The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1867-03-15

what Is 1Ae.gAs n France - Yss>s
sewara's 0sssee Mission-The vaass ~
| ssaanss usaAeseieay ana essSeS~
oaiiy-Franss, Enslana and SpAAA L.
tsrsstsd-1As UnitSa states 80 Be-.
| nsA n Possahas, Acs
! TTrsn the Opinion Nstlsn.ls. Feb. IA, rss11
We have 70 recur to Che secret mission -
! ST Domingo, vithwhieh, it is rsp0ted, Mr..
Frederick Seward has been charged. 1t
seems that the aim of the United States is to
boy the bay of SANTANA. Now this Is mat
ter of serious import
|, i lsttusssd on IN Nnmw0Slis Of the Island Of
Hayti, the bay of SANTANA is not only one OF
the finest, largest and safest harb0rs IN the
world, but, in naval point Of view, II is OF
uneuuslied fmportance IN the Antilles and
surrounding waters. Indeed it lies to the
windward Of St Domingo Cuba, Jamaica,
and the Gulf of Mexico, TO which last access
can be had only by steering north or south of
SANTANA in order to enter either the difficult
channel running between Cuba sad the Flor
ida keys, OF else the channel between Cuba
and the headiand Of Yucatan. The largest
fleets can anchor there in perfect safety from
the weather as well as from an enemy, for
the entrance TO the bay is passage about
three miles, which can be easily defended by
of this bay has always caught the eye of nav
igstors, because, together with these nautical
and strategical advantages, the bay of Sauna
ma has others eminently valuable. Several
rivers flow into it, one of which, the Yuma,
is nayigable for over fifty miles. The bay is
surrounded by forests Astounding in the finest
timbers used in building, and finally the
country around contains mines of iron, cop
per and lead, and, together with these, coal
mines, which are still more valuable.
IS Had France kept St. Domingo the bay of
Samans would long since have become one of
the busiest centres for European trade with
The Islands and mainland OF America. Dog
eron, at The time Governor of the colony,
had founded settlement there in 1873.
M. de Galiffet made the attempt again in
1899; and the Count d Estaing took up the
Plan again in l764 and tried TO start it on a
magnificent scale. But the bay at that time
belonged TO Spain, end the bargain begun
with the court OF Madrid ended in nothing.
In 1922 Gen. Donzelot revived the splendid
plan OF i Estaing, and it was taken up by the
Government OF Louis Philippe in 1864, but
failed because Of the formal opposition made
by the British Cabinet, who we're eoabled to
present an argument sgainst it that admitted
OF no reply, namely, France having lost her
colony of st. Domingo had no real claim 10
the right of occupying SANTANA. We must
at this moment look upon the recent attempt
made BY the United States in the same light,
as to what relates to the question OF right.
But still other considerations must be APP
pealed to against the pretensions Of the
Washington government
1.-THE United States become masters Of the
bay of SANTANA II Is evident that they will oc
cupy preponderating position 10 the Anti
l., ,Y,n bap tba
erelgn arbiters of the destinies of that archi-
pelago. The Republics OF st. Domingo and
Hayti where we Jet have interests OF SO much
wright, would be entirely at her discretion.
They would have, in measure, Cuba,
Porto Rico, Jamaica and all the Antilles
under their thumb. We are not
enemies of the United States,
and We have gwen striking and constant
proofs of this fact But we cannot bring
our sympathy up to the point at which it
would turn into blind condecension for am>
bilious schemes, and menace the legitimate
and secular rights of Europe as we'll rs the
interests Of those nationaiies which have
already been formed or have tendency to
form, in the Antilles or elsewhere. Hence
we are entirely opposed to the plaR now at
tribuled 10 the Americans Of becoming mas
tiers Of the Bay OF samana; aud. thoagh We
have given up possession OF iiayu, We did
not do 80 10 witness Afterwards a great for
! eign power take our place there. no matter
what power il may be. whether of the old or
| the New World, but rather for the purpose
of setting up and exalting an American soil
| the principle OF nationaliues, as we'll as the
incontestible right of the Hayiiens TO govern
themselves. Hence it would be with regret
that we should witness the United States fol-
! lowing up tbs project which could not fail
70 becopd ca0e of disquiet to France,
Spain, England and the republic of Hsyti.
Oar Consul General at Port au Prince, Mr..
Maximus Regbaud, has bad the honor of
battling the project previous 10 the annexs-
J, ton of the Dominican republic to Spain.
Could we succeed now so we'll IN case the
United States have really the intentions at
trihuted to them
| A TERRIBLE THaEAr--A conservative
paper closes an article denouncing the Re-
construction law with the following extract
| from letter from New Orleans, which it
says. is a specimen OF the feelings at the
| South
| "Of one thing you may be assured, fine
! Military bill passes. The last straw will be
| laid on the camel back, aud our best class
es will 20 North. Already preparations are
| going forward and many families viii 20 I'M
der any circumstances You will find New
| York w.h large Southern population dur
! ing the summer month.
| What rs this but threat to jHmp from the
| frying pan inte the fire The only object of
| the reconstruction law is to gradually bring
| the South to the same degree Of equal rights
which prevails at the North, and thus make
our national institutions Homogeneous and
thoroughly free throughout. Blu, if the
best classes of the South are bound to
leave their homes for the sake of coming TO
the lard of Sumner and Greedy and Wade,
they will be heartily welcomed here, and
| perhaps their former places will be supplied
by some Of our "best classes the active
young business men and the sterling mechan-
les of the North so that while the former
will be learning some things useful to them,
the latter will make the South 'bud and