The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-01-06

French Revolution, and laid tbs foundation OF heavy
claims upon Congress not eXtnguished the present
day 1t significant c0incde that the psrticu
provision OF the alliance which these evils,
defending her eat Indian possessions against Eng
land Nothing less than the unbounded influence OF
Warrington rescued the Union from the pers OF that
crisis and preserved neutrality But tue President
hss grave objection to entering into the proposed
vention-h he has no wish to dguise the feeling thst
The compsct although equal In its terms would be
very unequal in substance France aud England, by
entering into It would disable themselves from obtain
ing possession ronc,e from their seats of government
belonging to ano her European powet-whose national
right to possess it must always be ~ good a. their
own--s distsnt leland in another hemisphere and
thinsS could ever belong to either of them.
IL the present balance OF power In Europe should
tain the ssnd In her possession aud France AMI Eng
land should be engaged in death struggle with each
other Cuba might then be the prize OF tue vieor Till
these nts all take place the President does not
how Cuba belong to any other European power but
Spain The United States the other hand, would by
the proposed convention disable themselves ON making
an acquisition which might take plsce without apy dis
tbance Of existing foreign relations and in the natural
order Of hngs The island OF Cuba lies at doors
washes the shores OF five of Our states it bars the en-
bauce to that great river which dr. half the North
American continent and with Its tributaries forms
largest sytem Of internal water nunicstion in the
world keeps watch at the doorway OF intercourse
with California by the Isthmus route If island like
the entrance to the Thames OF the Seine aud the
United States should propose convention like this
France and England those po ~ers would sssursdiy
feel that the disability assumed by ourselves
sas far less serious than that which asked
tfem TO assume The opinions Of American statesmen
a different times and under varying circumstances have
differed TO the derabeness Of the acquisition Of Cuba
by the United states Territorialy and commercially
sionunder certain cont It. might bs slm )st
essential to safety-st for domestic reasons ON
which In communication of this kind it might be
proper To dwell the President thinks that the ncorporx
ten Of th, isand into the non at the present time al
though effected with the consent Of Spain would bs
hazardous asus and he would consi der It's
tion by force except in just with Spain should an
event greatly to be deprecated take place dis
grace to the civilization of The The President has
given ample proof Of the sincerity with which he holds
these views He has thrown the whole force of his
stutiona power against all Illegal attacks the island
1t would have been perfectly easy for him without any
seeming neglect OF duty to allow Droecs of formidable
character gather strength c0nnvance No
obloquy at home by the inds
cetons Of the colonial government of Cuba have moved
him from the path of duty In this respect the Captain
General of that sand officer apparently of upright
and conciatcIy character but probably more ueed to
mill aIy command than the management of cyi! al airs
has In puci1o In reference to the purser of private
steamship who to have been entirely innocent Of
the laid to his charge refused to allow
and the mails Of the United States to be landed from
vessel having him on board. This, certainly is very
traordinsry mode Of animadvertng upon Q supposed
abuse OF the liberty of the press by the subject Of
foreign In his native country The
General not permitted by bis government three thou
sand miles of, to hold any diplomatic intercourse with
the United States He is subject In degree the di
Iecton of the Spanish minister at Washington, and the
President has to choose resort force
pei the abandonment Of this grstuitous interruption
CONNER cial intercourse which would result in war and
delay q weeks and months necessary for negotiation
with Madrid with all the chances of the plorabe
In the interval and all for trife that
ought to have admitted Of settlement by an ex
change Of notes between Washington and the Havana
The President has ntly su united to these
evils and has continued faithfully gve to Cuba the
advantages OF those principles Of the public law under
nations. But the incidents to which auude and which
are still In train, among many others which point
tions Cuba the President thinks the
Of France and England with Spain would be well
poyed in inducing her so to modify ha administration
OF the government Of Cuba as to Afford the OF
come prompt remedy for the evils Of the kind alluded
which have done much to increase the spirit Of unlawful
enterprise against that sand That convention such
is proposed would be transtory arrangement sure
to be swept away by the irresistible tide of affairs
new country, is to the apprehension Of the President
too obvious to require Rbored argument the pro-
ject rests upon principles applicable il at oil to Hu
rope where inter relations in their basis OF
great antiquity slowly modified for TIE most part, in
the pr ogrefs time and and .pplica ,e to
America which but lately waste. is filling up with
intepse rapidty and adjusting on natural pr ncipe s
territorial relations with the first discovery the sont
nent. in good degree fortuitous The compsra-
tive history OF Europe ant America for single
tury shows this In 1864 France England and
rot generally different in their political condition in
Europe from what they They ancient
mature consolidated States estabshed In their rea.
tions with each other and the rest Of the w0rldthe
leading powers Of western and southern Europe Totally
different the state of things in America. ThelUnited
States had existence people-a line Of English
coloRies not numbering much over million OF inha-
biants stretched along the coast. extending from
the Bsy of st Lawrence to the Gulf OF Mexico and from
the Aleghanies to the Mississippi beyond which west
waId the continent was occupied by wandering
snysgs', and subject to q conflict and and nominal
Everything in Europe Was comparatively fxed-every
thing America provisional incpsnt and temporary
except the Law Of progress which Is as organic and vital
between the provincial authorities of France and England
for the of petty stockade at the confluence OF
the Monopgahea and Allegheny knded the years
at the close of which the great European powers
not materially affected in their relations home, had
astonishing changes this contnsnt France
had disappeared from the map Of America whose Dmost
had been her jealous missionaries
and her resolute and gallant adventurers England had
added the Csnadas to her trans atlantic dominions
Spain had become the mistress of Louisiana that in
the language OF the archbishop OF Mexico in ITO she
claimed Siberia as the northern boundary OF New Spain
Twelve years from the treaty Of Paris only elapsed and
another great change took place fruitful OF still greater
changes to come.
The American Revolution broke out 1t involved
France, England. and Spain, In tremendous struggle,
and at Its close the United states Of America had
their place in the fsmily OF nations In Europs the
cent States restored substantially to their former
equilibrium but element, OF incalcuabe i'm por
tance in relation to territorial arrangements hence
forth to be recognized in America just twenty years
fiom the close of the American Revolution Francsby
treaty with Spain Of which the provisions have
been disclosed sed herself of Louisiana; but did
only to cede IL to the United States aud In the same
year Lewis and Clarke started on their expedition to
plant the flag Of the United States shores Of
Pacific In 1919, Florida sold by Sps TO the United
States whose territorial Dossesso in this way had besa
increased three.fod in half century This last aclu
sion much matter OF course that it had been
distinctly foreseen by the Count Amanda then PRIME
minister Of Spain, long ago as 1885, but these
momeptous events but the forerunnsrs Of terri
toral revolutions, still moro stupendous
dypastic struggle between the Emperor Napoleon
and SPAIN commencng in 1903 oonyulsed the peninsula
The vast possessions OF the Spanish this con
rent vice royalties and captain generashp filling The
space between California and Cape Horn, after
other asserted their independence No friendly in
Europe at that time able or II able, willing to
Spain aid her to prop the crumbng butressei
of ber colo na empire SO far from IT, when France in
1898 threw army of a hundred thousand men into
Spain to control her domestic politics England thought
it recesssy 10 counteraot the movement By recognizing
the independence Of the spanish provinces in America.
In the remarkable language Of the distinguished minister
that day in order TO redress the balance Of power In
Europe he called into existence world in the West
somewhat overrapg perhaps the extent OF the derange
ment in the whole world and not dong full justice
the position of the United States In America their in
uence the fortunes of their sister republics this
continent. Thus In sixty years from the close Of the
last remains of her imperial possessions this