The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-01-22
How the st. Thomas Purchase is
Regarded in England. d
| From the London Star, Dec.

press Vi tulS country Wis lulcu Will tioi0ut
lenunciations Of the negroes, President
Johnson took advantage Of the circumstan-
,es to sound the late Sir T. Bruce as to the
Of our cedingi to the United
States that magnificent, but up that time,
ill-governed island. The exceeding cold
reception with which his overtures were
met induced the president, or rather, Mr..
Seward, for that astute old man is at the
bottom of the business, to apply toiDen-
mark, where he has been more successful.
~ ~ President johnson is doubtless
right in assuming that, had the United
States possessed st. Thomas during the
late war, there would have been no block
ade running. The place was the very nest
and center of the Illegal traffic which buoy
ed up for d time the spirit Of the Southern
The president must not be
surprised, however, if we look upon it in
another point of view. In the, event of a
great reyulson in our own country, bcca-
stoned by the persistent, Vaccinations Of
the American Fenians, St. Thomas and St.
John may become convenient shelters from
which to annoy the commerce of England.
Certainly, in war with the United
States, should that calamity ever occur,
the possession Of these two islands would
entirely alter, the balance Of power which;
has hitherto subsisted between this coulr
try and America. Ii
We no not point out these results in any
spirit of hostility to the United States, but
ratherto show the blindness snd stupidity
Of the traditional policy Of the foreign office.
We are in the act of spending millions un-
der some delusion that in doing so We ,are
keeping up our prestige in the East Indies,
while without d protest, without a murmur,
without an exchange of notes, so far as we
are at present informed, our greatest naval
rival acquires two islands in the West In
dies, avowedly as warports against possible
Transatlantic enemies. The presence of
the Americans in those ATTITUDES will be. o
disturbing cause to the European powers
in peace as well as in war. Spain, especi-
ally, may proceedlat once to set her house
in order. Porto Rico, where slavery still
reigns with all its hateful feature, is the
near nelghbor of st. Johns. Imagine the
state Of mind Of the Spanish planters, with
o community of negroes in the possession
Of manhood suffrage in the mex? island
Nor can we escape the difficulties which
the adventof this new neighbor will Ger.
tainly, cause in the West Indies. Already
| the United States have begun to dominate
! the minds of the negroes. They have not
been inattentiye observers ofwhat has been
passing in the great country which SO late.
fy was the chief stay ofslayery.i They will
not watch with less jealousy the possession
of the franchise by their lately emancipa
| ted brethren when the American flag floats
over two of the islands in their midst. In
addition to what may be called the passive
propagnndisrn Of American views, an active
and most powerful influence will be e1erted
by the superior commercial activity Of tht
| Americans, Although the obtaining d
war ports has, been the leading idea ofths
late acquisition, the intense business aetiv
lily ofthe Americans will doubtless 1soor
convert the newfcolonysihto a scomn1ercia
center, where they will ahiass all the ricl
produce Of the neighboring islands 9befor'
launching il upon the markets ofthe world
/ ~ Il -.l-l-l-- - - E.l--l y II =
J nw AS affair sample of the ideas Of
negro about the powers Of the ,unconsti
4 tutional Convention, still hammering ava.
1 in New Orleans, we give the following as
a part, Of, their. thirty-seventh days proceed
ihgs. . Can more be said to render the In
famous and degraded scoundrels, who com
pose Jayhawker No. 2, the ieer and r IL q
Of even niggers, without the radicals il
AN ordinance was offered by Newell
tcolored,) of Orleans, providing that q
registered voters DESTROYS of remaining d
the plantation in the precinct where the
/ may be, may do SO, and shall mot be ejec'
4 ed from the place, plantation Of house j
! which they lived at the timeef registration
duntil after the vote on the Constitution
q and if any 'pefson or planter" shall ejee
! any such persons, he shall be held liable Y
raisdemeanor, and shall bepunished by
4 fine Of not more than five hundred dollars
nor less than six months imprisonment 9
hard labor, OF both This resolution ion w H'a
adopted. AN stli J5It. :l.el49 - Is