50 
[ Hep. ISTo. 564 ] 
dently predicted, that within five years, even the sugar of Louisiana wilt 
he smuggled into every port of Spanish America. 
The desirableness, in other respects, of cultivating tropical productions 
to promote the peace and prospertity of the Union, may be shown by a 
reference to the hostile policy of the Governments of the torrid zone ; to 
the present agricultural distress of the Southern portion of our old Atlantic 
States; to the future probability of employing the free labor of our white 
citizens in the agriculture of the warmest sections of the confederation; to 
additional ‘considerations derived from the climate and position of south 
Florida; and to our moral obligations to improve the condition of our 
country. 
The actual condition of the West India trade illustrates not merely the 
disadvantages of foreign legislation to our merchants and mariners, but 
also its still greater injury to our farmers and other creators of domestic 
products for the tropical markets ; as any diminution of consumption in 
foreign ports not only diminishes the price of the small excess created for 
exportation, but also of the immense amount produced for home consump¬ 
tion. The fact that the fluctuations in foreign demand cause the ruinous 
fluctuations in domestic value, is alone an argument for substituting a do¬ 
mestic market; and this substitution has, moreover, become an absolutely 
necessary measure of self-defence against the hostile laws of the Govern¬ 
ments of the torrid zone. Nearly all our most important products, both 
of agriculture and the arts, are either loaded with excessive duties or en¬ 
tirely prohibited in tropical ports. Even our neighboring republics of 
Spanish America will not admit our Northern wheat or Southern rice, un¬ 
less when compelled by famine ; nor our greatest staples of tobacco and 
cotton, under any circumstances whatever. As, tropical Mexico refuses 
to take in exchange our corn and our rice, our tobacco and our cotton, we 
are, theiefoie, virtually compelled to cultivate her vanilla and her jalap 
and her cochineal cactus, and above all the foliaceous fibres of her Hene- 
quen Agaves. As tropical Cuba refuses reciprocity to our vessels engaged 
in transporting her sugar and coffee to our own ports, we must cultivate 
enough of both staples to freight them more profitably in the coasting trade. 
But even under the most favorable legislation of tropical countries_a per¬ 
fect and perpetual free trade—our landed and shipping interests may be 
botn more profitably employed in domestic commerce, with the producers 
of tropical staples in our own territory. It has already been proved that 
even our slaves can create cultivated products more abundantly, and much 
cheaper, than either the freemen or slaves of the torrid zone. It is also 
equally certam, the standard of comfortable subsistence being so much 
higher in the United States, that even our slaves consume a much greater 
quantity of extra-tropical products. Hence, a reciprocal augmentation of 
supply and demand will form a mutually more profitable trade between 
the colder and warmer divisions of.the Union. 
The agricultural distress of the steril districts of the old States for 
ISorthern and Southern Atlantic States) is principally caused by the culti¬ 
vation of their common staples in the fertile districts of the neic States, 
(or Wes ern and Southwestern States;) and the only agricultural remedy 
for this distress will be found in the cultivation of such new staples as are 
equivalents to adding fertility to barren soils. 
It is true that the farmers of the cold Northern Atlantic States cannot 
well compensate themselves for the superior productiveness of the Western 
