The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-01-14
22-NUMBER i3,

IL we can only unite in maintaining
. public faith and credit, our political
differences will not De of very much
account
The Ald60md Cdinis.-The brief
but pointed allusiOn in the Presidents
message to "the only grave question
which the United States have with
any foreign nation" must be fresh in
thessmemOry of all. And also his EN-
/ phatic sentences:
y sensitive people, conscious of
! their power, are more at ease under q
great wrong, wholly unatoned, than
under the restraint of q settlement
T which satisfies neither their ideas of
Justice nor their great sense OF the
I grievance" .--
( If any ampGfieatiOn of the ground
on which the nation stands OH this
I question was needed, the mastery
and unanswerable argument of Seere-
tary Fish, recently published, invest
ing, Is it does, with new interest, a
theme 50 elabOrately argued hereto
fore, shows how faithfully the Admin
istratiOn is vindieating "tne rights,
dignity and honor Of the, United
States.
Cuba The Presidents sympathies
with ''all people struggling for self
government" are frankly stated in
his message. But, while thus openly
expressing them, he as, frankly de
clares that mo matter how unpleas-
ant the task" he has endeavOred to
execute our neutrality laws in good
faith. On the main subject he thus
spoke: ...-. ...''..-
"The people and Government of the
United States entertain the same
warm feelings and sympathies for the
people of Cuba in their pending strug-
gle that they manifested throughout
the previous struggle between Spain
and the former colonies in behalf of
the latter; but the contest at no time
assumed the conditions which amount
to a war in the sense of international
law, or which would show the exist
enee of a de fucto political organiza-
ton of the insurgents sufficient to
justify a recognition of belligerency.u
And he adds: sour course should
always be in conformity with strict
justice and law, international and
local. y which none Of those eritieising
him can deny. The President be-
lieves, as his whole message proves,
in the Golden Rule for nations asWeli
as individuals. Whatever our sy-m<
pathies may be, he. holds that we
should acttOward others exactly as we
would have had others act toward us
during our recent struggle for national
existence, or as we would have them
act hereafter if unhappily another
dark cloud of civil war should ever
OvershadOw our land. But while thus
performing ''the unpleasant task he
submits the whole matter TO Congress,
which, representing the people, and
fresh from their midst, is certainly a
proper arbiter on a question that
might eYentuate in war with for
eign power and its possible allies, and
the increased debt and taxes, dimin-
ished commerce, and renewed blood
shed that might result, if recognition
was not justified by the international
aw, whose infractiOn by others i'm our
own case we have so publicly and en-
condemned at the bar of
the civilized world 1t Is a remarka-
bic coincidence that, while the Presi-
dent was writing this message, Ces-
pedes, the President of what hone Is
yet to be Free Cuba, Onthe 3Gth of No
vember, wrote in his proclamation as
follows: -.. .frl E ..JF -El
'Perhaps it is just that the Admin
istratiOn of the Washington Govern
ment should delay recognizing us
until Congress shall have met. p nI- ~
This brief and dispasSi0nate retro
spect might be extended; but enough
has been written to prove that the adj
fully deserves hepopu-
lar confidence it has won. ~ ,=lrr
.H SCHUYLER CoLFAX.f8 "A