The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-11-26
CUB 4.
What Gen. Banks Knows About 1t

Boston, Nov. 25.-"Cuba, its past, present
and future, was the subject of a speech by
Gen. Banks before the BO ton Lvceum in Mu-
sic Hall tonight. He said that the close of
the first century of the Republican government
in this country had witnessed many changes,
given rise to important questions before con-
sdered by the fathers of the Republic
One of the questions was the permauence of
European governments on this continent. Rus
STA had coded her possessions; Denmark and
Sweden had offered their islands to the United
Setes; the British possessions were practically
independent and the French islands in the Gulf
of Mexico were substantially so Spain only
adhered to her views of a hundred years ago.
He had the most friendly feeling toward
Spain, yet the question now presented called
for impartial consideration. The United States
TO this hour had never committed an act toward
Spain that was not for her protection She
owed the present possession of the gulf islands
to the support of the United States, and she
had nothing to complain Of The United States
had even .interdicted a combination of the Cen
teral American republics 10 drive Spain from
the Western hemisphere, a line of policy advis-
ed by Washington and thus far strictly adhered
to. AS predicted by the first Presidents. the
time had come for the United States to assert
her power and the occasion was at hand in the
seizure of the Virginius and the massacre of
her company. Other ATROCITIES would fol-
Jnary notice. An American shin. with
American papers an American flag and bill
of sale from the American government, had
committed no offence yet she was captured as
pirate because Spanish officers saw fit to
style her so, and serve her crew accordingly.
The reparation made should be such as to
put a stop to such atrocities forever. Yet
Gen. Banks disclaimed any intention to urge
the government to war till every other measure
had failed. Twenty-Five or thirty thousand
dollars indemnity by Spain would be no pre-
tentative against repetitions, however. She
must be made to feel her position keenly.
He had long felt the need of a navy capable
whatever it might be, but in time of peace
every effort to build it up or even to sustain it,
was denounced as lob" and no measure of
the kind could be carried through as it ought to
be.
A million white people, to say nothing of
100000 free blacks aud $4,000 slaves, were sub
jected toa tyranny hardly known under any
other rule for ACKNOWLEDGMENT for 100000 resi-
dent Spaniards in Cuba. The Cubans in 1868
formed a government and since that time had
held their own against tyranny with loss to
the latter of 100000 men and the constant en-
ployment of ffty-two men-Of-war with four
hundred guns now augmented to eighty two
ships and nearly five hundred guns. In spite
of the amount paid by Great Britain to Spain
to induce her to abolish the slave trade, it had
since been carried on to sustain plantation
forces. Slavery would eud with the indepen-
dence of CUBA. Our relations with the people
of Cuba. with their record of 300 battles in five
years, should not be changed by any amount of
reparatiOn.
Every European nation recognized the bellig-
ency OF the South in rebellion and the only COM
plant made by us was against untruthful Eng
land. Among the quickest 10 this recognition
was Spain, within sixty-fve days after the first
gun at Fort Sumter.
The speaker quoted from Webster and other
statesmen and writers in support of his view
and wondered how the United States could
look calmly on a contest so near her shores and
not even express her sympathy which exists
nevertheless in the desire to see Cuba indie
pendent so that traffic in her surrounding wat
ers can be carried on in peace.
Gen. Banks reiterated that the United States
did not want Cuba. Her independence from a
tyrannical oppress0r was her light, and to that
end her recognition shhould be determined up
on at once by the authorities at Washington.
Great Britain stood aloof only through her
antic patton Of American objections to her in
terfereEce in western waters, but let those OBJ
jections be withdrawn and Great Britain would
not remain twenty-four hours quiescent with
Cuba.
Once independent Cuba could soon have 49,
100000 inhabitants instead of meagre million
and half, and her commerce of Sill, 00O, 900 a
year would swell to a thousand millions
The Generals views were well received and
many of his points were warmly applauded,