National Republican., 1873-01-13
cuBA AND THE UNITED STATES.


CUBA AND THR UNITED STATES.
The Philadelphia North American, In u re-
cent article on the Cuban prospect" says
"Thc obstinacy with which the home Gov
ernment clings to the island Is, however,
truly spanish. and II would be unwise In US
to interfere at present. As the war has lasted
four years without In any measure weaken
ing the determination OF Spain not to sur
render the island, II is manifest that our
policy must be judlclous letting alone"
Pray whyi The logic Of our contemporary is
perfectly incomprehensible to us upon any
other theory than that Of fear OF what Spain
might say or do to us In case we did interfere
to stay the terrible waste and ruin and slaugh-
ter Of which the island has been unfortunately
the scene during the last four years. We are
reluctant to believe that our contemporary IL
animated by any such cowardly feeling,
and yet we cannot deduce any other In
ference from lts position. Because Spain Is
determined, or seems determined, to cling to
Cuba as long as possible, and hold her for
the mere purpose Of plunder, is II manifest, "
will the North American seriously contend,
that the United States Should stand quietly
BY and see the unfortunate country entirely
destroyed That was the course Of reason
Ing pursued by England during our late war
The South seemed determined to break up
the Union, and the English Ministry, pursu-
ing that theory, allowed our commerce to he
swept from the seas by the Alabama and
other pirates. The question OF the wrong
and the right Of the contest never entered
into their calculation, as II does not now
| al into the Wa1 1nVl lag ~
as regards Cuba, when II declares that be-
cause Spain seems determined not to give up
the struggle We must not, or should not, In
terferc.
There Is no reason on earth why the United
States should be either afraid Of spain or In
the slightest way assist her to maintain her
despotic rule In Cuba. Spain, Of almost all
the European powers, has been singularly
hostile to us from the very foundation Of our
Government. We arc not under single ma
tional obligation to her; on the contrary. we
have just reason to complain Of her AFRO
gance, unfriendlincss and dominecring spirit
from the very beginning. The recent dis
patch Of Mr.. Fish to Gen. sicklcs shows how
unfaithiul Spain has been to every promise
made by her to our Government during the
last four years. She promised to abolish
slavery, but slavery Is to-day In the Island Of
Cuba in as full vigor as 1t ever was. Blood
hounds are used to hunt the unhappy
| fugitiyes, and the most inhuman torturcs
are inflicted upon the unhappy cap
tivcs. Again, the Spanish authorities
promised to redress the grievances Of Amerl-
can citizens In the island, and have forgotten
the promise as soon as made. These subjects
have heen time and again the topics of cor
respOndcnce between the two countries, the
end Of all Of which has been utter lndlfIer-
encc on the part of the Spanish Government.
II may be that we are to endure this to the
end Of the chapter, but We doubt 1t. There
Is limit beyond which the national patience
cannot go; and point must some day be
reached when performances will be exacted
and promises be unavailing.
The United States has peculiar interest
In Cuba, and must In the nature Of things as
long as Cuba remains the fertile country that
she is. We are dependent upon her for
many things which are no longer the luxu-
ries Of life. Our imports from Cuba exceed
In amount those from any other country In
the world except England. Great Britain
buys from us annually productS'to the value
OF one hundred and twenty-one millions.
Cuba Is a purchaser In our markets TO the
extent of thlrty-four millions, three millions
larger than France expends here, which is
only thirty-one millions OF dollars. To Bra
I'll We send seventeen millions, to Bremen
fourteen, and to Spain only two millions. From
New York city alone the domestic exports arc
nearly seven millions Of dollars annually, and
foreign commodities (gold value) about seven
millions OF dollars. We cannot, II we would,
be indifferent to the fate Of 4 country with
whose people we have so large trade. Mr..
Fish says, in his dispatch to General Slckles:
"Thc insurrcction has now lasted four years. |
Attempts to suppress it-so far futile-havs |
been made, at a cost, probably, of more than
a hundred thousand lives and an lncalculablc |
amount of property" II the North Ameri-
can proposes that this destruction shall 20 on,
without any Interference on our part for four
years to come, merely because Spain Is de-
termincd that II shall so on, we think 1t will
nnd Itself without much Of party behind Ii.