New Orleans Republican., 1875-11-21
THE INTERESTS OPPOSED TO A WAR
WITH SPAIN

under date of February G, 1874. In that
dispatch our Secretary of State reiterates
and extends the Monroe doctrine, so far
as to say:
The United States would prefer to see all
that remains of colonial America pass from
that condition to the condition OF absolute
| independence of Europe.
This and other suggestions as to the
wishes if not the intentions OF the United
States are seized upon by the Times as the
occasion to present what will pass very
we'll for the British protest, to any inter
ference on our part in the affairs of the
West Indies, especially Of Cuba. The
| New York Herald, of the sixteenth instant,
copies the leader of the Times, and illus
trates it with certain headlines and lib
eral display of italics. Both papers agree
in attributing the policy of the American
Cabinet in reference to Spanish affairs to
an overmastering desire on the part Of the
President for third term.
The Herald, moreover, pretends to see
in the position of the London Times a
threat that England will make common
cause with Spain in case this government
shall interfere in West Indian affairs. 1t
is alleged that the wrestling of Cuba from
Spain by the United States (and such a
| result is admitted to be inevitable in case
the United States engages in the enter
| prise in earnest), would menace the hold
which Great Britain has on the island of
| Jamaica. Thus, we see these two leading
journals, the one confessedly and the
other notoriously published in the inter
ests Of the British people, suggesting OBJ
ections to the initiation of such policy
on the part of the United States as will of
necessity relieve our Gulf commerce Of
very grievous burdens. The one holds
out threat OF opposition from the lead
ing naval power of the world, and the
other seeks to arouse the envy Of the
Democratic party, by showing that sue
cessful war with spain, if it could be short,
sharp and decisive, would inevitably make
Grant President for third term, and
then, by an easy transition Of ideas, die
tator, emperor, etc. The Herald, how
ever, as though it were not quite content
with the theory which it has assisted to
set up, takes shoot in another direction
to show that the war would be protracted
beyond Grants term, and so unsuccessful
at first as to render him unpopular, and
thus endanger his chances for renomina-
ton.
The reasons assigned by the two British
journals, the London Times and the New
York Herald, for opposition to what they
both agree in calling Grants Cuban
policy, are not the real ones entertained
by their clients. The Times is more in
terested in Manchester spinners, Liver
pool cotton buyers and London bond
holders than it is in the West India pos
sessions of her Britannia majesty. The
average John Bull is obstinately opposed
to any fuss or disturbance which threat
ems to stop the mills of Manchester or un-
settle the values of those great American
staples, cotton and government bonds.
In case Uncle Sam buckles on his armor
for a joust with his most Catholic majesty,
there will be heard an abundance of
grumbling and threatening on the part of
John Bull. But that is all. No quarrel
will be sought with England by us, nor
will any be found by the Court of St.
James. If the United States can be
coaxed or bullied into an attitude of
peace, the Englishman will be well pleased;
but he is not likely to back the cause of
Spain with arms, nor point a hostile gun
at US, unless we give him gross cause of
offense, very improbable and unlikely
thing.
If We were to listen to the Uerald's sug-
gestions for policy we should never have
a war, never raise hand in defense of
the national honor or in behalf of
struggling people, for fear that some pop
ular chieftain, some great man, would arise
on the nations gratitude for his brilliant
achievements and be elected President.
But even that political weather vane has
not come near the truth in setting up OBJ
jections to the Cuban policy Of the ad-
ministration. Nothing could be more
absurd than to suppose that the Herald is
or could be actuated by patriotic motives.
President Grant or any other man
might be elected any number of terms
and even wear an imperial crown, for all
the Herald would care, so long as the
semi-European journal, with its corps of
European writers, were left free to hum
bug the world. Both these organs of op-
position have filed special pleas in the
case, each in behalf of its own clients.
The one speaks for the British tradesman,
the other for the New York importer and
ward politician.
The oppressed people of Cuba, white
and black, are not taken into account in
this discussion. The overtaxed commerce
of the United States is disregarded by the
Herald, because this question affects New
Orleans and other Southern seaports
mainly, and New York only secondariIy.
The honor of our government interests
the two journals about alike, and the in
terest may be set down as zero.
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