The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1873-12-12
A Word for CASTELAR,.


From the London Daily News.
Senior CASTELAR, decidedly deserves
at such crisis as this the sympathy
of all reasonable people He did
his best to stay bloody and bar
barous proceeding. of which his
worst enemy could not suppose that
he approved, and his authority was
set at naught. He is not officially
responsible for a deed which he en-
deavored to prevent, which he must
have thoroughly detested, and of
which, unfortunately, the conse-
quences may fall upon the republic
which he is striving to maintain
against many difficulties. He is to
certain extent in the same position
as the American Government used
to be in the old day. when South
Carolina chose to consign to her pris-
sons and her slave markets the col
ored subjects of European countries
who unluckily found themselves in
the port of Charleston. But there
is this important difference: The
American Government, disagreea-
bic as its position might be, was far
too strong to be brought roughly to
book for wrongs of which it had on
ly the nominal and legal, not the
moral responsibility. But the Re
public of Spain is in so many diff
cblties, that it can, perhaps, enforce
no authority over Cuba, and can
neither make a fitting reparation to
America, nor endure the consequent
ces of her exacting a reparation for
herself. Of course it is easy to say
that the moment Spain declared her
self Republic she ought to have
recognized the republican principle
in Cuba, and bade Cuba 60 free
But the United have shown that
there is no necessary connection be-
tween republican principles and ma
tional disintegration. Apart from
this consideration, we can hardly
blame Senior CASTELAR, for not doing
what certainly no other statesman in
the world ever did under similar cir
cumstahces. The late General Prim,
we happen to know, was perfectly
convinced that Cuba was the source
of an annual loss rather than gain
to Spain, and he would very gladly
have seen his country rid of her.
But while he was yet considering the
prospects of his meditated rebellion,
and was fully confident of his sue
cess, he did not believe that a new
government founded on the expul-
sion of Queen Isabella would for a
long time be strong enough to face
all the national pride and individ'
ual interests which demanded that
Cuba should be retained as the ap-
panage of Spain. If this was Gen
eral Prim's opinion before the in
surrection of Cuba, we can not won
der that Senor CASTELAR, and his col
leagues hesitated to bring upon their
republic the apparent humiliation
of a surrender to the Cuban ilsur-
rection. This much, at least, it is
only fair to say on behalf of a states
man who, already sorely tried, is now
likely to be pressed by the conse-
quences of a barbarous policy which
he vainly strove to prevent. In the
whole situation nothing is more diff
fcult to understand than the fren-
zied arrogance of the Cuban au-
thorities. To the powerful enemy
who was apparently only waiting for
a pretext for intervention they have
furnished, not pretext, but JUS
tifcation. The 'fSpanish fury" has
made itself a deathless name for
cruelty. But the Cuban fury Is as
laundering as it is cruel.