Our War with Spain for Cuba's Freedom

Governors to Encourag

t Industries-Decree D

mpted Annexation to

s Wonderful Predict

s and Imports Betwe

f Commer

pidity simply amazing to those accustomed only to the climate and the soil of the temperate zone. The immense industries of Cuba have been hampered from the beginning by Spanish oppression and the fact that they have flourished under such unfavorable conditions is a striking evidence of what may be expected under a policy of encour

ermanent prosperity in Cuba than had been offered before. The successive governors appointed varied in character, it is true, but several of them were liberal minded, public spirited men who gave to the colony far better administration that it had been accustomed to. One of these was Luis de Las Casas, who imparted a new impulse to the agriculture and commerce of the island. It was under his guidance that trade with the United States began to assume importance, and to his efforts was due the transfer of the remains of Columbu

a great navy yard grew up on the Bay of Havana, and 114 war vessels were built there to convoy the Spanish treasure ships. All at once this flourishing industry was closed on the demand of the ship-builder

ource of revenue to the Island of Cuba. When Napoleon Bonaparte abducted the royal family of Spain and deposed the Bourbon dynasty in 1808, every member of the provincial counsel of Cuba took an oath to preserve the island for their legitimate sovereign. The Colonial government immediately declared war against Napoleon and proclaimed Ferdinand VII. as king. It was by this action that the colony earned its title of "The ever-faithful isle," which has been excellent as a complimentary phrase, but hardly justified by the actual facts. For some years following this action, affairs in the island were in an

and a few of the West Indian Islands. In 1821, Santo Domingo became independent, and in the same year Florida came into the possession of the United States. Secret societies, with the purpose of revolution as their motive, began to spring up in Cuba, and the population divided into well-defined factions. There was indeed an attempt at open revolt made in 1823 by one of these societies known as the "Soles De

council of ministers to give to your Excellency the fullest authority, bestowing upon you all the powers which by the royal ordinances are granted to the governors of besieged cities. In consequence of this, his Majesty gives to your Excellency the most ample and unbounded power, not only to send away from the island any persons in office, whatever their occupation, rank, class, or condition, whose cont

ven as a last and lingering effort to preserve the sovereignty of Spain, when after three years' progress of the revolution she realized that her co

XATION TO THE

d Cuba, to arrange a peaceable annexation by the purchase by this country of the island from Spain. Statesmen of both nations have been o

no prospect of relief, the people of Cuba, feeling themselves imcompetent in force to maintain their independenc

ce instructed Wm. L. M

conference of the Mi

nce and Spain, to be h

ition

to be done with it, and if it is to bring upon us the calamity of war, let it be now, while the great powers of this continent are engaged in that stupendous struggle which cannot but engage all their strength and tax all their energies as long as it lasts, and may, before it ends, convulse them all. Neither England nor France would be likely to interfere with us.

ion to present conditions that its reproduction is required to

END MAN

u have addressed to us respectively, to that effect, we have met in conference, first at Ostend, in Belgium, on the 9t

n us, which we are most happy to inform you has resulted in a cordial coinciden

earnest effort ought to be made by the government of the United States to purchase C

ituent Cortes about to assemble. On this momentous question, in which the people, both of Spain and the United States, are so deeply interes

nterests of Spain are as seriously involved in the sale, us those of the United States in the

nless possibly through the malign influence of foreign powe

ought us to, this conclusion, and for the sake of cle

practicable, to purchase Cuba w

pain will prove willing to sell it, because this would essentia

he considerations attendant on it. Cuba is as necessary to the North American republic as any of its present memb

ississippi and the immense and annually increasi

bogue themselves through this magnificent river into the Gulf of Mexico, the increase of the population wit

Atlantic and the Pacific States, can never be secure, but must ever be endangered whilst Cuba is a dependency of a dis

or possess reliable security, as long as C

amount importance, and we cannot doubt but that it is

ens of the United States, has, in the progress of time, so united their interests and blended the

in the acquisition of this island exce

anny and oppression which characterize its immediate rulers threaten an insurrectio

unceasing danger, and a perman

prevent our acquisition of the island. Its inhabitants are now suffering under the worst of all possible governments, that of absolute despotism, delegated by a distant power

This is rendered impossible whilst that infamous traffic remains an irresistible temptation and a source of immense profit

osed, but experience has proved that it cannot

of the forced and unnatural connection between Spain and Cuba, and the annexation of the latter to the United States. The trade of England and France with Cu

n would be benefited by this transfer, the interests o

are willing to pay for the island would affect i

imately prove a source of greater wealth to the Spanish people than that opened to their vi

via Paris, to the Spanish frontier, and anxiously awaits the day when Spain shall find herself in a condition to

. Her fields, under the stimulus given to industry by remunerating prices, would teem with cereal grain, and her vineyards would bring forth a vastly increased quantity o

ements, she might with the remaining forty millions satisfy the demands now pressing so heavily upon her credit, a

at about one-sixth of the amount for which they were issued. Besides, these latter are held principally by British creditors, who may, from day to day, obtain the effective interposition of their own government for the purpose of

y for developing her resources and removing her f

ear annual income of more than a million and a half of dollars. These expenses have increased to such a degr

the island is an encumbrance instead of

n the large amount which the United States are willing to pay for its acqui

nting local administration necessarily entail upon the inhabitants of Cuba cannot fail to stimulate and keep alive that spirit of resistance and revolution against Spain which has of late years b

against the oppression which they suffer, no human power could prevent citizens of the United States and liberal-minded men of other countries from

ion; and in that event she will lose both the island and the price which we are now willing

he cession of Cuba to the United States, would forever prevent the dange

ther independent nations come to the aid of Spain in the contest, no human power could, in our opinion, prevent the pe

false sense of honor, should refuse to sell Cuba to the United States, then the question w

, acted upon this maxim. Although it has been made the pretext for committing flagrant injustice, as in the partition of Pol

, or, as in the case of Texas, upon the free and voluntary application of the pe

h we might have claimed them by right of conquest in a just way, yet we purchase

consent of Spain, unless justified by the great law of self-preservation. We mu

disregard the censures of the world, to which

ll have been refused, it will then be time to consider the question, does Cuba, in the posses

g it from Spain, if we possess the power; and this upon the very same principle that would justify an individual in tearing

ustify such a measure. We should, however, be recreant to our duty, be unworthy of our gallant forefathers, and commit base treason against our posterity, should we permit Cuba to be Africanized and become a

nding toward such a catastrophe. We, however, hope for the b

ut recently a most flagrant outrage on the rights of American citizens, and on the flag of the United States, was perpetrated in the harbor of Havana under circumstances which, without immediate redress, would have justified a r

licy of the United States to cherish with foreign nations, are constantly exposed, than the circumstances of

ted, are dictated by the firm belief that the cession of Cuba to the United States, with stipulations as beneficial to Spain as thos

lts for both countries which followed a

ery resp

. J. Y. MASON.

MAECY, Secre

although it is not probable that Spain, ever blind to her own interests, would have adm

S AND

mount of trade betwee

last authentic repo

n Cuba from Sp

om Cuba to Spa

--

favor of exp

OF COMMER

enjoyed. Great as its productiveness has been in the past, well-informed writers assert that proper development of its resources will increase the value