The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-09-03
Cuba and the United States.

Cuba and the United states.
Just now the Cuban question is one
of the topics of the day, and the papers
are discussing the subject with much
earnestness. The. Washington corre-
spohdent of the Georgetown, s. O.,
Planter takes the following view Of the
question:
The holders of Cuban bonds here are
making determined effort to embroil
us with Spain, by inducing Congress to
recognize the independence OF Cuba.
These speculators, Cubans and Ameri-
cans, chiefly the latter, have the great
advantage over the spanish Govern
ment that they can lobby, visit news
paper offices, and tell their own story,
call public meetings and make speeches
distribute bonds, make large promises,
and influence public opinion by thou
sand "ways that ere dark and tricks
that are vain," to which a government
cannot resort. The Spanish minister
cannot do any of these things. There
are only three American citizens with
whom the Government of Spain can
hold legitimate official intercourse on
this important subject of the recogni-
ton of Cuba-the President OF the
United States, the Secretary of State,
and the American Minister at Madrid.
Under these circumstances, it is not
strange that Congress, the press, and
the people at large, whose knowledge
of Cuban affairs is based exclusively on
the one-sided statements of interested
parties, should misunderstood the
duties and the material interests OF the
government and people of the. United
States, in regard to this proposed recog..
milton of Cuba. We have never yet had
any disinterested evidence that the in
surgents in Cuba are entitled to our
respect and our sympathy. because OF
their purity of motive and purpose !;
or that they are SO numerous, aud
powerful, and have so fair q prospect
of success, that nations at peace with
Spain would be justified in recognizing
their independence.
Only few years ago, there were sew
eral millions of people in the United
States who wished to dissolve their con-
nection with the federal government.
Among these were some Of the wealth.
lest men, and many of the first states
men and best military and naval Off
GERS of high rank in the country. There
were among the insurgents, also, many
men of unblemished private character,
some thousands Of clergymen of all de-
nominations, and some hundreds OF
thousands of active members of the
various Christian churches. These
millions of insurgents were backed,
heart and soul, by mothers, wives and
daughters had old, strong, and stable
State governments and organized
themselves into a powerful confed.
eracy. They equipped and sent into
the field, against the United States,
from which they had seeded, immense
armies. They fitted out war vessels,
that all but swept our commerce from
the seas. For nearly five years they
stood their ground. To subdue them
cost us half million of lives, and @
debt of some $4,000, 100000 which we
shall probably never cancel. Yet, dur.
ing all that war, we protested against
the recognition, by foreign powers Of
the confederaey formed by these re-
bellious States and mainly upon the
ground that, without such recognition,
they could not succeed in achieving
their independence, and that foreign
nations had no right to interfere in oul
domestic quarrels.
And what more right have we to in
terfere in Cuba than Spain, and France
and England had to interfere in oul
civil war? The carnage here was ter
thousand times more than it has beer
in Cuba. The fact of the matter is tina
there never would have been rebellion
in Cuba, if it had not been excited by
mercenary men in this country, and i
would collapse in six months, were i
not for expected aid from the United
States. Let us take heed. We are il
no condition to interfere in the domes
tic affairs of other nations. Our civi
war is hardly over. We have a largt
country, and various interests to care
for-more than we can well attend to
Let us look after our finances, our cur
rency, our system of transportation
lest dissatisfaction may cause anothe,
rebellion in some section of the Union
and foreign nations may combine tt
disintegrate our country by acknow
lodging the independence of our rebels