Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-24
SPAIN TO ABANDON CUBA.
Germany Likely to Control the Queen
of the Antilles.

vices of Mr.. Sydney Webster. This is a
most astonishing piece of news. Every
body who is familiar with Spanish
American diplomacy of recent years
knows that Mr.. Sydney Webster rendered
invaluable service to his client. He was
and is Democrat. He is the son-in-law
Of Hon. Hamilton Fish. During the
greater part of his life he enjoyed per-
sOnal and professional relations with
Caleb Gushing and Benjamin F Butler.
For many years these three men were pO-
litical friends, and cO-operated in many
great political movements. At a time
when Spanish interests in America were
seriously threatened, the Spanish Foreign
Office had the good sense to retain MIR.
Sydney Webster as the legal adviser of its
legation at Washington. Mr.. Cushing
was then, as he remained to the close OF
his remarkable life, the power behind the
throne in the Foreign Office of the United
States. He was the peer of the greatest
international lawyers of the world. He
had made diplomacy the study Of his life.
Brilliant in conversation, master of Ian
guages, an OmnivOrOus reader, brimful of
anecdotes and "reminiscences, witty and
humorous, he was the one accomplished,
shrewd, far-seeing. and very able Ameri-
can diplOmatist. Butler was then a great
political power in the Republican party.
In many respects he was the direct OppO-
site of Gushing. In some ways he was a
greater lawyer than Cushing. In politi-
cal intrigue he was far more daring, more
skillful and more successful. He be-
lieved that American influences should
dominate the whole Western Continent.
At the close of the civil war he seriously
proposed to Lincoln that the United States
should Immediately begin the cOnstrue-
ton of an interOceanic canal across the
isthmus. He submitted his scheme to
Mr.. Lincoln few days before Booths
bullet did its fatal work. In brief, it was
to transport to Central America 10000
freedmen and begin the work. That work
in the bold Buffers comprehensive mind
meant not only the digging of the canal,
but the speedy domination of the country,
politically and otherwise, north to the
United States border, and as far south as
eXpediency might necessitate. He saw
in mis- minds eye the solution of a veXa-
tiOus political ana social problem at home,
the construction of a vast undertaking
which would reVOlutiOniZe the commerce
of the world, and the colonization of sur
plus blacks in a region where they could,
under competent direction, do the most
for themselves and for humanity. The
government had the transports, the COM
mlssary stores, the material Of war,
which upon the DISARMAMENT of its great
armies must be sacrificed. Mr.. Lincoln
called in Mr.. Seward, who believed in the
eXpediency as well as the necessity of the
law OF expansion for the United States,
and who was always ready, if a fitting
opportunity came, TO make the Gulf of
Mexico practically an American lake.
| The problem then uppermost in his mind
was the expulsion of the French from
Mexico. Butler pointed out how easy his
scheme could be made to embrace that
work also Very probably, even if Mr..
/ Lincoln had not been assassinated, But
| ler's enterprise would not have been
cOuntenanced. have simply related this
incident to indicate the bold character of
the man. HIS sympathies were always
with the Cuban insurrectiOnists. The
marvel has always been why he did not
espOuse their cause with all his intense
zeal, and throw himself with his great
power into the struggle. That he did not
champion the cause of Cuban independ-
ence was due entirely to the influence OF
Gushing and Webster. There were no
sordid consideratiOns-nO pecuniary rea-
sons. 1t was pure good fellowship-cOn
details, would reflect no discTedit on his
qualities Of heart and hand. l cannot, for
! divers reasons, 90 into these personal,
political and business relations. But the
mere statement Of the facts Will show how
and why Mr.. Sydney Webster was en-.
! abled to render such effective service tC
| Spain.
/ 1t is not unknown that Mr.. Webster
| had the ability as well as the means tC
| create public sentiment in the interest oil
! his client. The history of his manIpula.
| ton Ofthe press New Y Ork city will make
/ an interesting story some day, but the
/ time has not yet come to tell it. In an
/ other way Mr.. Webster was influential
| also. He was the legal representative Of
/ the great house of the ROthschilds in the
| United States. After 1869 be became theil
! political correspondent and adviser.
But what does TINS dismissal of Mr.
/ Webster import? The polite reason as
| signed was economical. Spain could not
afford to pay $4,000 year even for the
| valuable services OF MIR. Webster! The
| Spanish Treasury is far from being in g
4 pleth0ric condition. Cuba no longer car
/ be saddled with the extraordinary ex
| penseS growing out OF the maintenance o.
/ Spanish rule in that beautiful and fertile
! island. But does Mr.. Webster's dis
4 missal mean that Cuba is to be abandoned
/ by Spain? Unquestionably But t.
/ whom? The negotiation of a CONNER
| cial treaty between Spain and the United
! States proceeds slowly. But it is no Sc
! cret mere that this proposed trea Y really
/ means no relief to Cuba and no practical
/ benefit to the United States. In a previ
/ Gus letter l pointed out the dominance a
! Madrid of German influence. In the short
/ time that has elapsed since that was writ
4 ten have not the occurrences in European
diplomacy strongly c0rr0bOrated the
/ views | advanced? The Egyptian confer
| ence was failure. Why? Because Bis
marck's potent and deftly welded influ
ence was felt? 1 cannot doubt it. Day
/ by day you have heard the significant
utterances of the German press on the
/ ChancellOr's colonial policy. But why
| does Germany suffer her eternal enemy t
push her cOnquests in China? Bismarck
| desires to fOment disagreements between
/ England and France. The interests O.
! the two governments clash in Egypt. He
/ is quite anxious that British influence, sc
/ long dominant in the East, should be
4 threatened by France. Moreover, he is
I willing that France should acquire fol
| Germany great possessions on the Pacific
The rupture between France and Ger
many is only a question of time, anC
/ French colonial possessions in the East
1 would make an acceptable part of another
/ indemnity. But what has all this to dc
/ with Cubai When a German protec
/ tOrate is established over Spanish posses
/ siOns in the West, all these now appar
emily trivial incidents will then appear
]
wise men will wonder that they did not
! attach more Importance thereto.
| Bismarck is perhaps not unfriendly to
! the United States. But he unquestiOn-
/ ably recalled Minister Eisendecker-nOt
! because he attended the funeral of Herr
1 Lasker, but because Eisendecker was
I supposed to be entirely too friendly to the
! United States. This, ] know, was the
/ view the recalled Minister took of his
summary recall. 1t is natural that Bis
marck should view with some distrust
and not a little anxiety the wonderful
growth ef the United States. A nation OF
100000 people governing themselves,
with bouLdless resources and room for
almost unlimited future growth and de-
velOpment must be a great menace to
absOlutism in Germany. Republican
France means nothing. Bismarck's in
fluence can be more readily eXerted there
with a so-cGlled republican government
than without one. But the United States
annually draws largely upon the German
population. Che reflex influence of Ger
man-Americaas upon their kindred in
the FatherlanG must be potent for good
or evil in the near future. The wide
reaching, all-eOmprehending diplomacy
OF Bismarck must embrace the United
States. The possession of Cuba as the
representative Of Spain would be a bold
stroke. The present is most favorable
opportunity. Wh6t could or would the
United States be able to do? Nothing.
EOuId she do more 4han DrOtestP