Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1852-11-17

i M From the Democratic Review.
THE SPANIARDS AT HAVANA AND
THE WHIGS AT WASHINGTON.
Everybody seems to be astonished at
the recent insulting outrages of the pre-
sent Captain General of Cuba against the
American flag, in the cases of the Cornelia
and the Crescent City. We are not at
all surprised. The Spaniards in Cuba
hate US and ours with a bitter and rank
ling hatred. Their characteristic arro-
gance and vanity make them delight in
any opportunity affording fair covert
chance for special demonstration of in
science and arbitrary tyranny against
citizens of our detested nation. When
ever any petty violations of law or regula-
tion are committed by Americans,-ofte
where the opportunity is merely offorded
by an unfounded charge or suspicion
they delight in straining to the utmost
the powers of prosecution, within the
forms of procedure, furnished by arbitrary
laws administered with arbitrary discre-
ton. Woe to the poor American sailor,
engineer, or obscure man of any other
avocation, whose case may happen to at
ford one of these ever welcome opportu-
mites. Such cases do not come within the
reach of diplomatic protection
" when such protection is far off both IN
distance and time. Our Consul is only re-
cognised as mere commercial functionary,
with jealous denial of any approach to the
diplomatic character. And what can be
done, when the matter is in the hands of
the Irregular tribunals, and when a
naughty Captain General is ever ready
to deny our Consul any right to a word
in the matter, cool!y referring him to Ma
drid for satisfaction Madrid, where.
Captain General of Cuba is more infalli-
BILE than all the Popes from Peter to Pi-
us, because the very system by which
Cubais held and governed, requires the
support of all his acts of authority, right
or wrong. The worst of it is that at the
same time that any attempt to intervene
or inquire into any such case is at once
bluffed off by reference to the regular
tribunals, everything before these tribu-
mails is in truth so arbitrary as to be entirely
dependant on the private disposition felt
by the petty functionary controlling the
matter, or by the higher authorities whose
pleasure is the sole real law of the case.
An endless and narrowing catalogue
could be made up of the petty expressions,
notifications and indignities, thus for
years past inflicted upon Americans in
Cuba, for the one single sole reason of
their being Americans, and of their ha-
wing been so unlucky as to afford the op-
portunity to their ever ready prosecutors,
under decent covering of legal appear
ances.
This same spirit manifests itself in a
great variety of forms and modes. All
the Spanish newspapers are full Oft, even
those published in this country, the lat
ter being indeed little more reserved and
moderate in its expression. When an
United States frigate lay at anchor at
Havana on the morning of the massacre
of Crittenden and his brave companions,
the boats which swarmed the harbor, fl
led with the Spaniards of that city, (the
Spaniards, not the CuJans-the distinc-
, ton is both broad and bitter, as they
returned from witnessing the horrid spec
; tacle, addressed the most violent and in
decent insults, in both GESTURES and cries,
to the Yankee frigate and Yankee flag,
over which that was to them day OF
, devilish exultation. Every one of these
obscene gestures was hut an irrepressible
manifestation of the same prevailing spirit
; which is to be found among all classes
; among them. They delight to insult us
; as Americans, whenever they can get a
fair chance to do so under a good cover
or tolerable pretext; to insult our coun-
try by abusing any decent opportunity for
official rigor or persecution against one of
! our people.
This spirit may be fairly ascribed to
the natural antagonism which has now SO
i long existed between our Democracy,
sprung out of successful colonial rebellion,
and their systems of continued colonial
despotism and oppression, so closely ad-
jacent to our Pestilent neighborhood. Our
revolution very early began to disquiet
and disturb the old dead stagnation of
their corrupt and cruel tyranny, through
out the whole extent of their American
empire. Our example soon began to set
heads a-thinking and hearts affecting, un-
til finally the heads and hearts set brave
hands s-working, until the result was the
expulsion of the Spanish dominion from
the whole of its old vast system of colonies
in our hemisphere. with the single eXcep-
ton of Cuba, and the little island of
Porto Rico-which necessarily follows the
fate of Cuba, as the stern yawl follows the
!, frigate And not alone did the suggestive
:, contagion of our ideas thus early and pow
erfully work to the disintegration and
downfall of the old Spanish power in
America, but from the outset of the rev.
olutionary struggles of those colonies, the
rebels and patriots have always derived
: important material aid, az well as moral
sympathy and encouragement from our
people. Miranda's expedition from New
! York to the Spanish Main, was, in 1906