New-York tribune., 1870-10-11

caIly with the hope that the influence OF the
Un;ted states might be successfully exerted
TO relieve the question from embarrassment.
Tn n subseduent interview with Gen. Slckles,
prim said that "Spain desired the good
"ofiiees of the United States, and was prepared
" tn see Cuba free, but the consent OF Spain
" must be given in manner consistent with
" her self-respect.r Circumstances OF one kind
or another. however, prevented the carrying
ont at that time of the project proposed by
our Government and partially accepted in the
name of Spain and for reasons which do
not appear in the diplomatic correspondence
concerning Cuba lately published by the State
Department, the further consideration OF the
project was, for the time beng postponed.
Our Government, however, continued to pros
ecute very energetically its efforts to induce
the Spanish authorities to carry out measures
for the abolition of Slavery in Cuba. Secre-
tary Fish repeatedly directed Gen. Sickles 10
present this matter; and the result was
that in September last Marshal Prlm re-
Piled that policy of abolition would
quickly be carried into effect. When
it subsequently appeared that the Spanish Gov
ernmcnt was inclined to delay and palter,
Secretary Fish forwarded dispatch (Jan. 20,
1870 expressing his surprise; saying that
from the commencement and through all the
"stages of negotiations and correspondence, the
"instrnctions to make the abolition of Slavery
a. sine qua non had been given in the most
"positive manner" and adding, that it " had
become more apparent every day that the Gu
"ban contest could not terminate without the
"aboliton of Slavery, and that our Government
IL IL Al. ,,cI npitI OG
Emitted to the result" The dispatches OF MIR.
Fish on this subject appear again and again,
I'D to as late date as the Goth of June last,
when he expressed in a friendly but decided
manner dissatisfaction with the Spanish action,
and said that 60 the President felt it to be the
"duty of this Government to endeayor to
impress upon the Spanish Cabinet the policy
"as well as the propriety of making at once
"provision for an earlier and more thorough
emancipation of slaves.n Finally, in the same
month, the Spanish Cortes passed measure
of Slavery abolition, which, though inadequate,
was an important point gained; and IN his
dispatch of June 2G, Gen. Sickles said: This
"(Spansh) Government mas now for the first
"time distinctly and practically committeditsel
"to the policy Of emancipation, and, in this step
"satisfaction to the President that the influence
"Of the United States has been conspicuous
"and bencfcent."
1t certainly needs nothing more than the
perusal of the dispatches of Secretary Fish to
satisfy any one of the deep and constant In
terest he has taken in this subject, and the
persistence and force with which he urged
policy of Emancipation upon the Spanish Gov
ernment. 1t gives us pleasure to be able to
do justice to the State Department in regard
to this matter, concerning which it has been
so unjustly and bitterly abused. If we may
judge by what we have learned from our cor
respondents in Madrid, it is not improbable
that the services of our Government may again
be called into requisitiOn ere long on the
Cuban question. We earnestly hope that the
negotiations may result in the establishment
of freedom and independence for Cuba.