Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1870-06-22
Tge freeman
MONTPELIER, VI:
WEDNESDAY, JUNE %, 1870.
Cuban Affairs.

The condition Of affairs in the island of
Cuba, and the relations which our govern
ment ought to sustain toward Spain and the
insurgents in that island, were brought
prominently to the attention Of Congress and
the country last Tuesday and Wednesday.
The majority and minority of the Committee
on Foreign Affair of the House had made a
report, and their resolutions came up for
consideration and action last Tuesday. The
majority report favored a recognition of the
insurge nts as belligerents. The minority re
port presented different proposition, and
one not in conflict with the policy heretofore
adopted by the administration. On Monday
of last week the President sent to Congress
a special message In which he fully set forth
the reasons which had led him thus far to
decline to recognize the Cubans as bellige-
rents; and he presented the international
law, and the practice of this government
bearing upon the question, with great force
and clearness. This message fell like bomb
shell into the camp of the Cuban flibusters
and Gen. Banks was considerably heated
when he opened the debate Tuesday. He
made powerful speech, interesting in mat
ter and manner, although not strong as an
argument, in support Of the recognition OF
beIligerency. The House gave him the most
interested attention, and Cubans in the gal
Ieries occasionally applauded his most en-
phatic passages. The debate was continued
Tuesday and Wednesday, and terminated
Wednesday evening by vote which clearly
showed that Gen. Banks belligerency resolu-
tions could not pass and on Thursday a
resolution simply authorizing the President
to interpose his good Offices, in cooperation
with other governments, if he should choose
to do so, to mitigate the inhumanities and
put stop to the atrocities which have on
both sides characterized the struggle in Cuba,
was substituted for both the majority and
minority reports, and passed by decisive
vote. This proposition received the support
of the minority of the committee, and was
quite satisfactory to them. We print else
where the remarks of Mr.. WILLARD, one Of
the minority of the committee, in opposition
to Gen. Banks resolutions.
There is little doubt that, outside of Con-
gress, q recognition of the Cubans as beIlige-
rents has been pressed wholly by parties who
have expected that such a recognition would
bring on a war with Spain. Indeed, this is
the only good such demonstration on the
part of the United States could bring the in
surgents. The result of such war would
be, of course, to drive Spain out of Cuba
and the annexation of the island to this
country. How much it would add to our
debt was not taken into the account and
what this country could do with people in
capable of self-gOvernment, with large
number of negroes not long since brought
from Africa, without education or the most
distant comprehension of the sobriety and
intelligence and order required in repub-
lican form of government, was not much con-
sidered. But the flibustering project has
been checked if not squelched, by the action
of the House, and we trust the Cuban Juntas
will now be quiet for while at least