The New York herald., 1873-12-20
The Prisoners Surrendered at Santi-
ago-ls the Case Concluded


at Santiago de Cuba, public interest in
the catastrophe which almost precipitated
a war will generally cease. There are
some paltry pieces of Spanish policeman
ship to be done by US at the order OF
the State Department. some few dollars to
be wrangled over, before the story of the
Virginius can be docketed for history. We
are bound to bring the vessel to an American
port and try her, and Spain has bound herself
to look about and discover whether any of her
officials violated any treaty provision. 1t is
| victory for President CASTELAR, and Captain
| General Jovellar it is a compromise which
secretly gladdens the slave owners ofth Casino
Espahol for America it is compromise
| in which national honor and dignity have
been deliberately surrendered while apparently
sticking to uphold them. The Spaniards
have indeed surrendered the Virginius, but in
what condition and how? If our State De
partment had possessed the backbone" of the
days of Marcy it is highly improbable that the
Spaniards would have been allowed to choose
miserable secluded harbor wherein to fur
lively hand over ship reeking with filth by
way of reparation for an outrage to the
American flag. If the Spaniards were clean
people they would be ashamed of such conduct
on the part of their officials. As they are not
clean people, and know that Americans are,
we can appreciate the insulting confidence
with which they perpetrated the various out
| RACES against decency as additions to the
outrages against civilization and humanity
for which they were called on to atone. To
have the slightest respect for the suscepti-
bilities of nation of brutes like those
who defled the decks of the Virginius is
to act without any knowledge of mankind.
These people did not feel their humiliation
while they could have the surrender take place
under the sneaking and disgusting circum-
stances already made known. America, there
fore, cannot feel that her government has OBJ
tanned satisfaction for the injuries done. The
surrender of the prisoners was delayed until
the 18th inst, when we learn that they were
placed on the steamship Juniata, under Com
mander Braine, and that the steamer had put
to sea for New York. So ends the reparation.
While these facts are being placed on record
ing copies of the Presidents Message. The
temper of the subdued islanders can be fairly
tested by the journalistic comments Every
strong term of vituperation which they are
allowed to use is hurled at the President.
They think it is none of our business, and
that the sooner we recognize the fact that they
are willing to die thousand deaths rather
than suffer interference in interior affairs the
better for ourselves. Before the sneak out
of the Virginius from Havana the same
editors announced their willingness to die
the same deaths q similar number of
We may therefore take these lucubrations as
fgurative. Stripped of their fantastic "trip
perry, they signify that the so-called settlement
has settled nothing; that the intentions of the
slave-owners to defy civilization are unaltered.
We have learned from the late difficulty,
which has been so shabbily settled some valu-
able facts. We are now aware that the only
question for which the Spaniards in Cuba
would fight to the bitter end is that of
slavery When the news was spread in
Havana that the abolition of slavery was
among the demands Of America the Spaniards
were ready to fight They said So and pos
sibly would have kept their word, if there was
the slightest chance of assistance from Spain.
AS dog fights for mis- bone Spanish Cuba
might have fought for slavery. To lose it
would be to lose all We have learned that
weak as is the Spanish Republic in the PENN
sula, the mere threat of isolating Cuba in case
of disobedience to home orders suficed to COW
the Casino Espailol into submission. Of
course, the alternative of war with us with
out aid from Spain was what induced the
submission of the Casino; but we have in
this the foundation Of an argument for the
| future. There are signs, since the surrender
| of the Virginius, that another of those spas
| Cuba is about to be made. The project Of
arming the slaves to wage this war is spoken
of, and emancipation in this form is hinted at.
The Spanish Republic is pledged to abolish
! slavery in Cuba, but excuses her non-fulfl-
ment by saying that it cannot be while there
is an armed insurgent on the island. The
| fact is that at the time this condition was
made the volunteers were sole rulers in the
Ever Faithful, and Spain had not learned TO
coerce her superserviceable children by plac-
ing them under cross-fre She has now an
opportunity to test the value of this discovery
by proclaiming the abolition Of slavery in
Csba. To fall back upon the old condition of
an island free from rebels is growing
more and more puerile. The patriots
in the Eastern Department have made
success their own. The reported landing of
another flibustering expedition on the south
ern coast and the continued triumphs of the
Cubans in the field look as though the fortunes
of Spain were growing desperate in that
quarter. Emancipation as war measure is,
then nm idea that NAV bring some cnnnilar-