New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-11-14
RECOGNITION OF FREE CUBA.
President Grant has said:

| The principle is maintained that this na-
ton is its own Judge when to accord tie
| right OF belligeTency, either to people
| struggling TO free themselves from gov
| ernnlent which they believe to be oppres-
| eive, or to independent Nations at war with
| each other.
We wish no better definition Of tie law
Of nations as illustrated by our own and
other national examples than the above
| extract from one of the annual messages
of the President
every nation is its own Judge when to
accord tho rights Of belligerency." Pre-
cisely. 1t need assign no reason to Others;
it is governed by its own policy. Spain
has butchered human beings without
trial. She will continue to do 50. If the
revolutionists capture the volunteers they
will retaliate in precisely the same man
ner. The recognition Of these revolu-
tlonists will entitle them to the rights of
civilized warfare-to courtmartial or to
parole and exchange. Mr. Fish is afraid
this may cost US some of the money
obtained from England. Could it be better
spent than in the cause of humanity
But there is no reason Why we should be
more subject to money damages than we
were for recognizing the independence of
slaveholding Texas within sixty days of
her first invasion by Mexico The quota
tons cited from public law are all in the
interest of Spain. The apologies sug-
Gested for her are based Oh her own in
ability to enforce her own laws Shall
we enforce them for her? The talk of tie
Cabinet and its press has been Spanish
talk. 1t is not American talk. The whole
people OF the United States are indignant
at this outrage. The leading press Of the
leading cities demand the protection of
the American citizen. The whole race ofthe
entranchisedare represented in the demand
of the six hundred thousand colored be-
tluoners that free Cuba shall be rocoe-
nized. There is no distinction of race,
class or color in the mass Of citizens
who demand action and repeat the true
words Of the President that every nation
is its own Judge when to accord the rights
of belligerency, and that that time has
now come.
We well know the courtee.cs inter
changed among diplomats. They repre-.
sent a profession whose acts are regulated
by etiquette, and whose even tenor
of tape and protocol is never disturbed |
by touch Of human sympathy.
But the people Of this republic are
not pawns Or rocks, to be moved |
by the professional players who assume to
act N their name. Such diplomats once |
left six thousand American eeamen aboard |
British ships until the people of the
United States demanded their release at
Lundys Lane and New Orleans. We fear
our diplomats are departing from those
'andid counsels which Washington ard |
franklin lnculcated. and are adopting the
nsincere and dilatory doctrines of the
european diplomats. The American
people demand that this disgraceful viola
ion of the laws of war and of humanity
hall be stopped. They have just given
'aptain Jack, the Modoc, fair trial for
lis treacherous murder of American Off
ers, and they demand that at least the
anne consideration shall be accorded to
heir own fellow-citizens when captured
y the Spanish Modocs Of Cuba.