, 1873-12-23
Evidence Showing that She Had No
Right to Garry tho Amer
ioan Flag.
Registration Papers Obtained by False
Swearing Of a Non-0Wncr.
The Right Of Spain to Seize Her on the
High Seas Still Denied.
Account of the Surrender Of the Prison
ers at Santiago do Cuba.

|
| Special Disnatca to The Chicago Tribune.
WAsn1NaroN, Dec. 22.-Tho now inspect given
| to tho Virgniua airair by tho decision of tho
Attorney General forms topic Of convorsation
| which is quite god-send IN tho du11uesa Of Tho
holiday reccss. Tho few public mon who romnin
! hero aro ovorrun with eager quostioncrs. and
hnvo fair opportunity to make them
selves famous bocauHo Of tho weight
giyon to thor viowa In the absence Of moro I'M
| portant individuals. There Is olass hero
which, has boon yoluble in dcnouncing Secretary
Fish bccauao l,o insisted Oh having tho Virginius
mud tho survivors Of her crew turned ovor to tho
Unitod statea Government, whom llo knew, as
they charge, that the vessel had no right to curry
our flag. 11loy profess to SEQ, in tho
demand which Madrid dispatches Indicate that
CASTELAR, has made on ol1r Government for tho
return Of the virginiua aa tho property of Span
ish ctizons, prospect OF moro serious compile
bors Of tho Spanish Legation IN Wasll-
inyton are said to be In high good
lMilnor Ut tho chango In tho aspect Of tho case.
Tho Secretary Of stato docs not, however, Soon
to be much troubled 2; M with regard to either what
onorgy in demanding 1oparatlon for IN
Outrage committed, as 1t was supposed,
upon an American vessel Flo succeeded In hav-
ing tho vessel and tho survivors Of tho crow
even made out prima fac|e case Of her right to
tho protection Of CTR Government. Ho did
this when there was q seusecss
c!amor all over the land for
q war with spain. mud it ia noticeable that those
who now condemn him for going as far nj ho did
go wero tho worry porsona who coudemed him a
low deyB ago fer stopping short Of demand
which would lavc had no other cfloctthan to bring
OH war. Worry fow people hero conyorsant with
affairs entortain serious fcars that Spain will
nflHNE n n ma tri1
ollco more mako tho situation threatening.
Whio they rocognizo tho bare possibility Of
such an occurrence, II thoro wero no
;' othor se reason 70 for believing that spain viii
the United statos tho fact that she will havo her
hands full to intend to tho demands Of the Brit
ish Governments is thought to DO sufficient.
There is but little doubt that tho Castelar, Gov
riel to Great Britain, and there is reason
to belioyo that in trcating With her
Spain would DO mich lees ready to
eoncede than was the case WHOM tho question
lay With our Governmont. Castelar, and l,is Re-
public can be strengthened and centralized by
4 QuARREL WITH CHEAT BRITAIN,
tho ancieut and consistent eaemy Of Spain.
Tho Developments OF the next fow days are
looked for with great interest.
PRESIDENT GRANT AND sEcnErAnY FISH.
Those points being kept in view, cnleayors
have been matlc to produce tho Impression that
tho p1csdont WAS, in sontimont, In accord with ]
Secretary Fish in tho recent negotiations. Tho |
substance Of your dispatch in tho latter part of
November, giving MI interview botwoeu
Grant and Wostcrn Congressman,
showa conclusiyely that such was not |
tho caso that either because tho President |
conrted the favor Of TINT part Of tho population
which demanded moro precipitate measures
thau tue Laws permitted or Fish deemed atlyisa- |
bio to tnke, or because Of other equally potent |
rousons, tho President was GU blatant az nuy |
in oil tho land, mud was dosirous Of
having tho public know that such Uas tho
caso He has said or dono nothing since
that interview was had to justify tho belief tllat
ho was with tho Secretary Of State in his sent-
mont. Tic credit Of the statesman like corsory-
ntism which marked tho co,lrso adopted by our |
Government in tho negotiations il duo only to |
Secretary Fish, who rof1lRcd to allow himself |
to bo influenced by his surroundings.