The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-01-25
NEWS BY TELEGRAPH.
CONGRESSIONAL.
WASHINGTON Ian d.

: eign Affairs, to whom was referred the bill
making appropriations to facilitate the &C
I QUESTION of Cuba, by negotiation, reported
/ that it is not considered necessary by the
Committee to enlarge upon the Vast impor-
lance of the acquisition of Cuba. The ne
cessity of its acquisition has been rccog-
nized by all parties and administrations. and
In regard to which the popular voice has
been expressed unanimously, as in favor of
! the purchase and annex ion of Florida and
i Louisiana, both points with unerring GER
tainty of Cuba. What the possession of the
mouth of the Mississippi was to the West
Cuba will become to the nation. Our lead
| ing statesmen have endeavored with steadi-
ness and perseverance to hasten the consum-
nation of this project. The report here
quotes the opinions of Jefferson, Adams,
Clay, Van Buren,, Buchanan in his dispatch
es to Sanders Everett in his celebrated let
ter, Sartige's and Marcy's dispatch to Soule;
! from these authorities it is manifest that the
ultimate acquisition of Cuba has been long
regarded not only as desirable, but incvita-
bic; the only difference is in the time made
and conditions of obtaining it. The law of
our national existence is growth, which we
cannot disobey, while we should not undue
| ly stimulate it, and should be careful not to
| impose upon ourselves a regimen SO strict
as to prevent its healthy deyelopement.-
| England, France and Austria are all expand
ing by the same law Of progress, and their
| growth is the absorption of weaker powers
while ours is the result of geographical po-
/ sition, higher civilization, and greater aOti-
tude for Government. We have neither the
! right nor disposition to find fault with this,
so let England pursue her annexation in In
dia; France in Africa or the Rhine; let Rus
sia subdue barbarous Asia and we shall
| look on their progress, if not with favor, at
least with Indifference. We claim, on this
/ hemisphere, the same privilege We repeat
| the acquisition of Cuba is but question of
time; the fruit that was ripe in Quincy
| Adams day is now mature.
! The question is, shall it be taken by a
friendly hand prepared to compensate its
| proprietor with princely guerdon, or shall it
| fall to the ground, as Spain cannot long
maintain its grasp? There are but three al
ternates; first, the possession of Cuba
by one of the great European powers, which
| is incompatible with our safety and must
consequently be resisted. Second, the in
dependence of the island which would re-
suit in protectorate more or less disguised;
If under ourselves an annexation would fol-
! low; if under European, civil and servile
war would result. Third, if annexation is
! the question, how is it to be done? It can
only be answered by conquest or negotia-
| ton; conquest even without the hostile in
reference of other powers than Spain would
/ be expensive, and with such interference
would involve the whole civilized world in
war. Purchase, then is the only practical
BILE conrse. But that cannot be attempted
unless the President be clothed with the
power to negotiate and pay as suggested in
his message. Much has been said of the
danger of con6ding such powers to the Ex-
| ecutiye, but we have three examples, in the
purchase of Louisiana, Florida and New
| Mexico. Much has been said, also, of the
| indehcacy, and also that the offer will
wound the Spanish pride and be rejected
with contempt for many years. Our desire
| for the purchase of Cuba has been known
to the world, we now simply say Spain, you
have distant possession held by preearious
tenlvre which is almost indispensable to us
for the protection of our commerce, and
which may, from its peculiar geographical
position, the character of its population and
the mode in which they are governed, lead
| at any time to rupture which both ma
tons would depricate. This possession
yields you net revenue net amounting, in
the average, of series of years, the hun
dredth part of the price we offer. True,
you have refused to sell hitherto, but cir
cumstsnces are changing daily and our Of
fer may now be more acceptable than in
184S. Should war break out in Europe,
Spain can scarcely hope to escape being in
volved in it. and the Cubans may seize the
opportunity TO claim their Independence
Further, our Minister will not breach the
subject of purchase till he has reason to be-
lieye it will be favorably entertained. Spain
| is a couEtryof "couPs detaes" and pronun-
| ciamentos. The Minister of to-day may be
a fugitive tomorrow. With the forms of a
responsible government Spain is Gespot-
ism, sustained by he bayonet. Her imam
cial condition is one of extreme embaI.rass-
ment, and the dynasty may be overtlIrown
unless large sum of money can be raised
forthwith. The President says we would
not, if we could acquire except by hon.
orable negotiation, and he will not depart
from such a course unless circumstances
whieh he dees not anticipate may render
a departure justifiable under the imperative
and over-ruling law of self-preservation.-
He thinks that it may be necessary to re-
new the negotiation and make an advance
q
ification by the Senate. This, in point of
fact is an appeal to Congress for an express
sion Of its opinion on the propriety of re-
newing the negotiation. Should we fail to
give him the needs, he viii consider it as an
intimation that we do not desire the acqui-
sition of the Island.
The report then goes on to say that if as
has been said, the Cubans do not desire a
transfer, it would be very serious objec-
ton. But the Cubans would be less
than men if they are contented with their
lot and the report has the best authority
for asserting that nearly the entire native
population of Cuba desire annexation The
report then proceeds at considerable length
to discuss the bearing of annexation on
the slave trade, urging that that illegal traf-
fc is not confined to Cuba and Porto Rico
and that Spain could have suppressed it as
completely as Brazil has done, but she has
not done so. Those who desire to exter-
inmate the slave trade may find in the sy-
pathy for the Africans an incentive to sup
port this bill. Then turning around, the
report proceeds to relieve the mind of South
er gentlemen of their apprehensions of peril
to their institutions from the peculiar ele-