The New York herald., 1868-05-06

he has served not wisely but too well. Let him
play the part for which by nature and by train
ing he is admirably fitted. His true role now
is that in which Richelieu was successful, but
in which Mirabeau failed. He has an oppor-
tunity Of making his name greater than either. =,
Spanish Restrictions Upon American Trade
A Hint to the State Department.
We print elsewhere minute and authentic
statement of the restrictions and impositions
imposed upon American commerce by the
Spanish authorities in Cuban and other West
Indian ports. From the facts of the several
cases, CLEANED from correct sources and sifted
of all legal phraseology, 1t appears that the
authorities Of the several Cuban ports espe-
cialfy have contracted q regular habit of
imposing fines, varying from twenty-five dol
lars to thirty thousand, upon American vessels
and for the most trivial pretexts. A blot or an
erasure, or even misspelled word in the
manifest, has on frequent occasions been
made the pretext for the imposition Of an
annoying and often ruinous fine, and that, too,
when the error was so obviously slip Of the
pen as to vitiate any possible pretence of inten-
ton to defraud; and but recently an Ameri-
can vessel was fined twenty-seven thou
sand dollars for the offence of having
left six hundred packages Of freight upon
the dock in this city, which packages appeared
upon the manifest. The captain OF the vessel
was refused the customary civility of altering
the manifest, though it was made clearly to
appear that the packages had never been on
board.
BY this case and by cases similar-as, for
instance, that Of the Ocean Home-consider-
able sensation has been created in commercial
circles, and an effort is now being made to
bring the matter before the Department Of
State with view to the recovery of just
indemni6cation for these illegal and annoying
fines and seizures.
The facts as developed exhibit a thinly dis
guised intention on the part of Cuban Custom
House officials for the plunder of American
shipowners by sort of legal-though shah
by-system of buccaneering, which can only
be abated by the interference of the United
States government or new volume of Mr..
Stewards diplomatic correspondence. In
several Of these cases-in fact, in the only
important ones-it will be observed that the
Spanish authorities have remitted the fines
imposed, thus virtually admitting the illegality
Of their imposition and the consequent seizure,
though in two cases they had proceeded as far
as eonfscation and had threatened sale of the
property. Let Mr.. Seward, therefore, foot up
a bill Of indemnities due for illegal detainder
and the like, and in default Of payment hold
Cuba to bail for the exact amount indicated by
the figures. a
Chief Justice Chase and the Impeach.
Mr.. Bingham yesterday continued the closing
argument of the prosecution in the impeach-
ment trial, and through all that argument the
thing most apparent was the radical fear of
Chief Justice Chase. Apprehension of the
Judge was the unconscious import Of the gen.
tleman's harangue. Ostensibly the Manager
discussed nearly every other subject, and while
complaining of the length and diffuseness of
the defence sinned more palpably In that way
than any man on the other side but wander as
he might he could not get away from the main
thought-the thought that now concen trates
the whole activity of the radical intellect
that something must be said, done or endeav-
ored to prevent the head Of the Supreme
Court from being heard in the Senate. Butler
knows and feels that the case of his faction is
the worst ever put in court. Stevens knows
this; Sumner knows t., Bingham acknow-
lodges 1t by his failure to urge conviction on
the points properly up for trial but they all
believe that they can bully the Senate into
conviction. They believe that party discipline
will secure q sufficient vote, In spite Of right
and reason, If the Senate be left to ITSELF
There's the rub, however for If the Senate be
not left to itself nothing is certain. If one
bold, strong voice shall be raised In the cham |
ber for justice and law; If one conscientious,
honest man shall declare that there Is no case |
shall point out to the Senate the utter failure of
the House of Representatives TO prove what II |
promised to prove and remind Senators that |
their oath requires acquittal where guilt Is
not shown-the awakened pride and strength |
eped courage of Senators will inevitably de-
clare against impeachment and lift that body
above the control of the pitiful motives through |
which the Managers expect to secure verdict
In their favor.
All this anxiety on the part of the Managers
fixes attention on the point in their case that
shows 1t in its most characteristic aspect as
fearing most of oil the plain ruling Of the law.
Already ten gentlemen have delivered dis
courses not notable for brevity on the
points in this case; something like fifty more
will discuss it. If IL is still the purpose of every
Senator to be heard. If, then, the case will
stand discussion at the hands Of sixty gentle
men more or less learned in the law, how is
II that the opinion Of one more is likely TO be
snch an irrenarahla harm that the ManaRera