Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-06-22
UNCLE s~AM--cuBA--sPAIN

UNCLE 0AN
We received this morning the printed
Congressional proceedings Of the 18th
of June, and we observe that on that
day Cuba had the floor in the National
House of Representatives, and General
Banks made a most fervent and elo-
quent appeal in behalf Of his perfect
neutrality" resolutions, reported by
the majority of the Committee on
Foreign Affairs. His argument was in
the direct line of his report, a long and
elaborate document, published in the
Globe, which, however, contained but
little that wa not already familiar to
the newspaper reading public. The
object of his neutrality resolutions, and
of his report and argument
are rs follows: l. 10 secure the recoS-
milton of an existing armed contest for
liberty in Cuba. 2. The neutrality Of
the United States in that contest. ).
To place the Cubans on an equal foot
ing with the Spaniards in regard to
intercourse and trade with the United.
1. To interpose the protest Of the
United States against the barbarouS
manner In which the war has been
conducted. In arguing out these points
in his report, he referred to the recog-
milton by Spain of the late civil war in
the United States, at n very early day;
to the population of Cuba, which he
said was 81, GOO,O0 to the alleged de-
lay of the abolition of slavery by
Spain; to the principles Of liberty and
independence for which the Cuoans are
fighting; to the army of lOI 900 men
which Spain had sent against the
Cubans, which had accomplished
nothing in twenty-one months; to the
extent Of territory held by the in
surgents; to the 200 combats and
battles which the Cubans had fought;
to the fact that both the United
States and Spain had already in words
actually recognized 4 war as existing;
to the barbarous character Of the war
waged BY Spain; to the anarchy In the
Spanish parts Of the island, resulting
from the domination of the +" Catalan
volunteers " to the spoliation Of prop
erty and the outrages on American
citizens to the public law which, as
he claims, fully warranted the passage
Of his resolutions; to the duty Of the
United States; and he finally referred
to the Spanish treaty Of 1895, under
which he said it was enormously
claimed that q declaration Of Neutrality
by the United States would give n
great advantage to Spain. Against
this array Of argument, four members
of the Committee Of Foreign Affairs
offered q minority report, simply re-
ferring to the fact that a state Of war
cannot be recognized as existing where
IL Of the alleged belligerents has no
established civil Government, or II
capable of enforcing its w DEGREES
within the territory ove which it
claims jurisdiction which has posses
sion of no considerable town, city or
port which has not q vessel afloat,
and where there Is great uncertainty
as to whether the only form of organ
ization it presents has any exist
ence outside of the mountain
camps Of the "patriot bands" The
minority also refer to the uniform
doctrine of noninterference by the
United States, unless there Is an
un~questionable de facto Government,
and to the operation of the Spanish
treaty Of 1895, which would give great
advantage to Spain, and might prove
very embarrassing to the United States.
They then report n bill, making it u
penal offense, punishable by fine and
imprisonment, for any one in the Uni
ted States to fit out, arm or equip any
ship for any European Government, to
be used for the subjugatlon of Ameri-
can colonists. This, they say, will eff
feet perfect neutrality. The President,
in his message, takes substantially the
same grounds, and recites the protest
made to the Spanish Government
against the barbarities practiced by
the Spanish authorities and the volum-
teers. Under the circumstances, it
would seem that the wiser course to
pursue would be that pointed out by
the minority of the Committee and
then n renewal Of the offer Of media
ton by the United States, on the eX-
press ground that the interests, the
lives and property of American citi-
zens in the Island Of Cuba require the
iuterposition of the United States, be-
cause the Government of Spain seems
to be unable to check the outrages of
the volunteers, who arc the only
"power" In the Spanish portions of
the island at this time.