The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-06-03
CUBA AND THE SISTER REPUBLICS OF
AMERICA
From the N. Y, Herald,

From the NJ y. Herald.
The Cuban question grows apacc few
weeks since announced the opening of the
ports of Mexico to the Cuban flag by special
decree of President Juarez, and the last mail
from South America brings the intelligence that
Peru has formally recognized the new republic.
Chilli, it is stated, will do the same, and we may
reasonably expect that all the sister republics of
America will follow ut an early day. They all
have n feeling towards Spain similar, but far
more intense, to that which animated the people
of the United States towards Great Britain dur
ing the first generation after our war of nde-
pendence. That feeling not satisfied until
it eliminated in our second war with England in
1872, and like result is evident in all the South
American colonies. In fact war exists to-day
between Peru and Spain, the truce between the
belligerents having been extended to enable
peace to be restored through the good offices of
our Government.
In addition to the request for recognition, the
Cuban envoy in Peru has asked for loan of the
two monitors recently purchased in this country,
and one of which was examined by some of the
republican officials during short visit to the
Bay of Nipe, in Cuba. The spirit which ami
mates the Cuban government, and which will
produce fruit in some if not in many of the
thousand ports of the sister republics, will be
seen in an extract from private letter written
by General Quesada to q naval officer in this
city. The writer of that letter holds the inn
p2rtant position of cOmmander-in-chief of the
patriot forces, and it will be seen that he looks
forward to combinations which shall drive the
Spanish ships from the sea. Our own experience
during the late war shows how great is the evil
which may be inflicted by single armed cruiser
against merchant vessels. Spanish ships are no
exception to the laws which govern commercial
transactions, andintercourse between Cuba and
Spain would find a refuge only in powerful ships
OF war or under neutral flag. We should see
return OF the condition OF affairs in 1880, when
the complete disappearance of the Spanish flag
from the ocean marked the era of greatest decay
in the monarchy.
With the state of feeling which the Cuban re-
volution has brought out in all the Spanish-Ame-
rican republics, we shall not be surprised to see
all their ports opened to Cuban cruisers and
their prizes-a measure which of itself would
give great impulse to the war against Spain,
both on the part of Cuba and Peru; and a rup-
ture OF the peace negotiations between the lat
| ter power and Spain would be no very difficult
| matter to accomplish The vital point in the
| question would be the attitude which the
| United States might assume. If Mr.. Secretary
! Fish should determine to carry his interpreta-
! ton OF our absurd neutrality laws to the
| extent OF trying to suppress American sym
| pathizers with free Cuba we might find
ourselves in anomalous position. One
| of these anomalies would be the fact now
| before us. Spain is building thirty steam gun
! boats in our shipyards, and we could not refuse
! the same privilege to any of the sister republics
| that might ask it. But should it be denied by
! Mr.. Fish, there can be no doubt that American
! capital would find a way to put cruisers on the
ocean against Spain, il there were profit in it
| ana harDOrS TO use, and we should find our Gov
| ernment and our citizens engaged in a very
strange conflict with each other. These and
similar embarrassments are destined TO spring
up continually as the Cuban question grows
and il will grow, for it is the living question
among the nations of the New World to-day.
The complication opens field of vast extent
| for truly American statesman, and we hope to
| see some one occupy it. With all her curious
| crotchets about and against us, we owe a debt
! to Spain that it would well become us to repay
to her to-day in the hour of need of her new and
| freedom-impelled movement She was one of the
| first of the nations of Europe to recognize our
| independence in days when the founders of our
| republic were beset with enemies, and doubt
attended them on every hand. To-day she is in
stress from the complications which attend both
| her home government and her administration
| in Cuba.
Let the United States propose1 that a truce
| shall be established between the bellgerents in
Cuba, and that commissioners shall be sent by
both parties to Washington to see if some ar
rangement cannot be made between them, salts
factory alike to the honor of Spain and Cuba
and eonsonant with the interests of both par
Ties. That such solution can be found we do
not entertain a doubt, and when found il will
contribute largely to the establishment of the
new government now terminating in Spain aud
10 the general interests of all the sister republics
of America.