The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1859-02-09

livcrad in the Senate up.h tie proposition 10
authorize the President to u-e $4,000 900 of :
the National Treasure to bind bargain with
Spain for the purchase of Cuba. The Speech
is generally reply to Mr.. Stewards remarks,
and we commence with Mr.. Tombs at the point
which Mr.. S. made as to Spanish debates and
bluster:
As for all this buster Of Spain supposng
herself To he insuted, it an,Ou is to nnthing.-
Ii she were to offer To buy from this govern
inent, Massachusetts Or Georgia ! shoHl not
consider myself ut all insultod, if it was not
done in an improper manner, by way at bully
or bravado. We have already made purchases
from Spain. In 1919, we purchased Florida
from her, but We heard nothing about the offer
in that case being an Insult Perhaps they did
make a little fuss before hand here may have
been some kicking up then; but she took the
money, and we bought the territory, and the
thing was closed. Spain sold at one time an
empire larger than the then States of the Union
to France, though they said they were going
to stand by every inch of land and every drop
of water within their territory. The uncle of
the present Emperor of France sold to the
United States an empire worth thousand times
this island. do not count the Mexican pur- !
chase, because admit that was rather forced |
sale-a sale Oh execution, as my friend from
Louisiana (Mr. Benjamam suggests. We fixed
the damages ourselves, and were exceedingly
moderate. ! have always been ashamed OF
the moderation we exhibited on that great &C.
casion, because think it did injustice to us and
the people whom we conquered. They had
right to our institutions, and we ought to have
given them to them, and they are suffering at
| this day for our not having done it. say these
| purchases have not been unusual. Young,
thriving, vigorous nations are purchasers the
| weak, the feeble, the dccrepit are sellers. Ii
has always been so-it always will be So
When nations begin to decay. they sell their
territory, or it is taken from them by conquest
or even sometimes before decay, with prodigal
administration, improvident rulers sell their
territory, as Charles ii of England sold Dun
XIX. Dccayed nations always sell. and gem
orally do good thing by it /; because hat
they do not sell is usually taken away from them
ior nothing When they have lived out their
day and generation, about the wisest hing they
can do is to part with their dominion, which
they can no longer hold. Events will have
their course, and that gravitation of Cuba to-
wards us, of which Mr.. Adams SPOKE. continues,
like the gravitaton of the earth, gaining &C
celebrated motion every day it moves and what
was gravitating fifty years ago, is now coming
with terrific power against that island. The
same law Of grayitation operates in politics as
well as in the natural world.
THE ANGLo-FRENcH THREAT.
We are told, / suppose, by way Of terror
the last Joint think the honorable gentlemen
made was that England and France had guar
antIed that the island should not be taken by
! force from Spain. ! have seen the same init
nation /; and, if relied on ne spapers. might
show that they have said that we should not
have it with or without the cnsent OF 5 ain
That is one of the main considerations why
: desire the American Senate and House of Rep
resentulives to-day to declare W hat their polio )
is. desire that England and France sh Il
, know from these halls that we arc power in
| our own light, and that, If we make IA contract
= with Spain, no threats OF war from either oi
them, or from each of them, will deter us fol
one moment l am ready to say 10 them il
you have any OF that work On hand, we vii
e meet you at any moment You please l vii
not surrender the indel endence Which we hay'
won, anu which we have had for seventy year
= to England and Frances They recognize Spail
s as an independent sovereignty. We have VOL
"a ours, and they rec gnize us. Then. if w
make a contract with S ain for the purchase o
contiguo $ territory, useful 10 u, beneficial t.
" is, defy England and France to interfere
&c would glory in tina. vindicalion of our nation
ality. | would rather they would than not
:. want IT, know whether We are indie endent o
~ not. | want to know whether we are sovereign
or not. ! want to know whether usurper q
ten years standing, who IN eintains his owe
with halt a million troops shall dictate TO fire
America, whom she will treat with and whor
she will not. l desire to see the American VIII
is base enough to have his conduct or his v"t
O. or the police Of his country controlled by an
=. such motives. am ready to thro'~ back tn
= defiance across the Atlantic T., EtAl
u, list, OF free people, and will be ready to NEE
;r them whenever they attempt to defeat or to il
teriere with this great right belonging to ever
: free and Independent people. We are able t
'. IN sintain our independence against Englan
is and France thrown in the scale with Spain. q
~ any moment. At all events, am ready, eve
y in the first thrce-qualters of a century of O,
=" existence, to stake that existence rath
&c than be deferred from pursuing a nation
le policy by the threats OF two such govern
20 mentS.
n, IS CUBA DESIRABLE TO THE UNION
q, Nov, sir, is this acquisition desirable Is
a matter on which We ought TO risk so mut
ei money as $50 1000, 600 for the chance of ope
re ing mole favorable negotiations l think it
es | know of no portion OF the earth that is no
:, SO important to the United States of Ameri
- as the island Of Cuba is. We speak of Il
ne trade of India; and some of the friends of
Id Pacific railroad tell MS that, when that rot
a. shall be constructed, it will bring the trade
=, Asia to our continent, and that we shall get
III least the profits of the transportation of d
ed wealth oil the Indies. Sir, this wealth is
our feet but they know it not. What. to -da
is the value of the East Indies Former
those nations who had a monopoly of its trad
were great and powerful and rich. Why !?
They had then monopoly of silks and of TEL
and more than all. the western powers VIC
then rude and engaged in war; The steam e
o" CINE had not then been invented Their lab
as was cheap, because of excessive populatio
he and those peculiar projects were important; u
,s- beyond all, Asia had the tropical products.
The commerce OF the East Indies then engag
the great tonnage and gave rise to the gre
I'd wealth of the world Then the monopoly
of the spices was valuable, and was a cause
on war with the Dutch people, out of which tn,
" made untold millions. At that time, the We
ne Indies were unknown or if not unknown, tho
his great production which were raised in the Ea
es- Indies, were not cultivated there. Sugar. al
49,, coffee, and all the tropical productions, we
:" then confined to the East Indies and the pc
'ur session of that trade made nations rich al
'pe powerful. Now it is different. | have no id,
po that the trade in teas and silks would justi
o. our making a railroad two miles long. If y,
o' could fill up the ocean and lay perfectly lev
} a railroad to-day from San Francisco TO Shangh
lev it would be no benefit in this view because y,
~ can now bring products from Shanghai to Ne
York for $40 a ton when fIeights are low. y
oa for %20 ton ut the customary fieights
the Senator from Massachusetts, fully and sat
70 factorily demonstrated the other day, it wnu
- be impossible to carry freight over railroad
~ the Pacific. say, then, that such road ca
ern not advance US IN obtaining the control of I
trade in those products. but we have all I
veal b which ever came from the East Ind
ary to day al OUT feet ia The West Indies and t
.,.a only question Of foreign policy whichis wort
of The consideration of American statesmen
col the tropical empire lying at our feet and
to ought to be declared 10 be Or settled policy
al. not by force, not by violence, not by deprivi
OH the righttu possessors Of their present posse
~ iOns-o be the American policy to unite,