The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-10-20
EDITION
SICKLES.
That Affair Of the Dir.sOmatic Sete-Hov our
Minister is REGARD ed In spain What the Re-
suIt of his Diplor xnrv will l,c


Minister is REGARD 81 In spaha-Whst the Re-
suit of his Diplor <acy will be.
In its editorial Columns the New York Ecening Post
north Of spar., dated oct. g. respecting the diplo
matic note Ehch Minister Sckles sent to the Spanish
'Ger.erei sickles has certainly made haste to fall
thoroughly and pltiabiy, and he has produced
stoLm OF indignant feeling against our Government
which General Grant ana he might just as well have
@None Of the stories about General sicles past
life has been published here, and the Spanlards
were so lille pleased with Mr. Hale tnat 1t operated
in favor of his successor who was welcomed with
unusual honors aud marked cordlality. In fact,
the feeling OF the Spaniards towards the United
stat es had never been 80 friendly since have known
general Sickles seems to have fallen into the
came error with most of our public men who come
out here to try their hand at diplomacy in Spain.
Perfect ignorance of this people, a compact set of
erroneous notions about Spain aud the Spaniards,
and total want Of diplomatic instinct or previous
training TO the business, lead them az ny the same
road whenever they attempt 10 do anything. Those
their salaries, of course do not make their mistakes
so conspicuous. -, a., =, -
strange virtue IN diplomatic nQte-that some
thing can be done by a diplomatic note. But l
never yet knew anything TO be done by dplo-
:.If international business could be 50 transacted,
what need Of diplomatic agents? Why not lIe of
the notes direct from the state Department by mail
They would be all the more forcble and effective in
that way. In fact, minister VINO has no other
means or resource for doing International business
than omatc notes fth wheel to the coach of
sort of use whatever, and besides useless, positively
preiudicial Men like SOue and Sickles-men not
content with being useless-run their heads against
stone wall, get themselves into an ineXtrlcable
sD8rl very quickly.
''The impression made on Europe by the heroism
and grandeur of our war; the successful effort in
Spai to rid themselves OF the Bourbon dynasty; the
aspiration Of this people to found federal republics
the sustained effort OF the CubanS for freedom; the
steady payment of four or five millions of dollars
debt, whilst monthly deficit OF about as much is
wrnging the vitas OF Spain1all the motives for
adn min OOnnlnf qVmnnilV
so great, that it seemed TO me thng-anything
no matter whatcould be done by the United States
+ in Spain at this time; and 1t was so.
ave had only to take hold OF the means at our
disposal, know what they were and how TO use them
and do anything we pleased mere, ana laugh at
what mistaken choice of an agent at home-what
ignorant, misguided and peryerse energy hereto
change all this in month, unite all parties of Span
iards in one storm of indignation and antipathy to
us, and set all Europe outside Of Spain laughing at
''sickes has ruined the business confined to him.
and made il impossible, at least temporarily and
ruined himself for the TRANSACTION OF any business
whatsoever with Spain now or hereafter
''IIe has got himself into bad odor with the people,
and at the same time into such "a ridiculous and
ptable diplomatic position, that any business put
into his hands hereafter, on conded TO MS advocacy
Spaniards are thus constituted; argument is of no
avail with Them reason is an article they use rarely
They either like you or they don't; and II they DON'T
if you were TO oller mamma from heaven they
would not take it. it from your hands;
can lead them almost anywhere. Violence is of. no
use threats are always productive Of precisely the
OppOste effect from that intended. II you undertake
to crush them after they can resist no longer they
will lie down, and let themselves be whipped and
Kicked but they will not yield, you can get nothing
out Of them by that process. Long after you are
tired out and are gone about something else, they
will spring up and come back on you, as unyieldng
and as unreasoning as ever. Yon must know
this people; know the springs which move its
Government and move its newspapers and its
clubs, and know how to produce It's favorable
resolutions or the effort to do anything with them is
hopeless. And Sickles has put his foot in it. The
Indignation he has managed to excite all over Spain
is strong and genuine and its first result is to stir
this people up to genuine hearty effort against the
Cubans. They were tired Of the Cuban insurrectiOn
despOndent divided among themselves indisposed
10 any great eXertlon TO save Cuba; newspapers
published articles under the titles of Cuba is Lo5G,"
Gloss of Cuba" etc. ETC., every morning; they
already familiar with that idea, and had accepted
ii as inevitable. General Sickles steps upon the
scene, fires Off diplomatic nOte puts the American
Government in a false position towards revolution
ary Spain, wounds their pride ana their patriotism,
and rouses against himself and lis all that feeling
which produced the first defeat Of Napoleon's armies
in Europe and carried the Spaniards through their
war of independence. Twenty Thousand good SOL
diers Will have sailed for Cuba by or about the time
you get this letter. and more viii follow them and
sailed, superior In strength to the forces put
into those waters. Ten thousand men go to-day from
Cadz. Meantime the General has put himself per-
sonay into such position as no dplomatst can
stand up under / send you slips from the ministe-
rial newspapers received here within three days.
what the OF such facts the appearance
of such paragraphs signifies in Spain. 1t means
diplomatic DEATH Sickles is done here already.
Nothing resusctates him--nothlng can get him on
his feet again-nor give him any chance Of useful
ness after this"