The New York herald., 1869-02-22

lE SHEET.
clearly within 81, ,Srevinoe. It is fully time
that the government Of m ou'.o1 $50,
should protect human life against the 'ss'1'
destruction to which it is culpably exposN on
the steamers Of our Western rivers and lakes.
The murderous carelessness Of railway con-
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 Few DAYs-A lot OF fel-
lows Of the Albany lobby. When they 60 back
we may look out for a 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-
r. H,,ha Tn ooc
Mr.. Seward has limited himself to asking for
a 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; it is
a denial of all the rights stipulated in the
seventh article of the treaty Of 1895 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
dpptdl lut Cd6o Vi NIL AAaoACAs IA AoOAs 40
case exactly in point. He was tried for
treason to government Of which he was not
subject; was sentenced by military COM
mission because he was proven by unknown
and unseen witnesses ''to 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 Concha afterwards stated to
the American Minister in Madrid that
Thrasher's 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 ''fair trial" by colonial
government engaged in 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-fonrth Of all tho
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 Hof before it was
sent to the circumlocution Office in Washing
ton, and the official reply was the simple word
impossible.
This impossibiIity Of protection arises from
the fact that neither our astute Secretary Of
State nor our young and lively Secretary ol
the Navy have had the vivacity to conceive
that time of peril to thousands Of American
citizens and millions Of American property re-
qures 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 II
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. viii Mr..
Kelley see that this is done? Oh, for an Ad-
miral Porter in the Navy Department!
UNDER DEBATE-The Tenure Of Office law
Las xx,sk1, snIs