surprise. It seems to me that if Cuba were acquired the whole sugar interest of Louisiana, which is now protected by tariff would be prostra- ted. The lands of Louisiana are too far south to be very we'll convertible into cotton lands The loss of machinery, the loss of time, the ignorance of the hands, would be equivalent to fire on each plantation. Not only that, but there would go out from Loul- siana to Cuba, for the purpose of getting lands there, the active. the enterprisng call- talists, t',e men of value, and the men of sub- stance. Many of the sugar planters, and the best of them, would emigrate {; the drones, the iders, and the tr.hers, would stay at homc We see this excmplifed in the, case of every n.w State. You find there an active, enter prising, thrifty population, more so than you see in an old State, because the active, the el- terprising, the intelligent, the men bent on making d fortune have gone there Kentucky has been bled in that way by Missouri, by Louisiana, by Illinois, and by lndiaua, until will not say that it has such sorry popula- ton that it lately turned to be Democratic State for believe we still could have held our own, if it had not been for this everlasting niggcr question and the American question.
 We'll, Sir, what will be the second effect upon Louisiana? Wherever in the world com merce prevails, it's entrepots are the points of transhpm, nt-the ternini of great lines i; they are the places where commodities are ex- changed, and there cities grow up. Now, suppose the City of Havana should grow up under American protection it will be some six, or eight, or ten days shorter for foreign vessels to load with cotton there than to go to New Orleans and cotton will be trans ported there from the Mississippi Valley, pass ing by New Orleans Cotton will land at the last terminus : land in good harbor and it is a pleasauter place than New Orleans, and no more liable to yellow fever. l say, then, this is bill to break up the sugar-plaHting in- t, rest of Louisiana, and to dwarf the City of New Orleans Why, Mr. President, that lit- tie City of Lexington of yours, in Kentucky, was very nice, pretty, growing town until 1t had couple of railroads run drought it, and now nobody goes there at all-people do not even dine there. Laughter. Two railroads have run through it-one gong to Cincinnati and one going to Louisville ; aud the pco- pie go to the one city or the other where they have larger stock of goods to pick from, and because they like little pleasant travel, and ladies like to take an airing any how, and see another city. There is neither trade nor commerce, nor eating, nor any thing done there. Why, Sir, the jimscn weeds are all over the streets, and the town absolutely looks seedy. Laughter That is the effect of go, ing through one of these places, and giving them thing of that sort. Just before that, the little town of Danville, when was aboy, as matter of great enterprise, constructed, and nearly broke themselves into constructing. turnpike road to the city of Lexington and fine turnpike load it was. At that time they had thirty-three stores and good dea of trading there but when the turnpike road was made every body went to Lexington, and Danville is now a perfectly finished town
 There is grocery, and, perhaps, one or two stores and sort of tavern-just symptoms ot town having been there. Whenever you translate the terminus, the entrepot of trans shipment, you will find that New Orleans as place of business, will shrivel up and sinh in the same way. That is my judgment.
 This bill proposes to grant the President O the United States SO,0OO, 900, to be used il purchasing Cuba. It was known to the Pres idcnt, when he made the suggestion in hi: message. that Spain had refused the trade
 aud he knew very we'll that, by the civil o' common law, it took two to make trade
 Now will ask, what was the use, instead O
 resorting to the ordinary means of negotia
 tion, to put into the message sort of procla
 nation to Spain, and to carry it forward by this bill, when we know that the proposi < tion of the message was received at Madrid,
 will not say with Castilian pride, but at leas
 with Spanish pomp? They inscribed the
 determination on columns and pillars ane unanimously made addresses to the throne saying that they would never part with Cuba
 They have said to you they will not trade
 and yet, in the face of their declaration, yo' propose to trade with them. What sort of {
 trade do you meang You say your avowet I <.l:..- ;s 4l.a4 II,.land 1and Eronoo shall no