Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-12-21
&ifbmon0 Enquirer.
INTERNATIONAL COMPLICATIONS.

INTERNATIONAL COMPLICATIONS
The diplomatic game in which the great
maritime powers of the earth ore nov involved,
and OF which the issue is doubtful, hazardous,
and possibly disastrous, is one which undoubt-
edy requires the utmost skill and circumspec-
ton on the part Of our own Government. 1t
is novel game of chess, in which the three
principal pieces. England, France and the
United States, are selfacting, and each cndea-
voring to control, by its own movements and
for its own advantage, the moves Of Spain,
Mexico and the Central American States,
pawns on the board and liable to be controlled
alternately by the positions of the dominant
movers.
The two prominent objects Of our Govern
mcnt are the acquisition of Cuba and the free
dom of the Central American transit routes.
The first of these involves little danger OF
hoStilities Time, alone, can demonstrate
the policy OF impolicy of those movements
on the part Of the present and the last
Administration, by which our entire modns
operandi for the acquisition Of Cuba has been
exposed and proclaimed through public docu-
ments. We must confess that more cautious
and more secres advances towards Spain would
in our opinion, have been more likely to secure
a speedy consummation Of the great object in
view. The members of the Ostend Conference
it is said. intended their report as a confidential
communication, and that the publicity given to
the document BY the late Administration, was
matter Of surprise to some, if not to all the
conferees. Whether the present Administers
ton now approves this publicity, or only re-
CARDS it as having rendered further concealment
impracticable, it is now evident from the late
message. that the President considers proclaim
ed announcements the most available means of
securing successful negotiation. We play, then,
an open game We tell France and England,
(who are certainly against us in this matter,)
the whole calculation by which VIC propose to
checkmate them in given number Of moves.
This is bold game; but it is one to which a
skillful player resorts ordinarily only for the
purpose Of saving time, by demonstrating to
his opponent that the checkmate is inevitable.
If this be really the case, our two powerful
and astutc adyersaries will not be long in I'M
Outstanding their position and will then yield
the game at once. We have no apprehension
that either of them will mannuvrc for n hos
tile stale mate, neither will push on hostilities,
nor will we be so forgetful ofour own interests
as to provoke a useless war, which must inevi-
tably risk the loss of the fruit of territorial
acquisition, which must eventually fall in our
lap, provided it be duly ripened by a continu-
ance Of peace.
Only in one event. may we be driven to
forciblc seizure of Cuba, involving possibly
rupture with England, if not with France also.
An invasion of Mexico by Spanish forces will
certainly necessitate an armed Intervention on
our part, to which the seizure Of Cuba may be-
come necessary contingent. Such an even
tuality, however, is within the prevention of
England and France. They can, and most
probably will. prevent such acts of hostility
by Spain towards Mexico, as would neccssitate
final measures on our part Their influence
at the Court Of Madrid will doubtless be ef
fectually employed to keep the peace. That
their Joint influence will continue to be en-
ploved to prevent the peaceful transfer Of Cuba,
can hardly admit Of doubt; but this will in
yolve no resort to hostilities
The Central American question is fraught
with much more dangerous issues Great
Britain will encounter hostilties without num-
Der, and will push them to the bitter end, be-
fore she will submit the transit routes TO the
predominant control Of any rival maritime
power 1t will be folly to count on her for
bearance towards any such attempt. More than
that, the same nation is prepared to wade
through sea of blood, and to starvc her own
industrial operatives, if by so doing she can
secure for herself the great boon of predomi-
nant control and privileged monopoly in Cen
trail Amerira 1t would be worth more TO her
ten years
In this matter, we have but one course Of
negotiation before us. at all compatible with
our own security and the peace Of the world.
WINGED that its own predominance in Central
America is and must continue to be an impos-
sibility. And We must cautiously avoid the
useless attempt to establish our own prcdomi-
nance over these transit routes. We must
hold, as we can hold the generous and polite
position which regards these routes a. the
great, free highways of all the nations.
We have little reason to fear that France
will aid any exorbitant pretensions or practices
of Great Britain, in this quarter The French
Government has schemes of its own to work
out, which would be sadly embarrassed by
hostiltics to the United States. The piercing
of the Isthmus Of Suez, the practicability
of which has been so fully demonstrated
by the pamphlets of Mr.. Desseps, offers to
continental Europe, and especially to France
question equally important with that which
concerns Central American transtS. The at
tempt of Great Britain to construct at Perrin
another Gibraltar by which to control this
new channel Of commerce, makes a direct
issue between England and France, which ad-
mits of no compromise. England must alto
eether withdraw from this new effort of en-
croachment, or France must renouncc her mag
n;ficent scheme for Indian colonies which pro-
misses to intercept the tide Of commerce be-
tween China and British India
Apropos, some intelligent thinkers believe
that the French Emperor is by no means averse
to war on grand scale with Great Britain, and
that in case the Perrin difficulty shall offer no
such opportunity, the extension of the French
boundaries beyond the Rhine, may be made the