The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-03-13

doro Castle on the pretence that they had
'een engaged in the slave trade, and this while
he Captain General, his chief officers, and many
If the principal citizens Of the island, we re
openly deriving q revenue from that Traffic.
In October of the same year, che Cuban r.uthori-
ties refused to allow the Crescent City to enter
the port of Havana, bee use the purser, William
Smith, was suspected 'sf having conveyed news
from the island to u is country and an inter-
ruption OF our pr Stal and commercial inter-
course took plac e, which inflicted severe injury
as well upon tn e steamers as upon the mercan-
tile communj .ty. Some time afterwards 1--WE
cannot state the day with precision) several
seamen belonging to the American bark Jasper
were seized on the old plea that they had been
concerted in the slave trade-the Captain
Genelal still fattening thereon-and imprisoned
like those of the Lucy Watts. The Black
Warriors naval career had hardly COM
menced before she was fired upon by a
to, in order to satisfy the caprice and
spite Of the Cuban authorities. Now, she has
been seized upon SO fimsy pretence that we
can well imagine the officers of the port laugh
ing in their sleeve at its transparency. Stimuli
taneously with this last outrage, two American
barks, the Hamilton and Pacific, and an Ameri-
can brig, the ]. S.Gittings were likewise seized
at Havana, and sentenced to pay fine of q
thousand dollars on like trumpery pretext.
!, To all these and other outrages we have sub
mitted with forbearance. No atonement has
ever been offered by Spain. They constitute
far weightier gravamen of injury than gave
rise to half the wars that have devastated the
world: infinitely weightier than the grounds on
which Russia resolved to declare war upon
Turkey. Further adherence to policy of for
bearance can only aggravate our position: the
interests of peace itself imperiously demand
that we should seize the present opportunity Of
bringing matters to a head.
There can be no question of the propriety of
our government issuing letters of marque and
reprisal to vessels against Spanish ships and
colonies. This course is in accordance with the
principles of the law of nations, and has been
consecrated by centuries of general practice.
In connection with that step, our navy should
enable us to meet the threats of Great Britain
and France with bold front. Instead of throw
ing away twenty millions to rebuild the totter-
ing government of Santa Anna, let us place
that sum in the hands of George Law, Wander
bilt and Collins, and direct them to construct at
once dozen first class steamers for our navy.
Even at the hazard of suspension of our COM
mercial intercourse with Great Britain and
France, this course should be pursued with
vigor and energy. 1t must always be borne
in mind that if, under their joint treaty for the
of the affairs of the world, France
and England should take such measures aswould
lead to suspension of our commercial inter-
course with them, the calamity would be felt
much more acutely by them than by us. A
of our supplies of breadstuffs, cot
ton, and tobacco would produce revolution in
England in very brief period of time; whereas
we could find plenty of consumers for our sur
plus, and might actually derive permanent be-
nefits from contingency which obliged us to
our own cotton in the North. We
could stand alone, and with our unbounded
agricultural, mineral, and other resources could
still maintain our rank as O first class Power
neither England nor France could do SO for q
month.
This last Cuban insult may be the commence
ment of new era in our foreign policy. 1t
must be SO, if there is any strength, any cour-
age, any American spirit in the administration.
SIGNS OF TREACHERY TO THE NEBRASKA BILL
N THE HousE.-The administration organ at
Washington, after vacillating and changing
sides half dozen times on the Nebraska bill,
at length announces that it has discovered a
serious danger standing in the way of its sue
cess. That danger, according to the govern
ment organ, arises from doubts which it enter
tains respecting the sincerity of the New York
HERALD. This is certainly an important dis
,overy, if true: insincerity in the support given
BY the New YORK HERALD to the Nebraska bill.
would tend more towards its defeat than even
But the motive assigned by the Washington
organ inclines us to question the truth of its
discovery. It asserts that the support of the
HERALD is insincere because of the hatred enter
aimed by the editor for the President and his
Cabinet. We have no reason to believe that
my thing of the kind is the case We have
made some inquiry in the proper quarter, and we
earn that the editor of the HERALD considers
he President and his Cabinet too mean to hate,
100 pitiable even to despise.
The greatest danger that lies in the path of
he Nebraska bill is as we have always stated
he fear of administration treachery, not any
insincerity on the part of the HERALD
t is not reasonable to suppose that one who
has entertained and expressed uniform and con-
istent opinions on the slavery question for up
Yards of thirty years should now change them;
whereas 1t is natural to believe that a
nan who has spent large portion Of his
life in denouncing slavery as an immoral insti-
ution whose growth must be checked, is not
incere when he affects to endorse q measure
which may lead to the extension of slavery.
We have been true tn orr nrinc;nloe On cJoror,,