The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-02-28


gress, the black republican leaders, while OPP
posing the Slidell bill from motives of party
organization and discipline merely, have been
careful to put on record their entire acquescence
in the fact that Cuba must be annexed. Seward,
in leading off the fight against The BILL stated
that he had always held, as one of his political
axioms, that Cuba gravitates to the continent
and must come to it eventually. Mr.. Hale had
the candor to confess on the floor of the Senate
that his friends at home wrote to him urgently,
stating that the Cuba question was demoralizing
the black republican party, and they were afraid
to meet it before the people This confession is
the key to the factious course pursued by the OPP
position in the Senate. They have fought to keep
it out of the political arena as long as they can.
feated by the friends of the bill, securing by q
test vote all that was desired but they have been
defeated in another scheme which they had pre-
pared to effect their purpose. They had, un-
doubleday, determined to accept and pass the un-
wise amendment of Mr.. Mason, which would
have endorsed the principle of the acquisition of
Cuba but by killing the original proposition, to
give the President the means of making prac-
teal effort at negotiation, would have laid the
subject asleep for an indefinite number of years.
Before the people the effect of the Cuba propo-
sition has been more remarkable than among the
political cliques. Only two State Conventions
have been held since it was brought forward
these have passed unanimous and enthusiastic
resolutions in its favor Similar resolutions have
been introduced in the State Legislatures ofNew
York and Maine, and in both of these discussion
of the question has been violently crushed out by
large black republican maorities, because they
knew that even discussion of it was fatal to their
predominance. Wherever popular meetings have
been held on the subject, equally remarkable re-
suits have been exhibited. That held short
time since at New Rochelle is an example of all
of them. There we saw democrats of all sections
of the party-Americans, old wings and neutral
men-who seldom take an interest in political
questions unanimous in favor of the acquisition
of Cuba. But perhaps the most extraordinary
result of all has been the effect it has produced
on the factions, apparently irreconcilable among
the New York democracy Tammany Hall led
off with series of vigorous resolutions in favor
of the annexation of Cuba, which smackod of its
pristine days. These have been followed by pro.
Cuba pronunciamientos in all the other political
organizations and clubs; the Pewter Mug and
Mozart Hall have fraternized, and the clique
organs in Albany and New York have laid down
on the Cuba platform like the lion and the
lamb in the imaginary pictures of the millennium
Such are the results secured by the discussion
of the Cuba question during the present short
session of Congress, and by the test vote Of
twelve majority in the Senate. They strengthen
the Presidents hands for the conduct Of our
foreign relations, inasmuch as they show that his
views are sustained by the treaty-making power
in our government. 1t only remains for Con-
gress to act with equal decision on the recon-
mendations of the special message in regard to
our relations with Mexico and Central America.
If there is not time to pass the measure through
both houses Of Congress, let the Senate pass it,
or get even test vote on it, and if necessity
should come up the President could act on his
own responsibility, confident that he would be
sustained by Congress and by the people. Such
course will effect speedily favorable change
in all our Spanish American relations.