The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-01-06

ton of the President that the Executive should
be authorized to purchase Cuba, and have placed
at his disposal sum for the preliminary pay
ment; and Mr. Preston, our Minister to Madrid, is
about to depart on bis mission.
In the absence of any action by the representa-
tive body of the nation on this great question: we
do not see what particular public service Mr. Pres
ton can perform by going to Madrid. On the
great points for diplomatic arrangement between
ourselves and Spain, the course of several past
administrations on one hand, and of numerous
Congresses on the other, has left our representa-
tive in Madrid, be be who he may, without the
slightest moral influence. Indeed, we may go
still further, and say that what, with vacilation
| on one side and inaction on the other, on many of
the vital questions of our national progress and
| international intercourse, the position of every
| American Minister abroad-in Europe and out of
| has been lowered in an immense degree,
! and is far below that which corresponds to
| our industrial and commercial Importance, our
intellectual developement our territorial extent,
and the vast future which the world now comedies
| u.s. 1t will take Mr.. Preston, however, some
| little time to reach his post He will require to
confer with his colleagues in London and Paris
and he will have to gather in the latter city, and
send before him to Madrid, those many appliances
| of comfort and taste which he cannot procure in
Spain, but which are indispensable to every civil
lied household and Saxon home. In the mean
| time we may see what can be done in the great
questions with which he is charged
Their position just now is weak in the extreme.
| IF the American Minister at Madrid should en-
deavor to press the claims of our citizens against
| Spain, he would be met at once with the rejoin-
| der that the American Congress had assiduously
ignored the just claims of Spanish subjects. For
| twenty years the Amistad case is unsettled, and
| though President after President has urged it,
Congress refuses to do what is no more than
right. If he should urge upon the Spanish GO
vernment some ameliOration of the present
barriers to our commerce with Cuba, the Spa
nish Minister will reply by showing him our
unwise retaliatory acts of 1882 and 1884, which
practically and unjustly exclude the Spanish flag
from our ports nhe should, at some fortunate
juncture, hint at negotiation for Cuba what
could he reply should the Spanish Minister ask
He could not say yes, for if one President has
proposed it another has opposed it, President
Polk instructed our Minister to endeavor to nego.
tate for it; President Fillmore instructed him
not to do so President Pierce pretended to favor
the policy, and yet threw away the golden OPP
portunity, to the great surprise Of every Cabinet
in Europe not excepting that Of Spain; and with
f1,o Of %ho 81 LoCo
Buchanan does not know whether or not it would
be safe for him to offer to negotiate.
In this way it must seem to every statesman in
Europe that in this country the question of the
acquisition of Cuba is nothing but a soap and
water bubble, with which the politicians amuse
the people. And they can only be confirmed in
this idea by studying the course of our public
men. If they suppose it is at all party mea-
sure with us, that idea is overthrown by the fact
that Mr.. DOolittle, black republican of Wis
consin; Mr.. Blair, an anti-slavery man
from Missouri, and Mr.. Giddings, abolitionist
of Ohio, are prO-Cuba men; while Mr.. Hammond
a South Carolina State rights man; Governor
Wise, fire-eating democrat, and Mr.. Mason, an
old fOgy democrat, do not want Cuba at ALL
Take men who are better known in Europe
Mr.. Everett. an old fashioned wing, when Secre-
tary of State, wrote the strongest proCuba letter
in reply to the tripartite Convention proposition
that has ever been written; while Secretary
Marcy, said to be democrat, knocked down the
only policy of action in the Cuba question that
has ever been proposed. Come into the present
field of politics. Stephens and Toombs of the
Georgia fre-eating democracy, are willing to 90
for Cuba in any impracticable way but will not
vote in favor of practical action. Mr.. Hunter,
who prides himself upon being conservative
democrat, does not favor action either of the
Douglas, who has lately been investigating the
popular breath in diverse ATTITUDES and longi-
tudes, with view to catch the most favorable
slant for the White House, made a pro-Cuba
| speech at st. Louis, advocated the policy of
waiting for it at Memphis, and skipped the
question by adroitly jumping on to Central
| America when his audiences in New Or
cans and New York called out for
| lis opinions in regard to it. In view of these
hcts, we ask Mr.. Preston, calmly and conscien-
dously what he could reply if the Spanish Minis
Ter should ask him if the United States desire to
acquire Cuba?
Mr.. Preston cannot answer the question nor
csn any man, until Congress has acted upon the
subject 1t is the duty then, of the Committees
on Foreign Relations to bring the question plain
ly and directly before both houses of Congress
and to force it to an issue. If the President is
clothed with power and endowed with money
Mr. Preston may find favorable juncture at
Madrid, in which he may say and do much If
Congress refuses to do this, the question must go
before the people, and all action must be de-
layed until they have acted in their primary as
semblies and their sovereign capacity, We have
La 4