The Portland daily press., 1869-09-14
WASHINGTON CoIINr,
YORK COUNTY.
Cuhuu NATIONALITY.

So often and so signally have attempts at
self government failed among other races
| than our own, that it has almost become a
habit with US to sneer at such attempts as in
triusicaly preposterous. We have been in
clined to arrogate to ourselves the distinction
of being peculiar people" to whom had
been secured by divine appointment monop-
oily of all the capacity for self government ex-
| isting or ever to exist upon the earth. It is
not uncommon to see American at the pres
ent time look down with supercilous con-
tempt upon the enaeavors the Cubans are
making to secure for themselves place and
a name among the nations of the earth. A
correct decision can be expected only when
the public, looking candidly at all the facts,
judges Cuba on her own merits, without pre-
maturely condemning her for the failure of
others. The true question is, does Cuba pos
sess the elements of nationality? '@
One of our profoundest political philoso-
pliers, DR.. Francis Lieber, thus defines ma
ton: "The word Nation in the fullest adap-
tation of the term means, in modern times a
numerous and homogeneous population (hav-
ing long emerged from the hunters and NOM
adic state), permanently inhabiting and cul-
tivating coherent territory, with well de-
fined geographic outline, and name of its
own, the inhabitants speaking their own Ian
guage, having their own literature and COM
mon institutions, which distinguish them
clearly from other and similar groups of peo-
pie; being citizens and subjects of military
government, however subdivided it may be,
and feeling an organic unity with one an
other, as we'll as being conscious of common
destiny" aH
A "unitary government" and separate in
situations political and social are acquired
characteristics, and must follow not precede
independence. This secured, they grow up
naturally with the successive exigencies of
national Development
The inquiry will therefore be confined to
those characteristics Of nationality which Ell
Their exist naturally or may be acquired in
state of colonial subsection. OF these Cuba
possesses the most obvious, "a coherent ter
ritory with welldefned geographic outline"
The area of Cuba is 1880 SO. M, OF nearly
three-fourths that of England and Wales. 1t
exceeds that Of Scotland, ireland, Denmark,
Holland, Belgium, Switzerland or Portugal,
while her nsular position and her remoteness
from the intrigues and complications of Eu-
ropean politics constitute such means of de-
tense against foreign foes as no nation of cou-
tinental Europe can possess. As regards the
capacity of her soil, Cuba is at least equal to
any of the States just mentioned, and decid-
eddy superior to most of them. Though in
habited by more than a million of people on
ly twentieth of her soil is under cultivation
so that there is abundant room for future de-
velopment. Indeed, her resources remain al
most untouched. What development she will
ultimately attain can be known only approx
mately. England, Scotland and Wales taken
together have an average of two hundred
and fifty-three inhabitants to square mile.
The poor but well cultivated soil of Belgium
supports 361 inhabitants to square mile
The presence of heat and moisture upon
which the productive powers of the soil de-
pend increases as we approach the equator.eA
writer in the Encyclopedia Britannica, bas-
ing his calculations on this fact, making al
lowance for the effect of tropical climate up
On mans powers of exertion, and not presum-
ing that the coil -~-;u ~ r.~rroel ca
pacity, estimates that those portions of the
New World within the parallel of 30 deg. will
Cuba lies almost wholly within the parallels
of 20 and % deg. Allowing, therefore, 1880
square miles for waste, the remaining 10000
square miles of Cuban territory will, on this
basis, sustain a population of 100000, OF
more than that of England in 1851. Though
opment will be ultimately attained, it is moi
necessary to look so far into the future. Att
no distant day Cuba may be expected, in dens-
ity of population, to rival Belgium, and in al
still shorter time, to come up to the averaged
of England, Scotland and Wales. In the for-|
mer case she would have up wards of 10000
900 inhabitants; in the latter more than TO-
100000. In either case her population would
be sufficient for all the functions of national
ity, whether external or internal. Her re-
sources would be ample to preserve tran
guilty at home and to maintain her dignity
abroad. AT the last estimate Cuba would
have more than double the population CT
Prussia when the latter, under Frederick the
Great, maintained, her ground against Rus
STA, Austria and France combined.
Cuba to day possesses population scarcely
smaller than did Prussia in 17O6 when Fred
rick III, Duke of Brandenburg, assumed the
title of King of Prussia. If the latter King
dom surrounded as she was on all sides by
Jealous and often hostile neighbors, with her
development frequently checked by war, and
always retarded by the necessity of keeping
up expensive ornaments, could not only
maintain her nationality, but grow in little
more than century and half to the rank of
afirst class power, shall we despair of Cuba so
much morefavorably situated and SO much
richer in the lessons of the past? Give her
but independence let her people experience
the inspiration of national feeling, and moth
ing but the grossest misuse of natures boun-
ties can prevent her from achieving mag