The New York herald., 1869-02-22

LUG uuTucroub careleSSnoSs Vi IdhWay cou
ductors, no less than that Of steamboat pilots,
might well be checked and punished by the
strong arm of the United States government
In Town FOR A Few DAys-A lot of fell
lows of the Albany lobby. When they 60 back
we may look out for new catalogue of street
railroads and other city jobs. These lobby
men in coming down to New York combine
business with pleasure, and the State pays for
all
American Citizens and Interests In Cuba.
A resolution was introduced in the House
of Representatives on Friday by Mr.. Kelley, of
Pennsylvania, directing the Secretary Of State
to take immediate measures to ascertain the
cause of the arrest and incarceration of citi-
zen of the United States by order of the
Captain General of Cuba, which was imme-
diately adopted by the House. We would
suggest to Mr.. Kelley that he introduce reso-
luton covering broader ground, and that the
Secretary of State be directed to inform the
House if any and what steps have been taken
to protect the large number of American citi-
zens now resident in Cuba. In recent case
Mr.. Seward has limited himself to asking for
fair trial Of our official employees arrested in
Havana.
This is mere mockery. We know what
stair trial" of an American citizen in Cuba
means in time of public excitement like that
which now exists there 1t is Incarceration in
the solitude of dungeon; it is prohibition OF
communication with friends or counsel; 1t is
denial of all the rights stipulated in the
seventh article of the treaty Of 1875 between
the United States and Spain; it is trial by
military commission in time Of great public
excitement; it is testimony without permission
to confront the witnesses; it is sentence with
out hearing, and penal servitude without an
appeal The case of Mr. Thrasher, in 1861, is
case exactly in point. He was tried for
treason to government of which he was not a
subject; was sentenced by military COM
mission because he was proven by unknown
and unseen witnesses ssto be anti-sympathetic"
to the Queen of Spain, and was consigned by
General Concha to the genial cline of Spanish
penal settlement on the coast Of Africa. This
same General Ooncha afterwards stated to
the American Minister in Madrid that
Thrashers case was the most difficult subject
he had met during his administration in Cuba,
for he had violated no law. We hope Mr..
Kelley will take this subject up again and i'm
press upon our automatically dull Secretary
of State that this country wants something
more than Spanish 'sfair trial. by colonial
government engaged in a life or death struggle.
And while Mr.. Kelley is about it we would
call his attention to the correspondence (pub-
lished in Saturdays HERALD) between those
respectable constituents Of his. Samuel and
William Welsh, of Philadelphia, and Secretary
Seward. These gentlemen state that their i'm
portations from Cuba pay one-fourth Of all the
duties collected in the Quaker City. To pro-
tect the immense values they have afoat and
ashore in Cuba they ask that the Admiral be
advised by telegraph or otherwise. Mr..
Seward replies that he had conferred with
Secretary Welles who tells him that one
half Of the vessels Of Admiral Hof's squadron
are in Cuban waters. This most lame and
impotent conclusion is practically denial Of
protection. If Daddy Welles or Mr.. Seward
had read the special dispatches Of the HERALD
they would have known that the application
had been made to Admiral Hoff before it was
sent to the circumlocution Office in Washing
ton, and the official reply was the simple word
impossible.
This impossibility Of protection arises from
the fact that neither our astute Secretary Of
State nor our young and lively Secretary Of
the Navy have had the vivacity to conceive
that time of peril to thousands of American
citizens and millions Of American property re-
quires something more than one-half Of the
| ships OF squadron assigned to time Of peace
and pleasure cruising. The home squadron,
! in view Of the many and urgent calls upon it
at this moment in Cnban waters should be
| Immediately doubled in its number OF ships,
and Admiral Hoff should be empowered with
| the broadest latitude Of action. Will Mr..
Kelley see that this is done? Oh for an Ad-
miral Porter in the Navy Department!
UNDER DRBArE-The Tenure Of Office law
| in the Senate on Saturday last, with some indi-
cations Of the success Of Buffers repeal. But
the time is short and the result is very du-
bious. Let the friends OF the repeal keep it
up, or it goes under.
Revcrdy Johnson's Alabama Trcniy-English
Comments ON Its Rejection.
Various comments were elected from the
London press on Saturday morning by the
failure of the United States Senate to ratiry the
treaty recently concluded between Lord Clar-
endon and Reverdy Johnson for the settlement
of the Alabama claims. One journal said that
this treaty has testified the amity Of England,
and that its failure does not cndanger the