The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-01-08
THE VIRGINIUS.
Public Opinion in Madrid on Grants Messages
Msddling with Our Internal Affairs.

MADRID. Dec. 49, 1874
telegraphed you that the "evening and morn.
ing papers here protest haughty and indignantlv
against the tone OF President Grants Message tn
Congress, saying that the AFFAIRS OF Cuba or Of
Spain were none OF his businessn Desiring to
make good my despatch and TO allow your readers
to Judge for themselves, translate below some OF
the salient points presented in the principal papers
OF Madrid on said State document
GRANTS INSULT TO SPAIN.
IRON the Imparcial.l
BY what right does General Grant allow.
himself to level his accusations and 10 illuminate his
anathemas at u.s. and, in a message to the Amer-
can can Congress call for the overthrow OF party
that exists In Cuba and in the Pen nsu a? Who Ia
General Grant that he must needs refer in an
oinclal document to an 'arlstocratic and
pontan government a party which, IN his view,
constitutes dangerous element in the contlnu-
ance o, commercial relations between Cuba and
spanr
Whatever the parties that agitate Cuba may be-
whether pro or anti-savery, aristocratic popu-
iar Wnether even they be loyal or rebel-these are
questions which Spaniards and they alone, are
co comp tent TO resolye and the sovereignty of
SPAN Will never suffer any other government to
NEEDLE III matters which belong exclusively to her
internal affairs anu those of her colonial depend
encles. me bare TACT that the President OF the
United States arrogates TO himself the power nOc
only to examine subjects like these but also to-
give decision on them, is nothing less than
a direct attack ON the sovereignty of SPAIN
an act against which we raise an energetic pro-
test. The American President calls the CAPTURE OF
the VirgInlus derogation OF the sovereignty OF
the United States; but he would have been more
consistent, ere ne made such an assertion. if ne
had respected his International obligations pro
hibting the pubic hitting out and sailing OF pirat-
cal expeditions to maintain the insurrectlon in
Cuba. How can q government that clearly mani
tests such contempt for It's international obliga-
tions, that speaks with such arrogance OF the
sovereignty OF the United States-on the occasion
of our capturing dlibustering vessel, venture to
attaint the sovereignty OF spain by sett nc itself
up to judge and pass verdict on matters which
alone concern ourselves And how does the Presi-
dent dare talk about victims to cruel acts" COM
mitted or not committed In another nation, when
the cruel and barbarous executions OF the Indians,
so frequently referred to in the American press,
are suill fresh in his memory.
GRANT AS MEDDLER.
From the correspondence de EspailaJ
1t is unquestionable that General Grant,,
taking the Virgnius matter as pretext, is guilty
of meddlng with our internal affairs, for which we
can concede no right whatever either to him or TO
any other foreigner.
'INsoLENT AND PRovoKING.v
From the DlariO Espanol.l
The nsoent and all but provoking language Of
those paragraphs OF the Message which relate to
Spanish affairs is brought out IN much holder re-
lief il we contrast it with the mild and temperate
conduct OF our government IN its negotiations
Never was State paper seen before in which q
nations chief uses language SO unguarded and i'm
pertinent, so contemptueus, IN fine, OF another
Independent State, worthy at least OF some
sheraton In view OF the friendly relations which
ostensloly bind the two republics. Can 1t be that
the United States thinks to exercise kind OF pro.
tectorate over the Spanish nation when they graz
tuitously give forth their opinion matters that
of Spain? What business Is it to the Washington
government whether there be or be not con-
Sentative and aristocratc party in SPAN, opposed
TO the muddlfng reforms OF another and more adj
vanced party? Are these questions the exclusives
property Of the Spanish COrtes, they to be-
decided in an American Congress, that the neces-
slty of hastening forward these matters has come
up over thereS 1t does not concern the United
States government whether IN Spain or in
Sssa hostile ns'S to of o ers
those domestic matters which we spanlards
VIII treat we like and the Yankee citizens are
not charged with their solution. We de-
mand from the American Republic the exercise OF
that same respect for our independence and inter-
nal legislation that We, in our turn, have always
accorded TO them. Cuba is Spanish PROVINCE not
an American State and Spanlards, not Yankees,
are competent to legislate there, Tor our dignity
cannot, without the loss Of our Independence
hitherto respected in both Observation-Disclosures
the impertinent intermeddling OF foreign govern
ment to which we are not as yet tributary. n
The other papers contain articles in precisely
similar tone to the above, and therefore do not
think 1t worth while to proceed further in these
citations from them.