The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-03-13

feared that portions Of the railroad have been d.
mayed to such an extent as to seriously interrupt
travelling.
The ~Ostcnd Conference.-The Administration
and Cuba-Accuracy or the New York He
raids News.
We take some credit to ourselves for having
been the means Of dragging to light the Cor.
respondence relative to the Ostend Conference,
Notwithstanding the unwillingness Of the ad-
ministration and the efforts which were unceas-
ingly made by their organs to induce the public
to believe that no such correspondence was in
existence. On the 7th of November last we
announced that the result of the Conference at
Ostend had been received by the President, in
the form Of joint despatch, signed by Messrs.
Buchanan, Mason and Soule, and that the pur-
| port OF it was, that we should at once &C
quire Cuba, either by purchas. =. 80 " l~vs'-
OF saIery. Immediately upon our an
nouncement, we were assailed by the organs Of
the administration with the customary abuse
which stands in place Of argument with those
sheets, and by the small fry which is jealousy
snarling at our heels on all occasions. Nor
was this all: the European journals, headed by
the London Times, assured their readers that
the whole statement was fabrication, and that
no conference whatever had taken place.
But Notwithstanding all the efforts which
were madeb by the administration to induce the
public to suppose that the Ostend Conference
was myt tn, created in our office, when Con-
gress met it was found that large number Of
members of the House of Representatives were
not deceived by these represe nations but, hay
ing faith in the accuracy of our announcement,
came to Washington determined to force the
President to lay the facts officially before the
country. A resolution calling for the cores
pondence was therefore introduced by Mr.. Sol
lers of Nd, and after q fierce opposition on the
part Of the peculiar friends of the Cabinet it
was at length referred to the Committee on
Foreign Relations, in the hope that it would
remain buried there, as all matters relating to
Cuba had been permitted to do duriog the
whole Of the previous session.
On the 9th and 10th of January, believing
that oil inquiry into the matter had been prac-
tically defeated by the reference above al.
luded to, we proceeded to give "a brief,
compreher siye and reliable narrative Of
calling of the conference, as well as the events
which had subsequently taken place." In these
articles we briefly stated all the incidents pre-
vious to the calling Of the conference, the sub
stance of the joint despatch, the reply to that
despatch, in which the administration backed
down completely from their previous policy in
favor of the acquisition of Cuba, and the fact
that Mr.. Soule had resigned. Our statements
were again contradicted by the organs Of the
administration, and it was only week after
wards, when Mr.. Breckenridge's nomination
was sent to the Senate las Minister to Spain,
vice Soule, resigned" that the truth of the
extraordinary Developments we had made IRE
ss,ibly impressed itself upon the minds Of all,
notwithstanding the mendacious talsehoods of
the hireling press and the semi-oflicial CONTRA
dictions which had been sown broadcast In order
to show the perfect accuracy of our statements,
even down to the minutest details, we this morn.
ing re.publish the articles alluded 10. 1t viii be
seen they were written with full knowledge
of all the facts, and in keeping with our pro-
mise at the time, Of giving "a plain statement
free from bias" Indeed, 20 palpable did 1t be-
come that we published the facts in the case,
that the Committee on Foreign Relations were
shamed ost Of the course which they had laid
down for their guidance, and forthwith reported
back the resolution Of inquiry which had for
weeks been locked up and it was passed unani.
mously.
True to to their instincts, the administration,
which had not scrupled to direct their stipen.
diaries to publish column upon column Of
falsehcod, so as possible to impress the public
with the belief that the New York HERALD had
deceived them, had not the manliness when tho
call was made to meet it at once. Nor was it
till the stday Of the session that they could
screw their courage up sufficiently to send
The correspondence to Congress-too lase
70 netmit either hanse 10 act imam