The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-01-27
THE ACQUISITION OF CUBA.
REPORT OF MR.. sL,DELL.


(erred the bill IS 437 making appropriations 10 "a,
Cliate the acquisition OF the island Cuba by epo.
datlcu, have had the under consideration and
now respectfully report
pk not considered necessary by your COMMITTEE 10
enlarge upon tho vast importance OF the acauis,on of
Che isIand of Cuba by the United States To do so would
beas much work OF supererogation as 10 demonstrate
sa elementary problem in mathematics or one Of those
axioms OF ethics on philosophy which been u,iypf.
sally vceyed tor ages. The ultimate acquisition of Cuba
may bc considered fixed purpose OF the United strs
apupose resulting trom political aud geographical ne
ces which have been recognised by all parties and aIj
administrations, and in regard 10 which the ponular
voice has been expressed with unanity tnsrpassed
ans question OF national policy that has heretofore en-
gnged The ptsc mind. - " ~
The purchase and annexation of Louisiana led AZ
necessary corolary to that of Florida and both noint
with uncrng certainty 10 the acquisition of Cuba The
pane and feeble population of what is nov the great
West called IN 1870 for the free navigation OF the Misss
spp aud the enforcement OF the right of deposit at
New Orleans In three years not only were these priyi
Jecs secured but the whole Of the magnificent domain
~ Louisiana was ours Who doubts the wisdom of
measure which at the time denounced with sio
icncu until then unparalleled in political history
From the day acquired Louisiana the attention of
cur abest statesmen liked on cuba, What the pos
sesion Of the moutt OF tile Mississippi had been to the
people Of the West that Of Cuba became to the natio
20 cast the eye upon the nap sufficient to predict its
destiny biiet rcereneo viii show the Importance at
she 60 the question by lending statesmen and tho
scad'ness and perseverance with which they have en-
ieayored 70 hasten tho coisumDation o( SO vital q
Ineasure. M ts7a
Nr Jefferson, in letter 10 President Madison. of The
2't OF April 1902, speaking Of the policy that Napoleon
wonlS probably pursue towards u.s. SAYS
lie ought to he satisfied with having forced her
Great Brittany to revoke the orders on which he pretend
Cd raliatc and to be particularly satisfied with us
by whose unyieing adherence 70 principle she has been
ioved into the revocation He ought tho more h, en-,
clate our good wilt we can be such an obstacle 10
u,c career orchpg on him III the Spanish colonies
mat no would give US the Floridas to withhold inter-
course with the residue Of these colonies cnno be doubt
m But That Is no price, because they are ours in the
ust moment Of the first war and until war they are of
no particular necessity to But although with diff
Guilty hc will consent to our receiving Cuba into our
Smos 20 prevent our aid to Mexico and the other prov
'T'es That would bc price, and would immediately
erect column on the scuhermost limit OF Cuba and
lnscrbe on 1t fls ultra to us in that direction
we should then have only to include the north in our
conicdcrncy, which wond be, of course, in the first
war, and we should have snch an empire for liberty MS
sue has never surveyed since the creation and am per-
suadsd no constitution before well calculated
as ours tof extensive empire and selfgovcrnmont q
" ~ VIII Oo objected to our receiving Cuba that no
limit can then be drawn to our future acquisitions Cuba
en- bc defended by without navy and this develops
she principle which ought to limit views Nothing
shoia ever be accepted which would require navy to
defend it, &@as A{ba
Again. in writing to President Monroe on the 23d
june 1923, he says For certainly her addition TO our
concderacy is exactly what is wanting to advance our
power as nation to the point OF its utmost interest"
And In another letter to the same on the 2lth Octo
ber, 1923 he says @ As sa seiaasts
!. cnddly confess that have looked oaha
MS the most interesting addition which could he
made to system Of States The control which, with
Florida Point, this island would give the Gulf
of Mexico, and the countries and stbmus bordering
on Il would fill up the measure of political we'll
8eiag Y
John Quincy Adams while Secretary OF State under
Mr. Monroe, in despatch Mr. Nelson minister
at Madrid, Of the 2sth April, 1923, says
. In the war between France and Spain, now COM
tHpru will all
ability be deeply involved. Whatever may be the issue
OF this between those two European powers, 1t
may be taken for granted that the dominion of Spain
upon the American continents, north and south, is rrc-
covcraby gone But the islands Of Cuba and Porto Rico
still remain nomnaly and far really dependent upon
her. that she yet possesses the power of transferring hcr
own dominion them together with the possession of
tben to others These islands, from their local position
and natural appendages to the North American cont
ncnt and Of them, Cuba, almost in sight Of our
shores from multitude of considerations has become
an object of ascendcnt importance to the commercial
and political interests Of our Union Its command
ing position, with reference to the Gulf of Mexico
and the West India seas, the character of its popu
tation, ills situation midway between our southern
coast aud the island of St Domingo, its safe and
lacious harbor of the Havana fronting long line of
our shores destitute OF the advantage the nature
of its productions and of its wants furnishing the supplies
and needing the returns OF a commerce immensely profit
able and mutually beneficial give it Importance IN
the OF national interests with which that of no
other foreign territory be compared and little info
rior to that which binds the different members of this
Union together. Such indeed arc between the inter
csts Of that Island and Of this country the geographical
commercial moral and political relations iormed by ma
tc, gathering in the process Of time, und even now
ycrgug maturity that. in looking forward to the
probable Of events for the short period of half
century IL is scarcely possible to resist the conviction
that the annexation OF Cuba to federal republic win
be indispensable to the continuance and integrity of the
Union itself 1t obvious however that for this event
We not vet prepared Numerous and formidable OBJ
ectons TO the extension OF territorial domnonB be-
yod the present themselves 10 the first contempa
ton OF the subject obstacles TO Che system Of policy by
which alone tiut result can be con'pnssed and main
aincd to bo foeseen aud suuonnted, both from at
home and abroad but there laws OF political well
Us Of physical gavation and If apple, severed hy
the tempest from its native tree, cannot choose but
tall 70 the ground, Cuba orcibly disioiuci from its
own unnatural xon with Spain, and incapable of
sclfsuppor gravitaic only towards the North Amer
can union which, by the law of nature cannot
cast her OF from its bosom.
''Ihc transfer of Cuba to Great Britain would be an
event unproptious TO the interests of this Union This
opinion Is so generally entertained that the ground
s rumors that it about to be accomplished which
nave spread abroad and still teemng may be traced
to the deep and almost universal feeling OF aversion IT,
aud to the alarm which the mere probability of its occur
renee has stimulated The question both OF our right
and OF our power to prevent IT, il necessary by force
already obtrucs itself upon councils and the admin
straon Is called upon, in the performance of It's dus
TO The n"tion Mt least &, use all the means within its
competency to guard against and iorefend it,
On April ~, lSz5 Mr. Clay Secretary of State in
adcspateh to Mr., A. IT. Everett minister at Madrid
istructg him 10 his cxertions to induce Spain 60
make pence with her rcvol,etl colonies, says
The United States satisfied with the present con
fs...|.. t...I \. ~. d. r.I