Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-05-24
CUBA. .

-
Persons we'll versed In the Ways Of
diplomacy never look for decisive re-
suits, or even much progress, in con-
troversies about foreign affairs"
when there is much noise about them
in public or in the newspapers. They
know, on the contrary, that most of
the effective work Is done, in a quiet
way, at the times when there~is the
least discussion Of the mooted questions
by the general public. For these rea-
sons, we should not be surprised to
hear that the efforts at mediation be-
tween Spain and the Cuban insurgents
have been somewhat advanced during
the comparatively silent interval which
has succeeded the abortive attempt Of
General Sickles last year in the same
direction. The Instruction has now
been OH foot nearly two years. 1t Is
true that the insurgents are apparently
no nearer to the accomplishment of
the independence Of the island by force
of arms than they were ut the close Of
1865. 1t may, indeed, be true that the
attempted revolution Is slowly dying
out for want of s~ustenance. But has
Spain any better assurance that Cuba
will ever be secure, orof any pecuniary
value to her in the future? The guer-
lila wal still being carried OH in the
mountainous interior Of the island Is
Of the Mexican fashion, that may be
kept up for years, without either Or
ganized government or a dollar OF
money in the military chest. A band
of Graders" break from.a mountain
f~astness, unapproachable by a regular
military force, cut of any detached
troops lying beyond the reach of sup
port, surprise and capture conveys Of
provisions and munitions, break up
railways destroy bridges, burn and
harass plantations, and then they dis
appear like vapor, unpunishable be-
cause they cannot be found, and UNI
conquerable, for they need nothing
but what they can procure in such
predatory excursions. This style Of
warfare Is Of the sort that lives for
years, and may be made to last as long
as the occasion demands, even If the
occasion should continue forever. 1t
is very expensive to the Government
that has to fight it out OH suchIa line,
and this has been the experience Of
Spain, first in Mexico and her other
American possessions, and now in
Cuba. 1t costs a great deal Of money
and the sacrifice Of great many lives.
Nobody understands this better than
General Prim, who is now at the head
Of affairs in Spain, so far rs military
affairs are concerned, for he has seen
something of this guerilla fighting
in Mexico. The CubanS, then, are
making but little or no Roadway to-
wards their independence, and Spain
is making quite as little towards
such a subjugation of the island as will
make it Of any great use to her In the
future. The war cannot have cost her
much short of n hundred millions Of
dollars already, and perhaps twenty
to forty thousand lives, with no results
but the intensification Of the hate be-
tween the native Cubans and the
changing population Of Spaniards, and
the impossibility of harmony hereafter.
The bloody reprisals that have marked
the conduct of the war OH both sides,
the shootings and hanginss i'll cold
blood, the garroting of prisoners, all
show that there is to be no permanent
peace hereafter, except on the basis Of
separation. This must be rs patent in
Madrid rs it Is here, and affords ground
for the expectation that the statesmen
of that country may now look with
more favorable eyes on mediation than
they did n year ago. They would not
treat them until the Cubans laid down
their arms; but the attempt to force
them to surrender Is q failure, and
threatens to continue to be n failure
indefinitely. Can they not be induced
to Law them down now, as a prelimi-
nary to negotiation on the basis which
we have good reason to believe was
proposed by General Prim through an
eminent American in LondonS The
conditions were, the payment of $l25,-
900, 900; the United States Govern
ment to be the trustee Of the indem-
nifty fund; the revenue duties and
other income resources Of the island to
be pledged for the payment, and at the
end of the ten or twelve years, which
it was supposed would be required for
the payment, Cuba to be free to take
her place rs an Independent State, or
to come into our Union, at her option.
As affairs stand at this time, there ought
to be no difficulty in arriving at a set
Element on such a basis as this. Both
sides are certain to lose by delay.
The census takers get two cents for
every name taken; ten cents for every
farm: fiffeen cents for every produc-