The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-11-15
Cuba and The Administration.


ton with the Virginius, might have some in
fuence to bring his administration into dis
repIte with the party that elected him, were
it not for the tact that the frequency of these
Journalistic assaults and Their baseless and ma
lignant have led the people to Put no
more reliance upon them than III the rawlings
of deluded monomaniacs. The frenzy into
which some of these journalists lash them
selves is simply ludicrous while their
assumptions as to what the Presi-
dent might have done before and
since the capture of the Virginius
show how profoundly ignorant they must be
of geography aud the speed of steam ships.
For instance, they denounce the President
in the choicest of Democratic epithets for his
indifference in not having ships in the South
Atlantic, as if it were possible to watch the
movement of every Spanish gunboat. They
also upbraid the Administration for not pre-
venting the sla glter OF the passengers of
the Virginus when the first news re eved
from that locality was that the cold blooded
massacre had already taken place. II the
Secretary of State had not Immediately put
hi,nsefin correspondence with the Spanish
government, there NIGH be some cause for
this complaint but the fact that he did
and President CASTELAR, promised that
no further executions should take
place, indicate that he did all that it was pos
sibe to do under the circums ances. II Pres
ident CASTELAR, has no power over the officers
acting under him, by what means could our
Government prevent the further murder of
the Vir ;inius' crew? Was it possible to get
ships AMI men to that point in twenty-four
hours, or to prevent the slaughter of men al
ready dead?
1t is also urged that the Government should
have long ago recognized the Cuban insar-
gents as belligerents. If this was SO impor-
tant matter, why did not the last Democrat
ic National Convention declare in favor
of such recognition and why did not that
party in Congress, which embraced more
than ninety members, commit itself to that
policy? Had the administration recognized
the Cuban patriots as begerents, it would
have been denounced in unmeasured terms,
for ar attempt to cripple the struggling Spar
ish Republic for the purpose of Selling and
appropriating Cuba.
There is abundant cause why our govern
ment should be inclined to deal leniently
with the Madrid Government, and particular
ly with CASTELAR,, who as wise and thorough
Republican is doing his utmost to bring order
out Of the present claos. But now thai he
has shown that he has no practical control
N,,bo ~
pathy with the Cari>ts, aud evidently int ant
on bringing his administration into contempt
it is the duty ofour governmental take meas
ures to bring these butchers to condign pun
ishment, not only as duty it owes to our
own people. but as an act Of good will to the
Madrid Government.
Precisely what policy our government
will ADOPT, cannot be predicted. As the Vir-
ginius was seized in British waters, England
is outraged in common with the United
States. There is a precedent tor the treat
ment ofthe Cuban outlaws. Years ago, when
the piratical government of the Algerian
States made war rpou the commerce of the
world they were declared outlaws by common
consent and with a general understanding
France, England and the United States sub
dued them and deprived them ofindependence.
This fresh outburst of brutality on the part
of the Spanish volunteers. and their long dis
regard of International Law, puts them out
side the pale of civilized nations, and
brands them as outlaws; and there is not on
ly good cause, but precedent tor the United
States and Great Britain to unite to rid Cuba
of the rufians that now fill it with scenes of
violence, tree the slaves, and then hand the
island over to the present enlightened Span
ish Government, or TO the control of its own
citizens-the Cuban patriots-if that course
shall seem safe.
The denunciation and abuse of tine Demo-
cratic press is as un allied for now as it was
unwise in the spring of 1872, when the same
journals attempted to infame the public
mind against Great Britain. pending the ad-
justment Of the most delicate questions rela-
tive to the Geneva Court of Arbitration.
Had the country then followed the advice of
the Democratic press, the results of the trea-
ty of Washington would not only have been
lost but We should have been plunged into a
war with CIR at Britain.
The sensitiveness of the Bourbon organs
respecting Insult to our national honor, comes
with bad grace when we remember that in
1861 they sustained the imbecile ,oicy of
James Buchanan in allowing his Cabinet
Ministers and the Democrat party of the
South to seize national ships, forts and Gus
tom houses without offering resistance.
Tn ,lt, Lost Al.
Union one of the best local papers in the
State, boldly declared that the Democrat
&c party was dead, that it was entirely use
less to fight under a banner that had been an
emblem of defeat for dozen years. and made
its words good by fatty refusing to put the
party nominee for Governor at its head. 1t
d.cla:ed for new line of operations, new
banner with some fresher device than the
resolutions OF '9S. What must have been the
surprise Of the readers of that sprghtly pa
per, when they discovered the cannon and
the flag and stunning head lines announcing
Democratic victories. The Union foroets its
logic of August and September and again as
sumes its old place fully believing that the
principles Of the Democratic party ''are
dudpItu ~ all tlUeS anu circumstances. -
Alas for the mutablty of mutable things.
---------------------
THOSE OF our exchanges best qualified to
give an opinion on the subject, do not hest
tate to state that the countr..- has experience
ed the worst of The panic and business revul-
sion, and that the recovery promises to be so
rapid, that by the first of December, unless
some unexpected catastrophe occurs, trade
VIII be fairly active, and the money market
unusually easy for The season of the year.
The suspension of manufacturing will not be
nearly so general Or extensive as was predict
ed three weeks since. There will be quite
general reduction of wages and hours of la
oor' oul the difference between the pay CT tt e
last year and that under the present exigen-
cy VIII be partially neutralzed by the greater
purchasing power of money, consequent up
on the general shrinkage in values that is in
evitably to follow.