The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-01-11
"The Plague OF the AntiLes"-Are We
To Have N War with Spain!

printed in the HERALD on the same yesterday
morning "a feat made possible by difference
of longitude and time) will be taken by our
government as sanctioning the war with
Spain which President Grant is believed to
have in contemplation. 1t has been our hope
that if a war must come it might be
postponed until after the Presiden-
tial election. This hope grows feebler
with each passing day. 1t is unde-
niable that we have real grounds of
complaint against Spain, and herein
lies the difficulty of making an effective oppo-
sition to the policy of the President. He
will be strengthened in his purpose by every
foreign recognition of the justice of our COM
plants and the gravity of the evils which
we have so long endured. Foreigners can
not be expected to take any note of the
! domestic reasons growing out of our party
| contests why war is undesirable in the
year of a Presidential election. They
naturally look at the question only in its
broader aspects. They assume that our gov
ernment is permanently equal to all ext
gencies which may arise in its international
they perceive no reason why it should
be paralyzed every fourth year in its foreign
policy. This mode of viewing the subject is
plausible, at least from a foreign point of
view. Thegovernment of a great nation is
presumed to be organized for permanent
efficiency and to be competent to deal with
questions on their merits at whatever period
of the calendar they may come up. Our con-
stantly recurring Presidential elections are
connected with the internal machinery of
our government, but foreign observers are
justified in disregarding them when they dis
cuss our relations with other Powers The
London Times comedies that we have good
grounds of complaint against Spain, and the
fact that we are to hold Presidential cleo
ton this year has no weight one way or the
other, in its estimate of our grievances.
The strong views of the London Times
will encourage the President and the
abettors of his contemplated policy The
immediate occasion of the article in the
London Times is the Spanish notification to
mariners not to approach the coast east of
Bilbao on account of the danger from the
Carlist batteries. eff the Carlists, says the
Times, 'injure any British ship we must
look to Madrid for redress. Either King
Alfonso or we must assume the police of the
Spanish coasts. The plain duty of Spain is
to place q feet off the coasts such as will
silence the Carlist batteries. If the govern
ment will not protect its own coasts it MI st
pay for any damage the rebels may do"
The application of these vigorous remarks to
the island of Cuba is sufficiently obvious.
What the logic of the situation and interna-
tional law would justify England in doing
on the coasts of Spain they would
equally Justify the United States in doing on
the coasts of Cuba The following remarks
of the Times, in continuation, are more sig
nifcant for what they suggest than for what
they directly assert I'VE fail to see why
Spain should be freed from the duty of
guarding her own coasts. Her navy is so
powerful that in case of rupture with the
United States she would have great advan-
tage in the commencement of the struggle
Some vessels may be stationed off Cuba
that is All arrangement with which we cannot
concern ourselves. If Spain insists ON hav-
ing the luxury of rebellious colonies at
time when wasted by civil war at home she
must take the consequences This is
plain declaration that Spain can
expect no sympathy from England
if she gets embroiled with the
United States. But the Times does
not hesitate to make frank expression of
oy;D;or raoDact;nD tba condition of tb;Dco
in the West India Islands 1t more than
suggests, it goes to the very border of adj
vising that our government should bring
Spain to her senses by decisive measures in
relation to Cuba in the following remark
able passage The United States might
set good example by insisting that Cuba be
no longer allowed to become the plague, in
stead of the pearl, of the Antilles" Presi-
dent Grant will feel, after such an admoni-
ton, that he will be fully supported by for
eign, or at least by British opinion, in carrying
out the policy to which he inclines in rela-
ton to the island which has ceased to be the
pearl of the Antilles" to become the plague
of the Antilles, and the scandal and nui-
sance of the West Indies
Although this strong advice comes from an
external, we should be credulous, indeed, if
we regarded it as a disinterested source. The
present superiority of the Spanish to the
American navy would be productive of con-
sequences which would inure to the advan-
tage of Great Britain. The feeble remnants
of our once magnificent shipping interest
would be utterly destroyed by a war with
Spain. The Confederate States, which had
no navy. but only few cruisers, inflicted a
blow on our commerce from which it has
scarcely yet begun to recover. The con-
sequence was to give England almost
monopoly of the carrying trade of
the world, including our own. If the
civil war had not occurred our shipping