The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-04-29
srrRTw OF THN PRusa.
EDITORIAL Opinions ofthc Leading Journals
upon Current opics Compiled Every
DAY for the Evening Telegraph.

STRANGE STATE OF THINGS IN CUBA
OVERTHROW OF ALL SPANISH Az
THORITY.
Fon1 the NJ Y Sun.
Cuba, although positively lost to Spain on
the day when General Dulce WAS driven out
of Havana bv the volunteers has been since
then apparently under the partial control of
the mother country. That is, for fear the
Spanish iron -cads might shell Havana if their
insubordinatlon exceeded certain limit, the
volunteers have allowed the successor of the
officer thus deposed to rule over parts of the
island not under patriot sway, provided such
rule did not conflict with theirs.
This farce has lasted some eleven months,
and at last the mask has fallen. The rule of
Spain, the wishes of Spain, and the represen-
tatives of Spain are no longer acceptable to
the volunteers, and the orders from General
De Rodas, and from the Madrid Government,
are openly disregarded by them. At the same
time General Yalmaseda goes home-the
fourteenth superseded General who has failed
utterly in suppressing the revolution-and
his successor is on his,way from Spain.
The forts which command Havana are held
and have been held since the arrival of De
Rodas on the island by the volunteers. He
has before now endeavored by stratagem to
withdraw from the Cabanas, the Morro and
from mo. a." the volunteer garrisons he
found in them, replacing them by regulars.
He has always failed. Now he orders the
volunteers to vacate them, and they openly
refuse to obey The Havana volunteers have
their compeers in all the ports and principal
cities of the island; so that if Spanish rule
the will of the Madrid government-is re-
spected anywhere in Cuba, it can be only in
such places as are not occupied either by the
patriots or the volunteers; and these points
and districts are too insignificant to mention.
The navy, on whose unquestioned loyalty
Spain has firmly relied, appears by late
advces to be as little inclined to obey her
mandates as are the rebellious volunteers.
The Lloyd Aspinwall was seized by Spanish
man-of-war in defiance of all treaty obliga-
tions, and even of all recognized interna-
tional law. On the representation of the
American Minister at Madrid, orders were
sent to Havana that she be at once delivered
to our Consul there; but the Spanish Admiral
Malcampo fatty refuses to surrender her.
He goes even further, and offers to head the
volunteers in preventing her delivery. Thus,
besides the unquestionable disloyalty of the
volunteers, it appears that the loyalty of the
navy is more than doubtful.
Now this country has treaty of alliance
with Spain, which, if it has not been rem
dered rather elastic by our Secretary of State
for Spain's benefit, and the temporary dis
comfture of the Cuban patriots, has at least
been religiously fulfilled by our Executive to
its very letter But we have no treaty with
Spains openly confessed enemies, the slave
trading volunteer organizations of Havana,
Matanzas, and Santiago. By what line of
reasoning, then, can it be argued that we
should actively thwart the Cubans who are
fighting against Spain for the same principles
for which we expended millions of dollars
and thousands of lives, and at the same time
actively assist the volunteers, as we are doing,
who are fighting against Spain for slavery,
the renewal of the slave trade, and the estab-
liShment of monarchy at our very doors
In August last a note was presented to the
authorities at Madrid by our Minister, whose
object was the independence of Cuba, under
the Republican Government of Cespedes.
The sixth and last clause of that note stated
that eff the terms of this note were not de-
tinitely approved by the Spanish Govern
ment, the United States would recognize the
independence of Cuba" The terms proposed
by this note were not accepted, but neither
the belligerency nor the independence OF
Cuba has yet been recognized. WHY not?
Because Mr.. Roberts, the Spanish Minister
at Washington, knowing that Mr.. Fish was
Dragging, in reply Dragged little better,
and Mr.. Fish laid down his hand
In plain English, Mr.. Roberts convinced
MIR. FISH OF the aollltY OF Spain to suppress
the revolution in the past winter campaign
but now not only has the campaign against
the Cubans utterly failed, but Spain is obliged
to confess her inability to rule the men by
whom she declared she could terminate the
rebellion.
Under these circumstances, is it reasonable
to expect that Mr.. Fish and General Gran
will adopt the course which they threatened
to adopt eight months ago? Will they nov
recognize the independence of the Cuban re
public? Alas, we fear not