The Yazoo Democrat. [volume] (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1858-18??, 1859-02-19
YAz0O CITY MISSISSIPPI SATURDAY MORNING. FEBRUARY ~ 1889

mercial Advancement
In addition to our domestic commerce
that commerce for which England has been
trying to find passage through the Polar
seas for centuries. A commerce that biult
up Palmyra in the midst of sand" en-
riched the Italian Republics, Holland and
Portugal, and gave power and strength to
the British throne, must pass through the
Gulf. We allude to the trade of the East,
whose magic influence on cities and king,
donls in by-gone times, history and tradition
tell US of the most wonderful instances
Since the acquisition of California this
trade has increased, for China's wall has
been broken, and the visit of Commodore
Perry to Japan, seems to lave given new
ideas to that exclusive people, and they are
ready to take up the cross of progress, and
marcel onward with the procession of advauc-
ing nations.
Since the tragic fate of Sir John Franklin
and his companions, all hope of the diScov
cry of Northwest passage for the trade Of
the Orient must be abandoned, and it must
pass through the nearest route, the Gulf of
Mexico The question for us to decide is,
shall we be silent and let Cuba pass into the
hands of our ancient enemy and commercial
rival or do more, see it Africanzed in
sight of us F.? or shall we, in q spirit worthy
of our ancestral fame, declare that Cuba
cannot be African but shall be American
Who has noticed the declaration of Lord
Clarendon, the speech of Louis Napoleon to
his " faithful Commons" the correspondence
on the tripartite treaty. and is not satisfied
that when these royal philauthropi:ts have
settled the Ottoman question, their eyes are
turned to Cuba, and every effort will b,
made to keep the Queen of the Antile.
from sravitating into the arlus of the Amer
lean Union.
j We have examined this question brief,
in a commercial, now let Us look at it in ;
!, military point of view. We have said thai
Cuba commands both the outlets of the
Gulf of Mexico. The Island, then, in the
hands of strong naval power, would con
troll our entire commerce in the Gulf. How
important, then, that it should belong to the
. United States, to prevent the spolation O
our commerce, and sudden invasion o
our Southern border. Mr. Jefferson, witt
that remarkable foresight which distinguish
!, ed him above all other men of his age aftel
: we had acquired Louisiana aud Florida, i,
a letter to James Monroe, dated Oct "A
/ 1923, urging the acquisition of Cuba al
necessary 10 our safety, he said:
= candidly confess | have ever Iookel
on Cuba as the most interesting addition
which could ever be made to our system o
States. The control of which, with the
! Florida point, this Island would give us oveI
the Cuff Of Mexico and the countries anl
Isthmus bordering on it, as well as thos,
: waters which flow into it, would fill up th
5 measure of oul political well being"
S Mr.. Stevenson. our Minister at the Cour
Of St, James, looking at Cuba in militar,
point of view, says in letter to Mr. For
! syth, Secretary of State In 1887:
D The possession Of Cuba by a grea
! maritime power would be little less tha,
the establishment Of fortifcation at tn
mouth of the Mississippi, commanding th
/ Gulf of Mexico and Florida, and cnnse
/ quently the whole trade of the Western
States, besides deeply affecting the interest
f and tranquility of the Southern portion o
the Union"
> John Quincy Adams in bis instruction:
as Secretary of State, for President Monroe
5 to Mr.. Nelson, in 1928, says:
: "That Cuba's commanding position witt
t reference to the Gulf of Mexico aud th
. West Indies, &C., gives it an Importance i
$ the sum of our National interest, with whc
! that of no other foreign territory can b
| compared "
We might fill up column after column
F., from the highest civil and military author
tiles this country ever produced, 10 shov
the Importance of Cuba to our National de
fence
But to the southern man, there is still
4 more interesting view to be taken of thi
t question. allude to the political relato
it bears to us. Cuba is a slaveholding cour
try, almost in sight of the saveholdin
States of the south 1t is owned by wea
j. and enervated Spain, the last of her po;
e sessions in the new world. Spain, unabl
, to keep in subjection her dowutroddcn an
J oppressed subjects, stands ready to do what
y ever France and England may dictate, i
: order to prevent it from falling into tn
v hands of the United States. Yes, they al
s prepared to Afrcauize the Island, to tur
d loose upon the whites 100000 slaves j
: Cuba, 800,000in in the West Indies, to drenc
q The land in blood, the loveliest portion {
8 the world, with the blood of the white ra
:, and to strike fatal blow at the institution
e Of the Southern States. Read the instru,
} tions of Lord Palmerston, the blood thirst
r foreign Secretary of England, to the Britis
7, minister at Madrid, on this subject, he says
e "I have to instruct your Lordship to tt
9 Spanish Minister, that the slaves form
% large portion, and by no means an unimpo
& tant one, Of the people of Cuba, snd th
IS any steps taken to provide for their emai
lie ci,ation would, therefore, as far as lhe blat
o, population is concerned, be quito in uuisC
with the recommendation made by her Ma
i, esty's Government, that measures should
re adopted for contentiug the people of Cub
~ with a view to secure the connection
g tween the Spanish crown and the Islan
err and. it must be evident that if the neg