The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-02-03
CUBA.


We gather the following information in re-
gard to Cuba from the New York correspond
ent of the Richmond Enquirer. 1t will be
seen that the writer estimates the amount of
revenue raised upon the Island by the Spanish
Government at fifteen or sixteen millions Of
dollars, and supposes that twelve or fourteen
millions of it is net revenue. This inference
is scarcely consistent with the admitted fact
that Spain has twenty-three thousand troops
upon the Island, which are supported out of the
sixteen millions of revenue, to say nothing of
the civil Government which is conducted with
out regard to expense.
1t is ascertained that the army of the United
States costs the Government one thousand dol
lars per man; and unless the Spanish depart
ment of war is administered on principles far
more economical than ours, the whole revenue
of the Island would be inadequate to the sup
port of the army upon the Island. Twenty
three thousand soldiers, at one thousand dollars
per head, would cost at the American standard
twenty-three millions of dollars. But, giving
the Spaniards credit for double the amount Of
integrity and economy which has been display
cd for series of years by our Black Demo
cratic officials, and it would still require be-
tween eleven and twelve millions to support the
army; and it can scarcely be doubted that the
or four millions, is consumed upon the civil
functionaries.
The chief value of Cuba to Spain consists in
the market it affords for Spanish manufactures
and products but it is not to be doubted that
the Court and courtiers esteem the Island as
much for the rich fund of patronage which it
places at the disposition of the Government.
The writer from whom we quote admits that
many wealthy Cubans, resident in New York,
are opposed to annexation; and what is more
singular, that Intelligent Americans from the
North who emigrated to Cuba, and engaged in
planting, prefer the Spanish connection to an
nexation to this country. These admissions
are by no means consistent with the current
stories of disaffecton on the part of the white
population, and anxiety to rush into the en-
brace of the United States.
But why is it necessary to keep twenty.three
thousand troops in Cuba? Mr. Toombs stated
force was necessary to repress the desire of the
people for annexation to the United States.
We confess that this idea was new to us. We
had always understood that a.servile insurrec-
ton was the great source of terror on the Island
which rendered standing army necessary. 1t
is not to be believed that twenty-three thousand
troops are necessary to keep white population
4
of $40, 600 in subsection, in the midst of still
larger number Of slaves and free negroes. The
Government, without troops, could keep the
whites in subsection, by an ordinary police force,
with six hundred thousand oppressed slaves
and free negroes to fall back upon if necessary.
1t is said by intelligent observers that the
number of slaves in Cuba is studiously under
rated by the authorities, in order to keep the
victims of oppression ignorant Of their strength.
There are several reasons for believing that
this view of the matter is correct. 1t is difficult
to account for the large product of the Island
on a different hypothesis. The tens of thou
sands Of Africans who have been imported an.
nually, from the time of Las Casas to the pres
ent, discountenance the pretended official re-
turns and these returns at the same time pre-
sent the anomaly Of a tropical colony cultivated
wholly by slave labor, yet possessing more
whites than slaves In our Gulf States. if we
leave out Of view the mountain districts. the
preponderance of slaves is large, and increasing
relatively. In South Carolina, the slave popu-
lation, leaving out the mountain and upland
districts, is from three to seven times greater
than that of the whites; and similar state of
things exists in Louisiana and Florida In the
British West Indies the number of blacks is
about twenty fold greater than that of the
whites; and the same state Of things existed
before Slavery was abolished
Is it not reasonable to suppose that an analo-
gous state of things exists in Cuba? Is it not
probable that there are three or four times as
many blacks on the Island as there are whites?
Statements of this sort have been made by in
teIligent observers, and they carry with them
an intrinsic probability, against which the sham
reports Of a corrupt and perjured crew of slave
trading officials, with despotic authority to sup:
press freedom of speech and the press, will
weigh but little.
The Cuban army of twenty-three thousand
men has been deemed necessary by the authori-
ties to keep these slaves in subsection and this
is the magnificent purch base which President
Buchanan is anxious to make at an expense of
two hundred millions. We are invited to buy
the privilege of supporting this army for the
suppression of negro insurr ection. Our present
army Is less than twenty thousand men. 1t we
! succeed, on the Presidents plan, in getting
peaceable possession of Cuba at a cost OF two
hundred millions, we shall have to raise our