The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-02-18

60 Cuba
When the history Of this latest Spanish
revolution comes 10 be written tho impartial
historian will proudly admit that among the
words of cheer which came from foreign nations
the first. the warmest and the most encouraging
came from the great Republic of the Western
World The American people. whose sent'-
ments have been so we'll expressed by the
government and the press. have honestly and
earnestly reioiced at the success which has
attended this fresh republican effort In SPAN.
It was our duty to rejoice and give expression
to thoughts fitted to inspire with courage the
young Republic, and Sef1or Fgueras did no
more than justice to the United States
when, in reply to our Minister. he said -
eff the United States il indebted TO
Spain tor the discoverer Of the Ameri-
can Continent Spain is indebted TO tho
United States for the founder of the new social
order. Spain will remember the worthy
example set her by tho United States" The
good feeling is mutual. and the good feeling
has been we'll and tastefully put We are
sorry, however. to be compelled 70 say that we
are not satisfied with the Spanish Republic so
far as the purpose and intentions of the men
now in power are known to us. It was our
hope and belief that the Republic would honor
itself by promptly doing justice to the long
struggling and patiently enduring Cubans. In
this, it seems, we are doomed to bitter and
painful disappointment. ''Respect for
right" the new Minister of Finance tells us.
is to be ''the motto Of the Republic" Yet
Sehor CASTELAR,, the gushing orator. the high
priest of Spanish republicanism, and now
Minister Of Foreign affairs, in acknowledging
the receipt Of the congratulations of the
South Americans in Paris, ays:-''They must
withdraw their support from the Cuban
separatists, now that the Antilles are under
republican form of government" The
article in the New YORK HERALD calling on the
new Republic to do justice to Cuba has been
tclegraphed to Madrid and has created there
considerable sensation. Se1or CASTELAR,
causes the announcement to be made in reply
that, Notwithstanding the very important
matters pressing upon the government, their
attention has already been given to the sub
ject of maintaining the authority of Spain in
luton that has given liberty to Spain is to
bring no change in the bloody struggle now
being waged in Cuba. This will never do. It
is not what we expected. It is not what q Re-
public means. If liberty is good for Spain and
the Spaniards liberty ought not to be bad for
Cuba and the Cubans. Such policy as that
which CASTELAR, announces is an insult to the
name of liberty. How differently did France
act in the first moments of her glorious en-
thusiasm in the days of the first revolution2
By one bold stroke the shackles were struck
from the slave, and Liberty, Equality and
Fraternity" which became the motto of the
Republic. secured for the slave in St.
Domingo all that it gave t9 The free
man in France. We had hoped that the
Spanish republicans had learned something
from the lessons of the past. No nation of
Europe has made so many attempts in the
direction Of liberty no nation has so uni
formly and so ignominiously failed. Looking at
Spain from our republican standpoint it has
not been unnatural for us to conclude that her
revolutionary failures have been due to the
influence Of monarchical reactionists This
delusion, it seems, must at last be abandoned
Unless some sudden change takes place we
shall have no choice but say that the misfor-
tunes Of Spain are due not to the corrupt
notions Of any one political party but to GER
tain radical defects in the Spanish character.
Must we come at last to the conclusion that
the vitality Of the Spanish race is exhausted?
To such conclusion we shall come most I'M
willingly. But it does seem as if we should be
compelled to say, ''Spain is welded to her
idols; let her alone" 1t was long the scandal
of Great Britain that while liberty was loved
and secured at home, liberty was persistently
refused to all her colonies. It was this radical
vice in the British government, this despotism
in her colonies, which led to our War of
Independence, that resulted in the estab-
lishment of the United States Of America.
1t has been because of the same vice that
Spain has lost one by one her numerous
American dependencies Great Britain has
grown wise; and a better and nobler policy
permits her colonies to prosper and to enjoy
the sweets of liberty, while they are not
unwilling to maintain their allegiance to the
parent government This freshly announced
policy of the Spanish authorities shows that
Spain, after all her bitter experiences, has
learned nothing in the matter Of colonial gov
eminent This determination to adhere to an
ancient and barbarous policy is all the more
wonderful that the present government of
Spain is based on the principle that every man
has right to say how and by whom he shall
be governed Goyegppent Of the people, by
the people and for the people-sIch is the
principle of the present government in Spain;
and yet this so-called republican government
has the impudence TO tell the Cubans, who
for four years have been fighting for their lib
erty and their independence. that thew have