Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-19
THE NATIONAL HONOR.

nave Deen rescued from the Opanlsh |
buccaneers. War has been ayerted,
because our present administration
were Predetermined on peace at any
price. The one solitary point on which
Republican leaders in Congress have
ventured to compliment their own adj
ministration, is this escape from war
with asweak and effete thirdratepower.
We do not gludge Grant and his man
Fish all the glory they may reap, be-
cause this affair is not yet settled by
any means. Criticism hasTbeen sus-
pended, not suppressed. After
the Christmas crackers are fired
and the smoke of the salute
provided for by the protocol, blows
away; the country will have the whole
case before it. Thus far the public
have been baffled by the mystery and
uncertainty enshrouding every step of
the proceedings; and the more salient
issues of salary grab, financial panic
and government bankruptcy have
thrown the Spanish trouble into the
back ground. But time is coming
fast when this whole disgrace will be
exposed, and will be added to the long
list of grievances whichsthe people are
accommodating against the Republican
party and its voluptuary King G..
The Fish, Polo protocol is a bundle of
ifs. The Virginius has been surren-
dered only on condition that the United
States "adopt legal proceedings against
the vessel if it be found that she has
violated any law Of the United Staets. "
The survivors of Spanish slaughter
are likewise surrendered, with the con-
dition that we shall prosecute ''any of
the persons who may appear to have
been guilty of illegal acts" If these
provisions be carried out honestly by
the Administration, we have merely re-
heved Spain of the task of further pun
ishment, since most accounts agree
that such was the character of the Vir
ginius and her mission. Even the
empty honor of Christmas salute is
left conditional, and may be "spon-
tancously dispensed with These are
small affairs. The protocol is most
significant in its omissions-its silence
about any apology even, for the slaugh-
ter at Santiago, or indemnity for the
families of the victims. Grant and
Fish assert our right to a filthy old
hulk, with various ifs, but
there is no attempt to vim
dictate orr slaughtered citi-
zens-no protest against their be-
inc hurried to trial for their lives,
without rights Of counsel, and without
notice to their Government. The Only
passage which could, by any stretch Of
inauguration, be supposed to cover
this most important point is the phrase
"other reciprocal rcclamatlOns which
are left for future arbitration. In brief,
the protocol treats Fry andhi comrades
as pirates. outlaws, unworthy of men
tion-iust as the bloodthirsty Thugs of
Cuba viewed them. Shall this stand?
Spain's trouble with Germany about
the captures in the Sooloo archipelago
shows to what a pitiblc plight the
American citizen venturing abroad has
been reduced. The Virginius was cap
tured on the high seas. One of the
German vessels was captured at anchor
off the coast Of Sooloo-in the very act
Of discharging a cargo Of arms, cec., to
insurgents. Fifty-three Of those on
board the Virginlus were shot.
Not a hair Of Il man on board
the German vessel was hurt.
Such is the practical difference
between German citizenship and Amer
lean citizenship to-day. The Republi-
can party are welcome to all the credit
they can coin of it. These German
blockade runners were merely impris-
oned. but their Government has none
the less taken up their grievance. Time
was when the United States, young and
feeble, challenged the strongest naval
power in the world to mortal combat,
rather than permit one American citi-
zen to be taken from on board a vessel
flying our flag. That was sixty years
ago. That was an era when, following
Washington's advice, we kept ourhands
clean of dirty communistic republics
That was the era in which we studlous-
ly ignored the bloody thing called the
first French Republic. Now, under
Radical regime, we have sacrificed ou
national honor and rights on the high
seas, in an effort to support CASTELAR,
abortion at Madrid. This is the secret
of our humiliation.