Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1859-02-10


The fre-eaters Of the South are fully deter
mined to have Cuba, "pcaceably if they can,
f)rcibly if they must" Mr.. buchanan APP
pears to be charged with the some fire-eating
spirit. In his last message, he requests Con-
gress to place at his disposal thirty millions Of
dollars, to enable him to open negotiations for
! the purchase of that Island, declares our rela-
tions with Spain to be in most unsatisfactory
state, and clearly intimates an intention of tax
ing forcible possession of Cuba should Spain re-
fuse to sell it. This open and public declaration
of the Executive of the United. States, the Span
ish Government felt bound to notice, and the
subject was brought before the legislative Courts
The Spanish Minister of State, in calm
ablo and dignifed explanation to the House, ex
pressly denies that our relations are in an un.
satisfactory state. He says, Z" the conferences
have held with the worthy Representative O
the Anglo Saxon republic, have been 50 cordial
50 aF4ctlonate, SO infinite, that was profoundly
convinced that the relations between the two
Governments were perfectly friendly, and tina
they run no risk of disturbance" Can it be
pos able that our Government has been guilty o
such detestable and infamous hypocrisy? lla
our Minister to Spain, who is hound to follow
his instructions, been laboring to convince th'
Spanish Minister of State of the cordial ant
friendly feeling of our Government toward
Spain, in order to lull her into security, whil
at the same time President Buchanan has becl
nursing his wrath > against her, and med
itatlng plans for the dismembcring her empire
We are 10th to believe this? Does Mr.. Buchan
an intend to play the same game with Span
that he played with Kansas? Does he intent
to revoke his instructions to our Minister at th
Spanish Court as he did his instructions to Coy
Walker, and sacrifice the Minister as he sacri
feed Walker? The President may indulge hi
innate propensity for double dealing with safet
in managing the affairs of little territory, bu
it is most dangerous policy when practiced il
our foreign relations.
Does Mr.. Buchanan aim at a peaceful acqui
sition of Cuba? We say, without hesitation
h. does not. Would he have proposed to opel
negotiations for the purchase of that Islam
when the two Governments were at loggerhead
upon other matters? The President knew tina
Spain had been offered one hundred million 70
Cuba, and had promptly refused to negotiat
with us upon the subject, and did he believe sh
would lend more willing ear to the proposition
for its purchase when, according to his ow
story, she was indulging hostile feelings toward
us? Mr.. Buchanan believes no such thing
He either told what he knew to be false, whel
he represented our relations with Spain as bein
in an unsatisfactory state, or he has no idea O
attempting the purchase of Cuba at this time
Had Mr.. Buchanan said to Congress what til
Minister said to the Spanish Courts, that til
relations between the two Governments were S
intimate, SO friendly, so cordial, that he though
it a favorable time to propose to Spain the pun
chase of Cuba, we might have given him credi
for sincerity.
The Spanish Minister tells the Courts that tn
Government will treat any proposition from tn
United States to purchase Cuba, as q nationa
insult, and in this he is sustained by a unan
imous vote of that body. How could the Span
lsh Government, with the least regard to be
national honor, have taken any other position
The President had clearly ntinated to Spain
and to the world, his intention to take tn
Island by force, should she refuse to sell it t
us, and the only reply she can make with hon
or, to a proposition to purchase Cuba, must be
IF you want Cuba, come and take it, if yo
can" Will the President, after this motto
from the Spanish Minister, persist in bis prcser
course? Will he insult Spain by offering he
one hundred and fifty millions for Cuba? III
President has placed us in Il position that rer
ders the peaceful acquisition of the Island, a
this time, perfectly hopeless and should he no
offer to negotiate, it must be with the intent t
force quarrel upon Spain that will furnish a
excuse for taking the Island by force. This
openly avowed by Southern men, and eve
Northern members back them in their course
Many, no doubt, look unon a war with Spai
as mere sport. To the South it might be, br
to the North it will be most serious calamit,
We may hereafter make some remarks on I'll
consequences that will follow from war wit
Spain.
At the request of DIR. Chas. L. Allen, I'll
President of the Vermont Medical Society, "
call the attention of Town and District Clerk
Clergymen and Justices of the Peace, to til
prompt performance of their duty in carryin
out the provisions of the statistics in regard |
the Registration of Births Marriages and Deaths
DR.. Allen says:
"The returns Of the year past, although e1
ceedingly valuable, and as complete as could
expected for the first year, may yet be yer
much surpassed, if those, whose duty it is t
collect the facts, would but exert themselves
little to make their returns as perfect as possible
1t is hoped they will do this, so that our Vel
mont Registration Reports may take their stan
upon the high level with those of Massachusetts
Great Britain, and others.
Blanks have been distributed to the Count
Clerks, for each town. These, the town clerl
should obtain as soon as possible. Accompan,
ing the blanks ore Instructions which wi
explain fully what is desired.
We trust the matter will not be neglected.
Its Importance cannot be overrated.
A correspondent asks us to give place in IL