, 1874-12-09

portunlty for rnjds upon the City Treasury.
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TIE SPANISH QUESTION.
The Presidents determination TO reserve n
moro detailed! atate1neut Of oyr relations with
Spain for future communication to Con-
gress seems to haye O special significance.
We take it to bo a notice to the Spanish Gov
orn,,,ent TINT il must abandon its diatory,
doub1e-tlealing policy toward this Govern
nent, and make a speedy and satisfactorysct-
tleNaent Of the differences between tho two
nations. The spanisl. authorities may take
tho hint conveyed in the preceding paragraph
Of tue message on tho condition Of Cuba
and accept 4 lesaon III fnirness without push
ing the ,natter any further. But if they do
not. tho special u1ossage which the President
will communicate to Congress on the subject
will undoubtedly be expressed III such terma
as 10 bring the difficulties to direct issue,
which will have to be settled on q basis dc
tatcd by tho United States as an outraged
nntion.
II there is people on tho face OF the earth
who merit tho contempt Of m independent
and solf-gover1ing nation, 1t is tho spanish
people. Their glorios, such as they aro,
must be sought in the pages Of history that
nlny almost DO called auoient They wcro
glories then only because civilization Ind not
advanced to o proper appreciation Of feir.
dealing, nor to proper depreciation Of viio
cunning and brute force. Within the present
century, Span has beon an outlaw among
nations. The buccaneers nnd pirates of
former times have been simply represscd in
their maraudings upon the high seas and tile
| other nations Of the world, aud allowed to
work out their own destiny. They set about
| it in tho Ga,no oil cut~throat fashion but,
| instead Of cutting tho throats Of foreigners,
| thoy havo been engaged iii s1ashing away
| at their own. Their intcrnccino struggles
| began with the death Of Ferdinand VII,
| aud they have continued ever since with
varying success on the pnrt Of the military
| despots, the priest-riddon peasants, aud the
| desperate Communists. All through tho
reign Of Isabella the milton was o football
for military dynasties. 4 change of Ministry
Was equivalent to q revolution but it was
always revolution that brought 10 relief to
| Tho people. It WIS the displacement Of one
military advonturer to make room for another.
! AANA %A-1 l'INI"St AAA~SAn~'pNS sA4<*s tAo ofA47
| and weaknesses Of their condition wero all
their own, thought to find relief in The COM
| plote overtl1row Of the monarchy. Isabella
| was driven ont Of the country only to leave
| chaos behind. On tho ono Bido were The
Communists Oh the other the Ultramontano
priests. The Carlists organized and offered
.tbsolutiBm rs tlesolutiou Of their diflicultios;
the only opposition the people havo offered
is anarchy. The struggle has been sustained
with the desperation Of banait raca, en-
couragcd by the ignorance aud superstition
of one party, and the ignorance aud vicious
ness Of tho other. Amadeus sought to give
them Constitutional Government, but they
could not comprehend 1t. The mountain dis
tricts have been given over to tho despotisin
Of tho Ultra,nonsanos; the cities to the des-
potsm Of the Communists. There is but ono
common ground on which both the priest
ridden aud the anarchists have met,-com-
mon inhumanity. Their struggles have been
characterized by tho most barbaroua cruel
ties. al factions have ovinced tho most
brutal indifference to the rules Of civilized
warfare. Aliens and non-combntants hive
alike suffered from their barbarous practices.
There is scarcely nation TINT has not been
visited with indisnities or outragcs at the
hands Of some one Of the factions, and those
factions have been hitherto treated with o
forbcarance tint las now 0eased to DO q
virtue.
It ia no part Of our nationnl policy to ill.,
terfero with The domestic struggles Of Spain
10 long rs our rights receive respect and ou,
interests npo not directly md unwarrantablJ
assailed. but when tile Spanish Government
resumes jts old-ti,ne arrogance along with it:
old-t1ne brutality, mud first assails and tl1el
insults this Govern1ncut, it becomes n duty tt
ourselves 10 sssert auil maintain our rights
| With nil tho yieissit,tdes Of Spain, there ha
been Tie one central idca Of keeping Cuba I'LL
der Ill iron heel, aud Of making her contribute
, Of ler great bounty to the support OF tn
, Homo Government. The policy has baol
7 ono OF extreme despotisln md brutality. No
only hays the Cnbana beon mad.
to suffer tic drest iudignities nns
the most brutal outrages, but spail
u has gone to The length of extending the saaa
y policy in iss rolations with other nation
! whenever Cuba was concerned. The Unitc'
| states lnyo borne a full share Of these iu
t diguities. We have suffered unjust CONNER
j cial determinations without protest, and, q
i List, spanisl, brayado dared ovon to gei2e n
+ American yesncl and slaughter American cit
J. zena. Wo forebora, even at this, to adop
Q any severe mcasErea ot redress, and spail
O hAa conetrled our forbceraure into fenr, MI
a abuged Our pationcc. II IL now time thut sll
Q DO called to Il reckoning. We mny stand idl
= by and Eco q nation ol pro-alayery bandits il
L dulgo their bloodthl,zty propepsities to thoi
II hoarta' content SO long ~ they let US nlone
I. We 1uny oYaa Justify cur Indifference to til