The union Democrat., 1869-05-15
Neutrality md Cuba.


The following article contains much self
evident truth and coming, as it does. from
the San Francisco Bulletin, paper that has
heretofore supported every Radical vagary,
1t is very remarkable:
We are saving our consistency hy mere
technicalitv. Ii reports are true, mutations
OF war. men, and even ships, have left Amer
lean ports within few weeks to succor the
revolution IN Cuba although legal proof of
this may not exist We have not acknowl-
edged the rebels as heligerents, it is true, bu,
we have gone TO the other extreme, aud ut
terly ignored the fact that there is any revo-
luton at all. And yet, this revolution is one
of the most paipabie facts of the times. A
large part of the inhabitants of Cuba are il
arms against what is held to be the lawfully
constituted government. Now, if England
had issued no proclamation of neutrality, and
had wholly ignored the late rebellion so far
as official action was concerned, her citizens
IN the meantime selling to the rebels armed
ships and munitions of war, it would not have
mitlgated the offence much in our eyes to
hear the excuse, The English Government
knows nothing of these matters; it don I
even know that there is o rebellion. Our
citizens sell ships, guns, powder, etc., to
American citizens, because there is no law to
prohibit ouch sales"
Are we to-day doing the very thing which
forms the gravamen of the charge brought
against Engla Are we assisting rebels
to overthrow the Government of Spain in
Cuba? 1t is quite possible that it ought to
be overthrown. And SO England might have
reasoned about what ought to have been done
IN behalf of the Confederacy. Probably a
majority of the people of the United States
would like to see the Cubans achieve their
Independence. Our sympathies are on that
side. AT one time, a ma jority of the English
people would Fave beer glad to see the South
ern Contederacy succeed. To make that sue
cess more certain. England did under color
OF neutrality proclamation what we are do
ing without any proclamation. Ii is conven-
lent for the Government not to know that
there is belligerent party in Cnha, which
Is possibly on the eve of success. Aud so it
happens that ships depart, men enlist. NUM-
tions are collected and while every officer
of the Government knows what is going on,
it is convenient for the Government not to
know anything officially about the matter
Mexico has taken different ground. She
has acknowledged the revolutionary party as
beligerents, and has not taken pains to issue
any proclamation of neutrality. She hates
Spanish dominion, and is not slow in letting
it be known that she will permit the rebels to
have base for operations in her ports. If
Spain was now in the days of her strength,
she would make lively times in Mexico, and
would ask our Government some unpleasant
questions.
Now, we are pushing the alabama claims,
and have just made a presentation of them
with all the force of craftsmanship and all the
arts of state craft. The case is a suong one.
Are we to weaken the moral force of this claim
by infictlng the same wrongs upon another
nation that are the grounds of complaint
against England? The old maxim that ne
who asks equity must do equity, is good as
between nations. Wemay escape on the tech
ncal plea that we know nothing officially of
any war, rebellion or revolution in Cuba
And yet special instructions have gone from
the State Department tn our Cunaul at Ha-
vana, which have reference to the exigenees
caused by the rebellion. The danger now is
that we shall lose part of the moral power
with which the alabama claim is backed, by
our course in Cuban affairs. We cannot help
it that the sympaibies of the people are on
the side of the revolutionsts. 1t may be that
they have right and .instice on their side.
But for the sake of consistency, we can refrain
from doing the very things which, when done
bv England towards Us, we have never ceased
to call outrages. When John Bull CORES our
OK it is a serious matter, and we ask for the
payment Of round bill of damages, with an
ack0wledg cement that the act was wrong.
How is it when our bull cores the Spanish
OK?