The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-01-16
MEN AND MEASURES AT WASHINGTON.
ES0r Our O1on Correspondent
WksHINGToN jan. 10, 1869
Tho Rnnka RrnfacfOrnaa ReanI q ton.


bers of the House at the resolution reported
from the Committee on Foreign Affairs to the
House on Tuesday last. 1t had been hlnted for
some time previous that such resolution was
under consideration in the Committee, but few
supposed that it would ever be brought before
the House. 1t was new question: and not one
in ten of the members either understood its
object OF It's meaning. The explanatory speech
OF General Banks himself was far from clear, and
exhibited nothing of the ability ofthe Charman
of the Committee on Foreign A1airs
Unfortunately for Banks, az well as for the
resolution, the Committee did not seem TO be
united in its support. Although one OF the
most important committees of the House, tue
Committee on Foreign Affairs, leaving out its
chairman is neither composed of the mos.
prominent or the ab'est members OF the House.
Banks, therefore, lacked support. He was per
hat the only member of the COMMITTEE at all
able to defend such proposition, or to answer
| ntelhgeDtly the questions put TO him from all
parts OF the House. There was no member OF
the Committee who seemed either able or will
ing 10 second him. Toe matter was sprung
upon the House at late hopr Of the session,
and the surprise and coniusi IL were so great,
upon all sides, that when an adjournment was
proposed there was no oOpost
:The ButIer-SpRIding Substitute.
Whatever may have been the astonlshment OF
the House on Tuesday, it was E1easurably mag.
nl6ed on Wednesday, when General Batter
offered his substitute extending the protection
Of the United States over all the West India
Islands, and Spaldipg followed with his amend
ment taking in all the islands on the Atlantic
and Pacific Oceans lying adjacent to the United
States. Members looked first at one another,
then at Banks, then at Batter, and finally at
Spaldiug. They we're manifesuy at loss to
know exactly what these gentlemen had IN view.
Banks. having accepted Buffers substitute, had
nothing to say. Butler himself gave vague
explanation, and SEaldiDg inItmated something
| about manifest de tiny" Tne debate took a
| very wide range, and was entered into by some
| of the ablest men in he House ou both sides.
Finally the whole proposition, as your readers
| are already aware, met with most ignominious
! defeat 1t wac hi nted ia the debate, and rather
| broadly too, by Judge Woodward, that Butler
| mad taken in all the West India Islands for the
| sake of including the somewhat famous Alta
| Vela in the original proposition. Possibly
| Wood ward, in this case, was not far fro n the
| truth. Genqsal Butler is associated in some way
with Jeremiah s. Black as counsel for the
| claimants OF Alta Vela, and as they have failed
10 serve their clients successfully III every other
attempt it is possoe that this was resorted to
| as final effort. To be sure Alta Vels has no
| government, and, as far as is known, there are
no people there to seek protection, but the
island is claimed by Guvernment over which
| Butler proposed to extend the broad @gis OF the
American eagle, and it would have been but q
slight token OF gratitude for this Government to
have surrendered Alta Vela TO it's alleged
American owners What islands iu the Atlantic
and PaCidc Spalding may have bad his CovetOus
| eyes upon is not known, Dut there eau be little
doubt that Alta Vels enlisted Buffers synpa-
tnies more than either Hayti or 81. Domlugo.
The Cuban Revolution and the Ranks
PrOteetOrate.
In his speech, General Banks iDtimated,
though he did not expressly state, that he
offered his resolution at the instance OF pro
minent officials IN the Governments of Hayti
and San Domingo. Although repeatedly pressed
by mem bers for more explicit statement up IN
this point, he declined to give It. BankB' oojec
was TO use Hayti and San Domingo merely O.
an entering wedge. Had that proved success
full, he would no doubt have gone as far as
Butler, aud included all the West India islam Is
or perhaps as far as spalding. and have taken N
everything within reach in the Atlantic sut
Pacific Oceans. 1t Is not perhaps generally
known that quiet but steady dycommunication hat
been kept up tor some time between the reVo
lutionists In Cuba and certain parties OF ~
smal prominence IN this city. Every move
ment of the dsafected ,Cubsns, their successor
and reverses, their plans and their prospects
together With the means taken by the Spanish
authorities TO subdue them, has been knOwI
here to certain parties at the earliest posi- oil
moment. The latest adVices received in tbL
way give assurances OF the complete success O
the revolutionary movement, and intmation
have been received that at no distant day th
provisional government OF Cuba, tina
rs to be, will formally ask protec iol
and recognition from the United States. II j
impossible to tell precisely TO what extent tn
Banks movement was related to this matter
but il is safe to say that II was not entirely dis
connected with 1t. should the CubAn revoIu
. tiODists make such proposition 10 our Govern
ment, Congress would Of course be compelle
, 70 take some notice of il, aud II is probable tina
/ more than thirty-two votes could be mustere
in the House 10 its favor. Banks proposition
was probably crude, was reported to the Hous
10 a somewhat irregular way, and was unqu ues
; tiOnaby badly managed; but there can be n
l doubt that 1t embraces the elements OF polic
: which our Government will be compelled /
adopt sooner or later.
I The Sue Murphy Claim.
/. II might be supposed from the elRbDIat
. consideration which this subject has receive
from the Senate, That that body had settled th
question of the finances and all the other para
? mount interests Of the country, and had resolve