The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-12-23


organization cali Of the roll of members from
the several States. Thus indeed, the clerical
bluuder Of our county canvassers may result in
giving all the spols and plumber Of the next
Honfe Of Representatives to the opposition, and
from this vantage ground perhaps the next Pre-
s!dcnt Of the United States Who knows? Con-
sidering the present confusion and disocation Of
parties, the Presidential election may he carried
into the House, and when once there, from the
close division of that body, the weight of straw
may possibly turn the scale.
THE AFFAIR BETWEEN STAIN AND MEXICO
The TRUE THEORY or SPANISH AND MEXICAN d.
rIOMACY.-The Washington correspondents of
several of the journals announced yesterday that
ncws had been received in that city, to the 30th
ultimo, from Tampico to the effect that the Spa
nish naval commander there had declared hos
tilites against Mexico, and that two Spanish YES
sells were lying at the bar off that port to wait
for and land troops that were expected to arrive
about the 10th instant
Wepublished, a week since, in the HERALD, the
account Of the final settlement Of the difficulties
between the Spanish naval commander and Go
vernon Cara, and the full and interesting par
ticuiars of that affair, which we give elsewhere
to-day, show that the difficulties at Tampico
have been satisfactorily settled. Our advices
from that port are to the I'd instant, being two
days later than those received at Washington,
and they give the end of the movements
of which the Washington news reports
only the first steps. The gist of the
matter is this: General Concha, not being
satisfied with the arrangement made between
the Spanish naval commander and Governor
Garza sent orders that the latter must pay up
with the same promptitude he had exacted from
the merchants when imposing the forced loan.
Commander Topete received these instructions
on the 29th ultimo, by the came steamer which
brought Cara from Vera Cruz. He acted on
them at once, and Cara had hardly landed be-
fore he received the hint from Topete. Finding
there was no escape, he paid up at once, and
then, rs the story goes volunteered salute Of
twenty-one guns to the Spanish flag.
Spanish diplomacy is usually believed to be
long windcd. and so it is when improperly
conducted; but nothing is more to the point
and satisfactory when conducted with de-
termination to settle matters, as it was by Com
mander Topete. He understood the thing, and
commenced 10y giving his correspondent twenty
four hours to write in and settle. This brought
an answer, and as 1t was not quite clear, he sent
another note with an officer to wait for the re-
ply. The reply was satisfactory to Topetc, but
not to Concha So Topete again opened the cor
respondence, and gave Cara twenty -four hours
to pay in. The result was that the whole matter
was settled amicably, and both parties continued
on the best possible terms assuring each other of
their mutual high consideration. We commend
the Topete plan of diplomatic correspondence
to our government If they adopt it il will
save them much labor and trouble, and do
our citizens generally a vast deal of good
Mr.. American Consul Chase would not
then be obliged to close his house and
whistle for the money that CARA, Marin and
other bandit leaders have squeezed out of him
and other American merchants just as the
Spanish merchants were squeezed. And ii the
United States government would exhibit the
same promptitude that Spain has in this in
stance, in forcing the revolutionary leaders in
Mexico and other Spanish American States to
restore their punder, such a course would go far
towards stopping the internal discussions of
those countries. As merchants are the only
ones that usually have ready money, they are
the first that are plundered by rebel leaders, and
in tn- way the civil wars are sustained. Com
mander Tope'e hss given US a useful lesson how
Spanish and Mexican diplomacy should be con-
Quoted, and We hope our government will profit
by it.