The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-03-07
Reciprocity with Cuba.
THE PROPOSITION OF SPAIN LAID BEFORE THE
STATE DEPARTMENT.. ,-..,...-

THE PROPOSITION OF SPAIN LAID BEFORE THE
STATE DEPARTMENT.. ...-...-
From the New York Evening Post.
The proposition of the Spanish government
for treaty securing reciprocity of commercial
intercourse between the United States and Gu
ba, which was first announced in Mr.. Bryant S
letter from Havana, published by us last Fri
day, has now been formally laid before the State
Department by the Spanish minister. No Off
cial account of its precise terms has reached
us, but we know from Mr. Bryant's converse
ton with the Intendente de Ia Hacienda at
Havana that Senior Roberts has full authority
to negotiate and to sign, ,in behalf of Spain
any treaty which will tend to secure freedom to
commerce between Cuba and this country. ~
The value of such treaty to the people OF
the United States can hardly be overestimated.
1t is well known that our government many
years ago became SO convinced OF the impor-
lance of obtaining the island, and of the popu-
lar desire for it that it distinctly gave Spain to
understand that it was ready to pay $780, O0O
for the cession of it. Even so late as eighteen
months ago, as is positively asserted by the
negotiated between the two governments Tor
the transfer of Cuba to us, and for the payment
by us in exchange of sum nearly as large as
that named above-a bargain which was only
interrupted by the assassination OF General
Prim in December, 1870. There are few re-
fiecting persons in the United States who do
not think that the purchase would be cheaply
made for us at such price. N
But what would be the gain? Surely not
in the addition to the supreme people who rule
us of large mixed population, speaking an
other language, and wholly alien both to our
political institutions, and to our social life
This would bring new problems to our already
overtaxed craftsmanship, if not new dangers
to our already strained and discordant Union
The only real gain would be in breaking down
the commercial barriers which divide us from
Cuba as a foreign province. Indeed were the
whole civilized world to fulfil the sanguine
dream Of some Southern orators, and apply for
admission to the federal Union, there would be,
apart from the wish to make war less probable,
but one practical end to be secured by receiving
them; that of applying to all the States of
Christendom the fundamental principle which
the Constitution of the United States lays down
for the states under it, that there shall be abso-
lutte freedom of trade among them. This Con-
stitution has been hitherto the grandest exper-
iment in free trade which the world has ever
seen; and it has resulted in such unparalleled
prosperity as proves it to be the true law for all
nations. The whole gain to us by obtaining
Cuba as our own would therefore be less than
the gain to us by accepting the offer Spain now
makes.
Nor does the proposition to admit Cuban pro-
ducts free interfere in any way with the inter-
est or fancies of most of the protectionists in
this country. The few sugar-planters of the
Gulf are no longer leaders of the protectionist
rings in Congress- All the Cuban staples can
come here without duty and yet without dis
turbing any of the great monopoGes in coal,
salt, lumber, WOOL iron, steel, copper, tools,
machinery and clothing; while the cheaper cof-
fee, sugar, molasses, rum, mahogany, tobacco
and cigars we shall get will cheaper the cost of
living to our laboring men, and 50 mitigate the
great curse which "protection" now inf1icts on
them 1t is thus as much to the benefit of the
protectionist of the free trader that this trea-
ty be adopted; and, if the former opposes it, the
reason must be his fear that the results of it
would be such O demonstration of the falsehood
of his doctrines as to establish before the peO-
pie the principle of free trade.
We need not consider at length the effect
such treaty would have upon Cuba herself.
The island has a population of more than q
million, one-third Of them slaves, and under a
worse slavery than was ever known in Caro-
lima or Texas. The treaty, as the Spanish au-
thorities well know, would hasten the abolition
of slavery, and they are ready to accept this
about. In thousand other ways the large,
which would follow this treaty would increase
the influence of our people and our institutions
there, and would rapidly prepare the islanders
to become one day free citizens of a republic,
if not of the United States. In this case, there
FORE as in most other questions of statesman
ship, all philanthropic impulses combine with
far-sighted self-interest to impel this nation to
accept the proposition of Spain. Now that the
subject is officially before our government let
the people and the press speak out in earnest
terms, and demand the adoption of the treaty.