The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-04-23
cal vampires, and there is war, and war SO
cruel that the civilized world is ashamed.


cruel that the civilized world is ashamed.
What the governments of the monarchs and
statesmen of tho caibre of Mr.. Garcia Ruiz
fail TO see is shown in the address of MIR. Cas-
telar. This eloquent man has sentimental
appreciation of America which is beautiful in
its enthusiasm and excites our gratitude. 1t
is something to have impressed mind as elo-
quent and poetic as that of CASTELAR, with the
sentiments that pervade his speech. To be
sure when he speaks of General Grant recall
ing in our day the triumphs of Alexander,
we are apt to feel that his rhetoric
carries him away. and when he hints that the
United States made no pressure upon his gov
eminent TO compel emancipation in Porto
Rico he says what may be true, automatically
speaking, but what the history of the move
ment will not justify American diplomacy
is not celebrated for its modcsty, and we
should have an Indifferent opinion of General
Grant and our Minister IN Madrid if we sup
posed they silently acquiesced in the perpetual
ton of slavery in the Antilles The whole
tone of our diplomatic correspondence with
optlH SIDWb Lldb dSuSIstl OItlDG fttS htDb Llc
severest pressure upon Spain to accomplish
this result. Nor is there anything to regret in
this. As Mr.. CASTELAR, says, slavery is not a
national, but an international question, and
so we have regarded it. To the honor of Mr..
CASTELAR, and his associates it must be said
that they did what the Ministers of the mon
archy only promised to do. They answered
the warm and prompt words of recognition by
our government by showing that they meant
to have liberty when they proclaimed re-
public Our only regret is that the work
ceased with Porto Rico and did not include
Cuba But we know what difficulties sur
round the new Commonwealth, and this regret
is overlooked in our hopes for the action Of
the Constituent Cortes.
Whatever may be the fate of Cuba, there are
two points that Mr.. CASTELAR, may accept as
undeniable: First, that there will be no
peace in that island until its government is
reformed and second, that in the work of
reformation there will be no embarrassment
from the United States. We quite understand
that Mr.. CASTELAR, would be as good as his word,
and come all the way over stormy sea to die
in tropical swamp to preserve Cuba from
any invader, but America has no idea of i'm
posing this grim sacrifice upon him or his
compatriots. We have done our part toward
Spain in this contest, and more than our
part. We have arrested and disbanded all
boats for Spain and made New York depot
of supplies for her army. Spain to-day is
striving to conquer Cuba with Ameri-
can guns and American powder. What
we grant to Spain, whose rule we
censure and deplore, we deny to the
Cuban rebels, whose cause merits our sympa-
thy. We did this under monarchy because
it was our duty to q friendly Power. How
much more willing shall we be to do it under
q republic, in whose existence we feel so pro-
found an interest, and which would fall in
day were it to fail in upholding Spain's pas
sionate resolution to hold her dominions in the
West Indies AS to what the future may bring
we cannot imagine. Wisdom in Spain will
save her colonies /; but even wisdom may come
too late. 1t seems impossible to re-establish
relations of affection and loyalty on the part
of Cuba towards Spain after the painful, de-
plorable, wicked scenes Of these four years of
rebellion. And it may be, as some Spanish
thinkers aver, that Spain would begin her new
career wisely by throwing off these colonies
and concentrating the efforts of her children
upon the peninsula.
This, however, is not for us to say. We
have no unholy passion for Naboth' s vineyard
We have land enough to employ our energies
for two or three centuries at least, and we feel
n deeper interest in doing our best with Texas
and Minnesota than in craving any islands in
the Antilles. We are willing to believe that
Spain has mission on this Continent but
she has not fulfilled it. That gift of ruling,
Of extending new laws and wise institutions
among stranger race does not seem to rest
with the Spanish mind. Russia has shown
what she can do with the tribes Of Asia.
England consolidates her power in India. We
noted how loyal France made her German
Alsace and partly German Lorraine. The
Dutch have peaceful colonial empire, thirty
times larger than Holland. California and
rowing Indian tribes and Jesuit missions,
have become empires under our flag,
and one generation has not elapsed since
they accepted our flag. But the Spaniard
with his valor, his zeal, his many noble quail
ties of patriotism and courage and faith, has
not succeeded in colonization The conquest
of Mexico and the invasion of Peru are among
the most barbarous chapters of the worlds
history, excelling even the ferocity which led
the Spanish kings to expel the Jews and the
Moors. Mexico to-day is poorer country
than when Montezuma reigned over it. Just
as Andalusia and Estramadura have never
recovered from the expulsion of the Moors
Whether this inability to colonize comes from
defects in the Spanish character, or whether
IA La A~,h, to1 -