The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-11-30

In an able and candid article in the
New York Times this subject is handled
in such pointed and sensible manner that
we wish to quote. 1t says the power of
foreseeing things which will never happen
is not so rare as some enterprising writers
appear to suppose. They exercise it with
rather uncommon ingenuity and patience,
and it is probable that they really con-
found it with the genuine gift of preset
ence, or they would never have the cour-
age to 60 on inventing startling predic-
tions in the the teeth of repeated failures.
Here, for instance, is this last new sensa-
ton of "war with Spain" OF course
public writer's who are competent to treat
of the subject, at all, are well aware that
the action of our Government with re-
gard to the Spanish gun-boats is taken in
Difference to the usage of international
law, and cannot in any sense be construed
into a menace against Spain. A man
must be very ignorant who does not know
this before he sits down to write on the
question. 1t was necessary to have the
charge with reference to the gunboats
properly inquired into by civil tribunal,
and it is to be the interest of Spain, if her
case be good, that such an inquiry should
be made without delay. The Government
will not hold these gunboats in defiance
Of the law. 1t is, however, very neces-
sary that it should be informed precisely
what the law calls upon it to do. If the
Peruvian complaint falls through, the
gunboats must be released-unless the
Administration be prepared to take
very decided step in favor Of the insur-
gents in Cuba.
This, then, is the simple truth Of the
matter, and yet some of our contempora-
ries have proclaimed to the world that
we are certainly on the eve of war with
Spain. Credulous readers, who have
learned nothing by experience ofpreeious
"hoaxes," must have laid down their pa
pers with the full conviction that we were
within few hours of an open collision
with European Power. One authority
assures us that the President is acting in
pursuance of deep-laid scheme for abol-
ishing foreign rule in this part of the
world. He was bound to get Cuba just
as he is bound to get Canada" Another
solemnly announces that Spain will regard
the proceedings in the civil Courts as an
open demand for war. A third explains
that when the United States Government
first wished to seize the Spanish gunboats,
it dared not to do so because it had no
ships-"but all this has been changed
within the last ninety days" 1t really
thinks that now we might manage to hold
our own against Spain. This is probably
the most absurd of all the blunders which
have been pepetrated on the subject. If
the Government had particularly desired
war with Spain, it would not have held
back because it did uot happen to have a
full complement of vessels at hand.
We can assure timid persons that there
is no cause for fear. Our contemporaries
are only trying to scare them, just to keep
their hands in. They talk big, but it is
because times are very dull, and since the
occurance of gold panic, there has been
no truly profitable sensation" to attract
customers. The Government is following
the course recommended by its legal ad-
visers, and it may turn out that Spain
will be very far from having any reason
for dissatisfaction. At any rate, the
question will be treated in good faith
Only cabinet of disordered journalists
would be capable Of the schemes and the
policy which some Of the papers attribut'
ed to the President and his advisers