New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-11-12

On end They wish to throw off Spanish rule ia order
that they might unite tner fortunes WIN SavsH oc 90
their country under the Stars and Stripes as Que OF
the States of the Union And this question Oh tne
annexation OF Cuba to the United States IS not new
one 1t was seriously m0oted 20 years ago, when
President Polk authorized the American minister
at Madrid to offer 20 purchase the island Tor me
sum of Sl00000000 Ii filled the public mind during
the revolutionary attempts of Lopez, III 1901 ana lool
il was revived in 1854. in which year tne Ghlea
States Ministers at London, Paris, and MadTid pui5
forth the statement popularity known rs the Osieh1
Manifesto, in which they argued that the lsianu
ought 20 belong to the United States, and that ITS
sale would he highly advantageous to Spain; ana
the subject was again brought up short time before
the outbreak of the Southern Rebellion in the shape
of proposition made in Congress by Mr. Sldell OF
Louisiana, during the session OF lS5S-5'l to place
SS000O00 i'm the hands of the President for the ac-
QUESTION of the island. Tie motive at the bottom OF
these projects for gaining possession of Cuba was the
desire OF the Slavery party III this country to increase
their power in the Union, and strengthen the pc
culIar institution" by gaining another Slave State
The emancipation of the slaves in the Southern
States has materially changed the situation since
the period when the latest effort was made by Amer
lean statesmen TO acquire Cuba, which could now
only come into the Union on the condition of being
rid of Slavery. But this price the party of ndepend
ence would readily and gladly pay. The feeling with
which they regard Slavery may be gathered
from the way in which it is spoken of in
the Manifesto lately issued by the Revolution
that proclamation, "as the horrible institution of
Slavery now is, after the colossal struggle in our
nelghbOnng American Republic Tor It's entire aDO-
tOn it would be insanity to think OF perpetuating
in Cuba; and outside of the motives of Justice right
and humanity which call loudly for its final eXtlnc-
ton, il would be n contradiction, objectionable
alteration on the part of the Federal Republic vic
tOrOusy proclaimed 10y our brothers of the PENN
sula--llt was believed at the time that Republic
had been proclaimed in Spainl-tO Keep for any
length of time that stain which cings TO us like an
ignOminiOuS legacy of monarchy Strong as may
be the desire of the CubanS for annexation 1t Is GER
tain. however that the cOnSunmatI0n can never DC
fastened or any way helped forward by illibuster
ing enterprises. which only end in disaster TO
those engaging in them, and Ill entaillhg trouble OH
| the United States.
The idea of the acquisition of Cuba by the United
States has never been an agreeable one 10 the span
! sh Government, which has pleaded as an eStoppel
to all negotiation for the transfer OF the colony 10
| another power that il would be dcrogat0ry TO the
! honor of Spain TO part voluntarily with the ever
faithful isle The truth is that no offer sunclenty
| large has ever been made &c induce SPAN
| to rclinquish Cuba, whose value 10 her III
| pecuniary point of view, has been OF late years
greater than that OF any other single colonial posses
| sion owned by amy European Power during the
last thirty or forty years Cuba has been 10 SPAN
| what the island of Jamaica was at one time TO
! England-the fountain OF immense Wealth 10 lhe
mother country-a great reserve IN which the span
| ish people found far richer pastures than any pre-
sentng themselves in their native land
| EXTENT, POPULATION, AND RESOURCES or CUBA.
! The Island of Cuba Is prize worth gaming; ~
| has been well designated the Queen of the Antilles
for there is island in the Western Hemisphere 10
compare with it, Its greatest length is $50 miles; ITS
breadth varies from $50 10 % miles, and IFS tOtal
area is As $50 squares miles being nearly equal to the
! area of Belgium, Holland, Denmark. and Swlzcr-
land taken together. Ii has soil of the utmost fer
tility yielding many of the most precious articles OF
commerce. and III the mineral Kingdom IT'S resources
are very considerable its copper mines being among
the most productive to be found IN the Western
Hemisphere Its population. according TO the last
census, taken III lsO3 IS l,o99%oS souls; OF Whoh
764 $50 are whites and 5 ass c0Ored, 2 3S OF these
being of free condition and $3.50 slaves. Allowing
for increase since 1862 il is safe 10 assert that DUNG
the last fifty years the population of Cuba has been
| 4ral a1 for i'm 0cCOTlInU ID
that year. il only 55is eos whereas at present IT
must be at least million and a half II Is note
worthy that the increase OF the White population has
been of late very much more rapid than that OF the
cOlored portion. Thus in 1916 the whites stood AT
425 767 and the coored at 472s5, while In 1862 the
former had sweled TO 76iJO, and the latter reached
| only 5944SS In fact, the white population has
almost doubled itself IN the short space of 10 years
The increase of the slave population since 1917 has
been greatly aided by the African slave trade which,
in spite of solemn treaties for suppression to which
she is party Spain has encouraged and protected
during the whole of this time. Within tins same
period the material prosperity of Cuba has advanced
| rapidly. The island has now q different lines OF
railway of total length of over 500 miles and the
construction of these roads has been attended WIN
an extraordinary extension OF cultivation. Some
idea of the growth of Cuban prosperity may be found
ia the fact that between 1871 and 1880 the exports
had more than doubled in amount, having swellcd
from Sl3lll 4l6 IN the tormer yea 60 oSs COO
and they have been steadily Increasing year
by year ever since The increase in the production
of the single article Of sugar is something truly
astonishing In the year 1900, the export Of sugar
from the Island amounted 10 100000 n in 1920 il
had risen to above 100000 h in lS49 IL had in
creased to 240 100000 ID in 1861 il $50 ~
and it has continued on the ascending scale up 10
the present time. Certainly no country in
the Western World. except the United States
has made such progress in the development
of its resources, within short period
as the Island of Cuba. Among the causes 10
which this extraordinary progress IN material
wealth may be attributed, the abolition Of
Slavery in the British West Indies followed by The
adoption of Free Trade az the imperial policy OF
BITflsl
Cuban planter on equal terms, regards the duties
his sugars with the planters of the free colonies
of En- gland Strange as II may sound, II Is neNcTthe
of the prosperity she enjoys to Radical }rmin gham
and that the Slave dealer has had valuable ally In
the Free Trader