The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-30
TRIED TO BUY CUBA ONCE.

Thirty-seven years ago this morning, says
the New York Mail and Express of the Gath
inst, Senator Slidell, chairman of the Senate
Committee on Foreign Affairs, reported back
10 the Senate from his committee his bill au-
thorizing the President to purchase Cuba from
Spain and appropriating $3o,000,000 for that
purpose. Slidell introduced the bill on January
10, 1859. 1t was referred to his committee
and fayorably considered. The Democratic
Senators met in caucus on January Is to con-
slider President Buehanan's recommendations
concerning Cuba and voted to support the
Sl1dell bill as embodying the Presidents views
Buchanan intended to make the acquisition
OF Cuba the leading feature of his administra-
ton, and 1t is probable he would have brought
about war between Spain and this country If
he could have had his way. President Pierce,
who preceded him, desired to annex Cuba, but
the Kansas-Nebraska question prevented the
accomplishment of this project. The slave
Democrats had for some time recognized the
necessity OF additional slave territory and rep
resentation, in order to hold their fast waning
power in Congress, and the SlideU bill was the
outgrowth OF this policy. Every added West
ern State weakened the power in the Nation of
the slave Democrats, and they saw In Cuba two
slave States.
The Republicans fully appreciated the
danger in the Slidel1 measure, and it was
fought desperately at every turn. II became
the feature of the session, and almost every
prominent man in the Senate delivered set
speech on the great questions it involved.
When Slidells bill was reported from the
Foreign Affairs Committee the New York
Tribune, from whose files the Mail and Ex-
press gets the data for this sketch character
| lied the measure as "a cunning complication
! of cIaptrap arguments" Senator Seward of
| New York, representing the minority of the
Foreign Affairs Committee, opposed the bill
when IL was reported back, and succeeded in
| having It's consideration postponed until
January 81. He pointed out the dangers in
| the measure, and said that to put the army
| and navy and $50, 600, 900 in the hands of the
! President was a surrender of the consfitu-
| tional power of Congress to make war. He de-
clared that the proposition to buy Cuba when
spain refused to sell was ridiculous ana an in
| suit to SPAIN In later speech he read from
| the debates of the Spanish Chamber of Depu-
| ties, where the members demanded reparation
| from President Buchanan for his gratuitous
| insult 10 the kingdom III virtually proposing 10
| force the sale of Cuba.
| The consideration of the bill was prevented
! by the opposition, which gained strength as
| the questions involved were discussed. The
| newspaper correspondents came to mention 1t
| as the thirty million bribery and corruption
| scheme" It occaSioned an all-night fight on
| February %, when its friends thought 10 pass
it in its original form, but the amendments
and substitutes came thick and fast, and ut
daylight Slidell Withdrew, with the bill on tn e
| table. On this night Senator Wilson presented
| a substitute appropriating $50, 600 for the &C
/ QUESTION of Cuba and all the other countries
| on the continent south of the United States.
At the close of the session two days were
| devoted to the Cuba BILL but when the Senate
| adjourned without day the measure was on