National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-11-28
Must Ne Hare Var {?

calamity means TO invite its SWlll
renewal, unless absolutely required
to do so by unavoidable obligations
Of duty. At such an hour the man
or the journal is public enemy who
adds needless irritation to the
popular mind, or does anything to
tie the hands Of the Government
against working out peaceful so>
luton Of the difficulty consistent
with the maintenance ofthe nation.
al tights and honor. We trust the
people Of New England, and also of
the great West, will so far preserve
the stcadncss ofthcir judgement in
this crisis as not to allow their con
illusions to be controlled by those
who have been using our territory
and our flag for carrying on foreign
enterprises in defiance of our inter,
national obligations. From the tone
of The recent meeting in New York,
and of many of the journals there,
ii IN manifest .hat little is to be OK
pectcd of that community in behalf
OF a calm and equitable decision of
the questions at stake.
One of the speakers at the Now
York mceting--an eminent .juriSt--
does not hesitate to assume that
one hundred and one passengers on
the Nirginius were shot, although
adviceS up to the time he spoke war
ranted no such statement. Another.
n member elect of Congress, who
Will have to act upon this matter
officially, and who, therefore, ought
TO keep his mind as uncommittcd as
If he were iurvman in n coming
case-spokc OF Spain as " the butch
er OF the hemisphere as evidenced
by the emblem on her flag, and he
wanted to know whether "any grace
was TO be shown to Spain because
she was pushing for republicnnism.
or any to CASTELAR,, who welded the
power over the bloOdhounds at Gu
baN The objection to language
like this is that it operated on those
who heard it like All instigation to
immediate war, depressing all con
slderatc examination Of the question
The fact that Spain is trying to
form a Republic and that she has
in Castelar, fairNminded ruler may
not affect the conclusions of our
Government, but such things are to
be taken into account when the
question OF immediate war as the
remedy FOR our complaints is he
question to be decided. Since our
own war how much has tranSpired
in the South for which the Federal
Government could be held to strict
accountability by foreign govsrn>
mcnts if they ha1 been animated by
the spirit of this New York meet
ing Indeed, we have had to sub,
NIT to an award of two million dol
lors in damage on account of such
transgressions.
In fact, the people of the United
States are to take all the elements
and items Of this Cuban question in,
to the most serious consideration
MIR, Evarts objects calling the pass
engers of the Virginius maraudors,
Many of them were exactly that.
Even as such, to be sure they had
their rights-thcy were not to be
shot down in cold blood; but the
American people will never feel that
their case is in all respects the same
as If one of our national vessels, or
a merchantmen, passing along the
coast Of Cuba, should have been
Ovcrpowered and its crew treated
like those of the Virginius. The
legal issues would have been differ,
ent, and the moral immensely so.
These points, we say, are to be
considered when the facts are all in.
But the hurricane of war feeling,
sweeping over the whole country,
will carry away all sound judgement
and the first thing We Shall know
is that we are p'mged into another
war, tho present monetary crisis is
dcepened hundred fold, and Cuba
perhaps. with or without great
bloodshed, is on our hands, neither
lit for a territory or State, nor ca
pable of being held as governed
province, as Alsace and Lorraine
are now held by Germany. With
intrepidity and Just determination
to secure national rights, let us have
wisdom, GOODNESS and PATIENCE
Boston Journal.