The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-01-09

NEW 70
Oar Di1acaIfles with spaIn-lseucrai Grants
UIsinassm-The War Questioa-Our Ma
sional Defences.
Our difficulties with Spain are beginning to
be smoky and smell Of gunpowder. We have
already given the positive information to our
readers, directly from the President, that he
has sent to Madrid demand for an apology
for the outrage upon the ship Florida-.hat
he does not think that outrage an intentional
insult on the part of Spain, but deems it rather
the result of the rashness Of her subordinate
officers, and that the monitors now being fitted
out at Philadelphia and elsewhere are not in
tended to proceed TO Spain unless that gov
eminent refuses to apologize and pay remu-
neration for tho outrage on the Florida
From all this we conclude that the President
is apprehensive Of war, that he Is making his
| preparations accordingly, and that, If COM
PEELED to fght, he intends to ''carry the war
into Africa"
There are strong considerations operating
on both sides In favor Of war. On our side
the Spanish occupation of Cuba has become
constant source ofprovoklng annOyances and
troublesome complications, and an offensive
obstruction to the proper development Of our
Gulf trade and our manifest destiny"
We know that the island In question
must ultimately be ours. We have Of
fered Spain heretofore a hundred millions
for 1t, and we would, perhaps, regard
Its acquisition now as bargain at the COST of
| q hundred millions. But Spain, though as
poor Is as proud as Don Caesar de Bazan, and
to all our soft approaches has promptly replied,
with indignation, that instead Of selling Cuba
on any terms she will fight to hold 1t, If neces-
sary, until she has sacrificed her last man and
her ''bottom dollar" Divided, too, as are the
various political factions in Spain upon other
questions, they are a unit upon this. No
doubt, if King Amadeus were to enter into
negotiations for the sale of Cuba, he would be
speedily overwhelmed and cast out by a
patriotic uprising of all the factions against
this intolerable degradation. On the other
hand, he would as surely rally the whole
people Of Spain to bis support in war with
the United States for the retention Of the
island. Such is the general tone at this time
of the Spanish press Of all parties and 1t ex-
presses the universal sentiment of the nation.
Assuming, then, that the present Spanish
government IL satisfied that henceforward
Cuba, as a Spanish possession, will rather
continue to drain than replenish the treasury
at Madrid, may 1t not be wise stroke of
policy on the part Of that government to
provoke a war with the United States, in
order at least to retire from the island with
dignity and glory, and In order meantime to
rally all parties and factions In the Peninsula
around the government in support of the
| common cause In Cuba
1t is stated, in this view of the subject, that
a war with the United States would be the
making of King Amadeus, whatever the issue,
and that ON our part war with Spain would
give us the island Of Cuba at less cost than
hundred millions of money. Let the war
be declared, and within sixty days there
will be fifty thousand American volunteers
on the island, and Spain will be expelled by
them, never to return. This would settle the
Cuban question; but meanwhile. outside of
the island, on the high seas and along our
own coasts, to our trading vessels and to our
clads might do US q considerable amount of
mischief. Hence, while the President is doing
all he can do, with the means at his command,
to meet Spain in war upon the sea, if called to
this alternative, 1t becomes the duty of Con-
gress to give our brave sailors, the best in the
world, the ships and the guns needed to put
them on something like equal terms with the
enemy, with all bis ''modern improvements.
| The HERALD has recently called attention to
the remarkable insuficlency Of our naval
establishment Where misconception Of an
important matter Is 30 universal and 80 peril
Gus it becomes the duty Of the press to correct
the error, though In 90 doing truths may be
told neither catering to the national vanity
nor creditabls to the craftsmanship of those
entrusted with the responsibility Of providing
for the national welfare. For years the Amer
lean people have been permitted the delusion
that they possessed powerful navy-second
only, perhaps, to those Of England and
France. Intent upon selfish ends and imbued
with the prevailing spirit Of demagoguism,
our public men have avoided dealing honestly
with this question, preferring rather to tickle
the spread-eagle conceit Of their constituents
by making no allusion to dsagreeable sub
iect or by deliberately stating what they
knew was incorrect. 1t is time that our
citizens should be enlightened, that they may
fix the blame where 1t belongs and hasten to
insist upon the PREPARATION of dangerous
mistake.