The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1851-10-22

cuban ExccNttOns th England.
On this side of the Atlantic there can be
but one opinion with. regard to the guilt of the
invaders; and there viii doubtless be some per-
sons who, looking merely at the gravity of the
crime, will think that the summary execution Of
fifty persons was but act Of justice, or, the
official apologist of the Spanish government
terms, g the most simple and primary duty
We must, nevertheless, condemn this ,cholcsaic
judicial massacre. The extreme plea of right
is no rindication for precipitate act of cindic
tire cruelty 1t is, indeed, asserted that, on the
previous occasion of the attempts at Round
Island and Cardenas, the utmost clemency was
exhibited by the Spanish authorities, but with
out the effect Of preventing further aggression /
Yet, this is a most insufficient Justification and
the fact of the invaders having disregarded the
warning then given, and having made new
piratical incursion, Is ercmse for sarage Sc
ccrisyeon the part of the Cuban government 1t
was, no doubt, the duty of the latter to infict
some punishment upon their prisoners; but
summary execution was alike cruel and impoli-
tic. It has dishonored and damaged the Span
ish cause it has exasperated the American
people, and it has increased the difficulties of
the federal executive. In defending the acts of
his government, M. Isturitz has thought proper
to allude to the proceedings of the English ctui-
sers in the Eastern archipelago as affording an
analogous case. But the parallel is not e1aet.
There is greet difference between destroying
a body of sarages actually engaged in piracy,
and the sohotesale execution Of prisoners. The
'fePerations of our ships in the East were, in
reality, very much like the war at the Cape--a
campaign against barbarous races, who, by re-
peated acts Of plumber and murder, had pro-
voked their fate. But, neither naval off,
GERS nor Sir Harry Smith are accustomed to
shoot their prisoners en- masse on the contrary,
except on the field of battle, our commanders
have rather erred on the side of lenency Nor
can it be admitted that such vindications of au-
thority are necessary to the interests of society
Such principle is strictly a peniasulqr one:
and though it may be acted upon BY .Naroaest
and the military statesmen Of Spain, 1t pil-
scarcely be recognized by the rest Of the acorld.
! Again, it is alleged that the numbers and re-
sources of the invaders aggravated the crimi-
nality of their attempt; but it would be equally
true, and more to the purpose, to say that the
power and resources of the Spanish government
for its immediate security, heighten the impru-
dence, if not the guilt of Its conduct" Such is
the tone and style of recent number of the
London Morning Chronicle, in a well written
article on the subject of the Cuban executions.
! The italicisms are by our directions. "Such a
principle is strictly peninsular one and,
though it may be acted on by Naruaez and the
military statesmen of Spain, it win scarcely be
recognized by the rest of the world, yet such
is the very principle, or the consequence result
ing from its being acted upon, which has elected
the appreciation of the present administration
and the Whig press aEa 80 s-
1 The President in his proclamation, declared
all those concerned in the Cuban expedition,
without the pale of the law, and consequently
beyond any interference in their behalf by the
government of the United States, let their fate
be what it might. There is a refined species Of
cruelty in the letter and spirit of this procama-
ton which also savors much of pcninsular fra
ternity. BY it, Mr.. Fillmore anticipates any
species of cruelty and barbarity that the Spanish
j authorities might determine to infct, and thus
abandons American citizens to the most apaI1lng
Of all fates-that of being delivered up to the
I will of their enemieswithout the hope ofmedaton
from their own government, whose sworn and
solemn duty it is to stand by, guard, and pro-
tect its citizens to the last extremity. 1t is no
excuse for the President, that American citi-
zens were engaged in an unlawful enterprise,
or had been guilty Of a grave crime against the
peace and security Of a neghboring power
There is an eternal principle of humanity
which dwells within the human heart, and
which directs all the actions, and governs the
whole life of a Christian and enlightened exc
cutive, that would have pursued our unhappy
. countrymen to their dismal dungeons that
would have sought the palace of the monarch,
and at the foot of the throne, if need be, have
sued for clemency and pardon towards our err
| ing and misguided countrymen. That Lopez
and his copatriots acted very wrongly n" one
can deny. That they deserved to be punished,
. and that the Cuban authorities had the right
to do, is equally certain. But, that they should
be prematurely abandoned by their own 60
vernment to whatever course Spanish cruelty
and vindictiveness might invent, is abhorrent
to every principle Of our social and political
nature.
Mr.. Fillmore, by Ais proclamation, virtually
became a particeps criminis to the wholesale
slaughter of the semi -hecatomb that was sacri-.
feed upon the altar Of peninsvlar vindictive-
ness. Because, had MIR. Owen taken advan-
tage Of his position as American Consul, and
thrown the weight of his influence into the
scale of mercy, there is no just reason to doubt
but that fair and impartial hearing would have
been granted to the prisoners But, the plea
that Mr.. Owen up to defend his cowardly
course, is the Presidents proclamation, BY
which the prisoners were declared beyond the
pale of the lac, or any Interference IN their be
ha!fon the part Of the administration, whereby
the Spanish government is emboldened, and
taught to regard itself as secure from the indig
nation of the American government at any
rate, and therefore, likewise secure in the infic-
ton of any punishment, however summary.
The example of Mr.. Fillmore in cutting off from
4 American citizens all hope Of mediation from
this government, without knowing to what
desperate extremity il was possible they might
he driven, is monstrous, and without parallel
in the history of civilized nations.
/
MEssRs. ED1roRs-In the daily Express
Of the 18th, find that Peter Kiene, F. Man.
gold, A. Ragatz, and-O horror-even Bloech-
lnger, have let loose their nonsense, rich in
words, and poor in sense, against my correspon-
dence to the German Tribune in ST. Louis
also see that the Dubuque Tribune had the i'm
pudence to doubt my veracity. think it,
therefore, high time to break the silence which
I have observed thus far, and not only reply to
the mean nonsense of the above-named German
Wing appendages, but also light candle for