The New York herald., 1873-11-20
The Hesitatfons OF DtplOmacy-Are We
to Vindicatc tho National HOnorg

administration when the national honor is
assailed, so long as an administration stands
by the country and firmly maintains the
national rights. 1t is no time to carp and
criticise at moment when we are lowering
between peace and war. and when our gov
ernment is called upon to resent an insult
offered to the Republic even at the risk of an
appeal to the sword. We should present to
the world at such time q united front, and
every man should be prepared to yield
generous confidence and support to the
authorities without regard to his individual
views. He must be traitor at heart who
would embarrass the government by factious
complaints or opposition when it is engaged
in struggle with q public enemy But the
government on its part has duties to
perform at such moment which
it is reasonable to neglect 1t must
firmly and fearlessly vindicate the national
honor; it must act promptly and decisively
protect the lives and property Of its citizens
at all hazards; it must resent insult to the
nation when it is offered and right public
wrongs when and where the injury is inflicted.
There must be no shrinking from responsible
ity, no disgraceful compromises even for the
sake Of peace, no hoodwinking and deceiving
the public by diplomatic jugglery while the
honor of the nation is betrayed.
The American people will learn with pain
the position taken by the authorities at Wash
ington in regard to the virginius outrage. We
are told that the official account Of the capture
Of the vessel and the savage slaughter Of her
passengers and crew will not be made public
until the meeting of Congress, lest it should
increase the popular indignation, al
ready too great to render diplomacy"
easy of success. The administration
fears that unless the excitement into
which the country has been thrown by the
outrage on our flag and the murder of those
who relied on it for protection shall be suf-
fered to die out, Congress will be forced to
declare for war and the administration will
of the massacre are to be thrust away in the
pigeon holes of the State Department, and
the mysteries of diplomatic negotiation are to
be hidden from sight until the people, amidst
the cares and business of active life, shall
have partially forgotten the insult that has
been offered and the blood that has been she'd
When this is accomplished we may be in
position to accept the ''reparation'' which
Spain, no doubt, will offer, although some
little trouble may even then arise "from the
possible inability of the Madrid government
to compel the recognition of its authority by
the Cuban volunteers"
If this is to be the policy of our govern
ment, we do not hesitate to say that it will
meet the stern condemnation Of the American
people. The outrage committed by the
Spanish butchers at Santiago de Cuba admits
of no explanation and calls for no diplomatic
negotiations 1t should be met by an i'm
mediate occupation of Cuba, by the landing
there within ten days of force strong enough
to compel reparation to protect the island
from the lawless ruffians who at present rule
against any further acts of piracy and murder.
When our troops hold Havana and Santiago
de Cuba we may listen tc what Spain has to
say, and may take counsel with England as to
our future action. But the great question
now forced upon us is not the disposition Of
the Madrid government, but the future
political condition Of Cuba---a question
American in all its bearings and which
has already been too long delayed.
A long list of outrages upon our
national rights; long list of insults to our
national honor; long list of cruelties that
disgrace civilization; long list of lawless
acts committed in defiance Of the government
which pretends to hold Cuba under its author
ity-all these have preceded the last outrage
committed on an American vessel on the high
who were under the protection of the Amer
ican flag We know now as well as we can
know six months hence that Madrid has no
power to enforce her will in Cuba; that the
Spanish government is, in fact, deposed by the
slave drivers of the Casino Espafiol and the
Catalan volunteers that Cuba is given over
to lawlessness and license, and we are called
upon by right Of our position, for the safety
of our people and in the cause Of humanity,
to occupy the island and hold it by our arms
as we would seize and bind murderer caught
with the blood of his victim still wet upon
his hands,
We are told that the occupation of Cuba
would be an act of war against Spain, be-
cause it would be an invasion of her territory.
But Spain wields no authority in Cuba, for
her orders to stop the butchery of the crew
and passengers of an American vessel were
defied. If Spain is to be held as having au-
thority in Cuba then she is responsible for all
the acts committed by tho Tornado and at
Santiago, and her invasion of the deck of an
American vessel on the high seas was an in
vasion of American territory and declara-
ton of war against the United States. But
the argument is that Spain repudiates the acts