New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-04-18
TIE CARIBBEAN RING.

manifestation in Congress. Mr.. Matt Car
penter has brought forward resolution which
embodies in the crudest and most unreseryed
form all that has "a yet been said by the parti-
sans of Intervention in Cuba. 1t begins 0y
declaring the right of colonies to sever their
connection with the mother country " when
ever the good Of the people requires" and
goes on to say that 81 the people OF Cuba" have
done this, and that the war in that Island Is
barbarous one and injurious to us, and that
there seems to be no prospect that Spain will
ever reestabsh its authority. AS all of these
propositions are true, except the essential one
that the Cubans have established their indie
Incidence, Mr.. Carpenter sees no difficulty In
proceeding to recognize Cuba as one of the
"independent nations of the earth.n The fact
that Cuba is not q nation, and that her peo-
ME have not, more than ten per cent of Them
" declared themselves free and independent OF
"Spain," weighs nothing in the mind OF SO
broadly human statesman as Mr. Carpenter
who believes that promise is as good as It's per-
formance, and who would shed his recognition
upon nations which exist and upon those which
do not, with the same large importantly
with which he sheds his money upon the
lust and the unjust. His proposition goes
further than any preceding one further
indeed than has ever been demanded by
| the Cubans themselves, who would be more
than satisfied by. the concession OF bellIgerent
rights, without formal recognition. 1t carries
out, in this respect, the suggestion OF the ex-
perimental newspaper article, which advocated
an immediate treaty of commerce with an in
surrection whose only want is men and arms,
and whose only product thus far is corpses.
| II is not necessary, and we are not inclined,
to accuse Mr.. Carpenter of participation in the
conspiracy which few of the most corrupt
lobbyists and politicians in Washington have
set on foot, to begin an agitation of the Cuban
question which may enable them to make
lucrative operation in the bonds of the
| nascent Republic He is not too moral
| man for this work. On the contrary, all
we know of HIM would lead us to infer
that he would be especially accessible to
the industrious gentlemen who are in
clined to gil their pockets, help the Presi-
dent, and give FLIP to the initiation move
ment all at once. He, as well as they, believes
in living and let live. But there are some
things a man need not be paid for doing, and
Mr.. Carpenter long ago announced his foreign
policy. He regards with fine scorn the theory
ones own business. He thinks that we are
bound, by virtue of being big and free,
to ride abroad redressing human wrongs
He regards our Government as a sort
of society for the prevention of cruelty to
minorities. He thinks it a low and craven
view of international responsibilities which
would insist that we have no more right to
NEEDLE with the civil wars Of other nations
than they had to NEEDLE with ours. There is
| no way In which we can reach the Cuban in
surrectiOn to extend to it the right hand of
fellowship. 1t has not as yet single attribute
or symbol Of sovereignty; not a port, nor a
fort, nor a court. Yet Mr.. Carpenter, and
the Caribbean Ring, whose work he is
doing, want Congress to do for this invisible
| instruction what no nation in the world,
with all the desire that many of them had to
injure us, had the audacity to do for the
Southern COnfederacy, at a time when its
power was undisputed over territory of I'M
perial extent, when it had perfectly organ
lied government and half million of men
under arms. The whole world watched the
war for four years, and no power ever entered
into diplomatic relations with the Rebels or
ever dreamed of such thing as a treaty of
commerce with them.
But the rest of the men who are at the bottom
of this demonstration are by no means guilty
of any such boyish enthusiasm as that under
which Mr.. Carpenter is probably acting. They
are of that thrifty breed of patriots who do
nothing without being paid for it twice, once
in money and once in party profit. 1t is well
known that they are in possession Of large
quantity of Cuban Bonds which they have
acquired for little or nothing, and it is abso-
lutely necessary that there shall be some
prominence given to the Cuban question which
shall enable them to sell. This has been a
sorIOwful Winter for the lobby. Bones"
have been few and bony. Congress has been
so busy investigating frauds, that it has had
no time to pass any. The newspapers
have made corruption this season almost
as hard path as honesty. Nearly
all the professional thieves have more
or less of these Cuban engravings, which
they have been saving up from the time of
Morales Lemus until now. The old mich cows
are suddenly dried up by fear of the news
papers. Pacific Mail is word of dread;
Union Pacific and Credit Mobilier are infected
names; even the Sanborns and Jaynes find
their fountains exhausted The only
Rings that keep up heart and hope
are the two which have retained through
oil vicsstudes their connection with
the Executive Mansion-the District Ring, at
the head of which is Shepherd, and the Ca
ribbean, at the head of which is that genial
scamp who, on the whole, lies nearest to the
Presidents heart-Casey. The case Of the lat
tor is growing serious. Unless they can raise
the wind by prompt action on Cuba or Santo