Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-09-25

j 1lDAoIAAAN Va ~ -
busters and advocate Of the foreibl'
seizure Of Cuba, Intellectual.
The wOoing Of Central America to GU
embraces, was left to WALKER and the
gentle influences and soft persuasions o
arms, and never received official sane
ton or became a party measure. I
failed inglorionsly, and WALKER died
as 3 mAlefactor.
The annexation OF Cuba was at frs
sought 70 be effected by similar means
but after a time the project Of snnexinl
1t was adopted by the Democrats party
the last spssmodic effort before giving W
/ the ghost. IL was beyond all compare
I son the most insane and irrational pro-
I isct that the fertile brain Of demsgogue
| ism ever conceived. It was grasped 81
as a means Of catching the wind Of pop
ular favour, and by raising a new issue
Of buoying up the sinking fortunes Of g
/ decaying party. 1t was q most striking
instance OF the necessity always press
ing upon parties in a popular govern
ment, Of raising new questions from time
| to time, as old ones wear out, to take
their places, or to divert the popular st
tention, and enable the party to palter
| in 9 double n on questions dangerous
to its internal peace, and threatening il
with shipwreck, The people at large
/ had not thought Of the acquisition Of
! Cuba, when q few reckless politicians set
the project on foot. Then the party press
began to advocate &c, hlibusters feebly
I and idly endeavoured 10 effect it and
| finally the ugly proposition made It's sp-
pearauce in Congress.
The acquisition Of CUBS was both Inn
practicable and undesirable. There was
not the slightest possibility OF e~ffecting
il by purchase: and no one knew that
better than the Chief Engineer, SLIDELL,
though SoULE was sent as Minister to
Spain to effect Il, perhaps because he was
the most unlikely Of all meB to succeed.
Every man Of sense knew thst Spain
would Ret sell for money what she
deemed the brightest jewel ofthe Crown ;
and that she would regard an offer 70
purchase It Is an insult, and as as a ma
ton Of snobs for proposing to give an
ancient and proud monsrehy moneys in
exchange for part of its dominiOns.
Even a Ysukee pedlsr would hardly
have the ~impudence to offer to bay the
heir-loOms Of a nobleman. Every gen
tleman, though fallen into decay, would
resent the gross, unmannerly insult, and
IL he psrdoned the offer made by vul-
garity and Hl-JreediBg 1t would be be-
cause the offender was too ignorant to be
conscious that he was giving offence.
Moreover, the people OF Cuba are a
mixed and ignorant race, wholly untitled
for freedom, bigoted and narrow Spanish
Catholics, holding every Protestant in
such sbhorrence as that with which a
pi0us Israelite regards swine. The mass
OF them were as little qualified to be
citizens OF q Republic as the poems OF
Mexico, or our own emaucipated ne
groes. We had already entertained a
Mexican priest as g Delegate from New
Mexico; and for all who ever saw him,
in Congress or at the faro-rooms, the
single specimen was sufficient. Two
such would have converted all OF Us TO
the opinion OF Mr.. Secretary CONRAD,
that the best Use to be made Of that mis-
cradle Province was to give it back to
Mexico.
The f~aithfulness OF folly is exhaustless.
1t was a Southern Senator, ANDREW
JOHNSON, Of Tennessee, who in the last
days OF the Republic urged the insane
project Of giving away the public lands
for homesteads, alike to foreigners and
citizens, that the Northwest might daily
become more Populous, and the South be
daily more and more IN danger. The
measure did not fail for want Of South
ern votes, Of which whether the givers
sre now ashamed, Con knows. or
course, If the plan bad been adopted, II
would speedily have produced three or
four new States i'm the Northwest. to
bring nearer the day when an amend.
msnt Of the Constitution s~bolishing
slavery should be possible. We know
by recent experience that such an
amendment would have been proposed,
and when the number Of free States
should have sufficiently increased, would
be carried and that the fact that two
thirds Of the States could not legitl-
mately abolish slavery ia the other third,
by an amendment Of the Constitution,
any more than they could "abolish -
the titles Of individuals to lands held
under grants from the States, would not
in the least have prevented the act from
being done, and the amendment, II re-
sisted, enforced by the bayonet. 10 be-
coming a consolidated people, we compel
the weaker States 10 submit 70 any
usurpation which the stronger ones,
combining, may see ft to perpetrate.
Force once used, and successful, will be
always ready to be used again. Men
like to resort TO it. 1t is the most popu-
lar proof Of superiority and mastery. 1t
grstiies ambition.
Not content with all these harlequin.
adss. and as II 10 destroy one last vestiee
Of sympathy with Us in the North, and
make the whole world regard Us with
horror as the enemies Of the human race,
soae Of the men whose trade and pre-.
rogstive it was to manufacture public
opinion in the Snuth, began, against the
sentiment Of the vast majority there, to
agitste the sccursed question Of opening
The slave trade, for which their fore
fathers had impeached England at the
bar Of the civilized world. OF course
they did rot expect to succeed in amend
log the Constitution or repeating the
laws prohibiting the trade. It was done
simply by way Of brBvado, and 10 shock
the sentiments Of humanity Of all man
Kind. An attempt was sven made 10
render the traffic popular. A vessel sail
ing from the coast Of South Carolina
brought from Africa cargo Of slaves,
which were disposed Of there and in 9th.
er States, and some Of them were probs.
bly, armed against as and had spesdv rs-
venge, In this war. Political bodice
called commercial conventions. form,Iv
inquired into the expediency OF opening (
the trade, il was mooted aud fayoyred
in the Legislature Of South Carolina
and it was seriously attempted, In parts
OF the South, to make all men odioDs
who dared oppose 81. The present stat.
Of things is a fine commentary on the
wisdom Of the project. On ne peaa "a.
ofiGnter tous Jours les antrsas on eat
quelquegois G6faate a sou tour. Oneean.
not Gl1ays affront others; one will some
times be affronted in his turn.
THE English people are Just now look
ing forward with some interest to the
Of q contest OF rsthera rare kind
the ocean race Of the tea ships from
China. For several years past the an
nual strife has taken place. The com
petitors being fast sailing ships, engaged