, 1860-02-09
REcrPRoc1LT TRADE WITH CUBA

pDNF loltE duO suCtstt Nt4f Ec 13cttttd. MN
Ens'and courts tLa inquiry. Now let Tie
HsruM s,la<tartitte its charges.
RECIPROCAL TRADE WITH CUBA.
Cubs has served tie purpose OF stalking
horse in American politics quite lorg cncuth
aud it is time to see If s>tneih;ng caunot lie
doae which! pracic lily. will he lair Offset !or
any imaginary or real disadvantage growing
out Of its ownership ly foreign power. Nur
sha. we have to Look lung or so far fara price,
dent exactly adapted to the subject in hand.
In our treaty Of reciprocal freq Trade with c:,n-
ada, we hive practical solution Of The ques-
tion-a solution which. Il applied to Cuba, will
giye this country all the be,efi:s 10 bc derived
from actual OWNERSHIP without its disa:ras'-
tages. As III alternative ior annexation: it is
far more to be desired il tie case of Cuba t::an
Of C4nada. The latter is possessed Of pap
u!ation homogeneous will. CUT OWE, accus-
toned 10 laws. traditions. ideas aod institutions
very similar to lAose existing in the free Siates:
aud I.cr annexation TO the Cnion as sove-
reign State would produce no j'a:lc Of our,sy:-
TEN oi confsdcracr. Cuba ca tic o;ler l:and.
contains a population d.ssin.iIar from ours in
race. in language; i'll education: in political i'll
sttu.ions, and who hare shown. in Central
and South A.neriest a marked inaolitT 70 adapt
themselves to free institutions The :.nnexn-
ton Of such a population would not bc Of even
questionable policy-it could result oIiy in
mischief, if not prove fatally disastrous; and
tlis slonc aside from, tie difficulties which
inherent in and inseparab!y connected with the
question, is sufficient answer to all argu-
meats III behalf Of The annexation Of Cuba.
But reciprocal free trade with such (; pco-
pie is quite different ,aat1c1. It's results could
not fail 10 he beneficial to all parties concerned:
ard net thelcast good to be accomplished ly
it would be the removal ol the question Of AZ.
nexa1ion from the iirli of nl,ics, and tire sup
punt fur the conquest cT Cul,;,. That there arc
difficulties III the way is not denied, bu; there
is good reason for believing that they are not
ius1rmountable. Spain, at one time, made The
proposition herself hut our Minister 10 that
government, being an agent Of tie tilibustczs
and tho Slavery rropagandissst rather Than
the representative Of the producing and COM
mcrcial classes, refused to entertain it. We
have this assurance from Mr. Perry, who was
Secretary Of the Legation to Spain under Pres
ident Pierce: and it appears that tie 1'rojet Of
the treaty, as drawn up by tile Spanish Minis
ter, If placed On tiic in the State Department,
by Mr. Soule on iis return, has been abstract
ed from tho archives Of the government Per-
haps noiucident IN cur national history shows
more clearly tic entire control which the
Slavery y-propagandists have Of the govern
ment, than this. 4 voluntary offer to confer
al inestimable boon upon the agricultural:
manufacturing aud commercial classes Of this
country, is rejected without word, and all
official evidence Of the fact removed, because
i, would interfere with the sugaz-growcrs q
Louisiana, AMI ,frustrato tue scheme for adding
another Slave Sta1e to tho Union. The coun
try is indebted to personal difficulty between
our Minister to Spain and his Secretary ior nj
its knowledge Of this transaction, and but To-
that quarrel, it is not probable that any init
matioa would have been given that such pro
position was ever made. The revelation, how
ever, proves that Spain had made up her miu'
at one TIME to consen: TO reciprocity Of trad
between Cuba and the United States, rs
peaceful solution Of the difficulties growing ou
Of .l.e consiguity Of that Island 10 covetou
and powerful nation: and this is i suflicieu
answer 10 any objection which may be mad
against efforts on the part Of our govcrnmct
in that behalf, on tile ground that Spain wi
not consent 10 it.
In the government Of hcr American possei
sions, the efforts Of Spain are directed 1nainl
to two objecis-tirst TO make them source
national revenue, and secondly to provide
market for her surplus commodities. Each
these ends is obtained by tue imposition Of
high tariff Of duties, both on imports and e:
ports. To secure n revenue, she imposes hig
duties on what she Las to sell, and to force III
American subjects to buy Of her, sho increase
the rates upon the same commodities imrorte
from other countries, to tho point Of prol1il
lion. By the further imposition Of a tonna:
duty, greater upon foreign than her own ve!
sels, che increases the revenue and discEim
mates in favor Of her own shipping.
This policy operates very injuziously upo
the commercial interests Of the United State
Tho latter is the nnt,iral market for Cuba f
the purchase Of almost every article Of priu
necessity which che does not herself produce
while in sugar, molasses, and some other arI
cles Cuba is our easiest and ought Il H. d
cheapest source Of supply. The latter Nc a
compelled TO purchase from her, bccsslso /
where else can We get the quantity adequa
to our annual consumption. We are, ther
fore, compelled to 50 into her markets, cor
p,to with other purchasers, and then
subjected to au ouerous export duty, whit
: goes TO 1ep1eaish the Golfers OF. spa'
. At the same time, our breadstu0is, meats, Ia!
butter, cheese. &c, If which NC annual
grow large surplus, and which Cuba is col
PEELED to purchase somewhere, arc ne:4sural
excluded from her ports by high duties Anne
can -four, for example, is subjected 10 a duty
Slo.s1 per barrel; lard pays tariff Of
cents per pound, BY reason Of which olive 4