The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-12-14
The End of the Slave Trade.

The End of the Slave Trade.
1rcn the Tribune.
1uere Is one short passage in the report Of the
Secretary of the Navy, just presented to Con-
ptess, which, probably overlooked amid the
imposing details given in that document of the
strei 9Th of our naval arm and the movements
of our squadrons in different parts of the world,
merits, We think, particular notice. II is this:-
"Butone SLAYER hos been fitted out on the south :
trn asst of Africa within the past year, aud sne
has beeB captured on the coast of Cuba with her
cargo j Il was the opinion of prominent officials at
LoaIdo, including the French Admiral on that sta
on, tina! the slave trade had expired ana Inat tus
blot on civilizauOn had become at last matter OF
history"
We also End the following in the report
"Ihe vessels on the West India station were in.
structed to exercise vigilance in detecting slaVers
and preventing the slave trade, provided any linger
ing remains OF that neiarous tIafhc sun existed,
Iut no captures have been made, ana IL Is TO De
hoped TINS infamous trade is extinguished"
So, It would appear. it is to be the happiness
of the present generation to witness the last one
of the great at curses with which humanity has
ever been afflicted the extinction of the "sum
OF all william es.n The history of the African
slave trade, like the prophets roll, is "ful of
lamentation and mourning and VICE." 1t is
history whose every page has been saturated
with tears and blood. One of the most
hopeful and cheering signs of the times is the
fact that the last page of that dreadful his
tory has been written, and that Christian civili-
and disgrace OF man-stealing, and of the crueltes
and horrors OF the 'middle.passage." The future
historians OF this country will record with pride
the fact that simultaneously with our struggles
to liberty IN the republic, the nation became
more earnest than ever in protest against this
abonnation, and more active in efforts to sup
press the wicked trade.
SPAN is now the only power from which any
attempt to revive the traffic in human flesh and
blood may be apprehended. But she, too, will
be compelled to yield in this matter to that en-.
lightened public opinion which has forced other
nations to abandon the nefarious business. She
is under treaty obligations with Great Britain to
suppress the traffic, sum amounting to nearly
half million of pounds sterling having been
paid TO her or that purpose. The terms of the
treaty in question have been shamelessly vio-
lated by Spain, who for years past has tacitly
given every encouragement to the man-stealers
OF Cuba in the prosecution of their inhuman
enterprise. Previously 10 our late civil war; the
slave trade TO Cuba was carried on in great mea-
sure under cover of the United States flag; but
the treaty made with the British Government by
President Lincoln's Administration, for the more
efecual suppression of the traffic by means of
concerted action between the United States and
England, renders it impossible for the Spaniards
any longer tI find impunity under the shelter of
our flag; and the vigilance OF cruisers, as the
Secretary's report shows, has done the rest, the
trade being already virtually extinct. And
Spain, we repeat, cannot revive it; for inde-
pendently of That extraneous pressure, which,
on the question ofnegro slavery, must eventually
drive her into the right path, wholesome
sentiment is sprlnging up in her own bosom.
Madrid has its abolition party, active, earnest,
and enthusiastic; Cuba too, has its bolitionists;
and there are facts showing that the Spanish
Government is feeling sensibly the moral pres
sure arising out of the events of the last five
years in tb part of the world. The abolition
of slavery in Cuba is only question OF time,
and we think we see already "the beginning OF
the end" &C..