New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-02-13
General BANKS, Cuban Resolutions.


From, +ha very ber;nning Of the re bellion
il Euba. General Banks has been the steady
and consistent friend OF the struggling
uatriOts Through good and evil report he
has manfully stood by their cause IN Con
gress and never let an opportunity pass OF
aiding them in every way tnat he could.
The resolutions which he introduced on
Mondav, and which are now pending ia the
committee over which he so ably presldes,
form new phase in the history of our
Cuban policy. They propose 20 accomplish
bv iniirectiun what has been 50 often at
reunited by a less o-rCUlt0us route. Hlth-
erto the effect has been, for the most part,
to secure the acknowledgment OF Cuban
belligerency by the United States, and to
that end various resolutions nave, time
and again been introduced. But grave
questions of International law and publ;
policy interfered and prevented the accom-
nIishment of that which We know every de
Dartment OF our government would only be
too glad to accomplish II 1t could do SO
lawfully.
The United States could not have recoS
uized the belligcrency OF Cuba without
making itself internationally cuipab!e in
the opinion of the entire world. We were
asked to recognize a government which had
not q local habitatiOR and scarcely d name
We were told that il was some where in the
Cuban canebrakes, but exactly where no
one could tell. IL had no port, and has not
one to-day. The best informed OF Its friends
could not define where Its jurisdiction be-
yan and where il eDGed. All The evidence
IN the possession OF our government went
10 show that there were more suffering
Cuhan patriots in New York and Kew
West than in the lever faithful isle" This
was in brief the condition of affairs two
wears ago. and is the best and fullest justi-
fication of the seemingly apathetlc action OF
our government.
The situation OF affairs upon the island
has. however, materially changed since
that time, The instruction. SO lar from
| being suppressed. is to-day stronger and
more formidable than ever. Through the
euternrise of one of our own journals we
have ascertained that the insurgents have
an army Of over five thousand men iii the
| eastern department. an army If five thou
| sand men in Central Cuba, while the guer-
| lila force numbers upward OF TWO thousand
men. Spain has lost over sixty thousand
I men in the attempt TO conquer the rebellion.
while the Bank OF Havana has been brought
! to the verge of bankruptcy. CUBA has
| made as gallant fight Tor her iGdepen-
| dence az has ever been made IN all history.
! Her citizens have been compelled 20 suffer
| the most inhuman and cruel torture. The
| loss of Their property ha. been the least OF
| their suferings and sacrlhceso
| In view OF Az EleSt Mt
Banks resolutions are most OppOrtune. and
it is to be hoped that they vii! receive
careful consideration and favorable action
| from Congress. In ono point OF visw they
are objectionable, rnasmuch as they direct
deviation from our traditional policy. that
we should have no entangling alliances
with European powers. Mr.. Bank. does
| not, to be sure, mean exactly an alliance.
but his resolutions. if adopted, would be a
step in that direction. The omission of the
European powers would, however, not ma
terially impair their force and efficacy, and
on the whole we think it would be wise to
omit them. and contine whatever action
may be ordered exclusively to American
powers. That would be more in accord
4nce with our policy. and would answer all
the purposes which Mr.. Banks hopes to &C
compllsh. The feeling in favor of Cuba is
steadily gaining groun! in the United
States, and the days OF a merely passive
policy on our part may be said to be num-
bered. We can not any longer resist the
logic of events.