The Washington critic., 1886-07-26
THE CUTTING sCRAPE.

The prompt demand which the State
Department makes for the surrender
by Mexico of Mr.. Cutting, the Spanish.
American editor, now in Jail at Paso
del Norte, is, to say the least Of it, re.
freshing exhibition of national pluck
Upon the other hand, the apparent in.
difference of the Mexican Government
TO this summary demand, is not at all
surprising, in view of the red tape habits
which too often characterize our for
eign policy. AS to the real merits of
the controversy, they do not fully APP
pear as yet and pending proceedings
are enveloped in more or less mystery.
From all that can be learned of the
affair, tMr. Cutting was publishing a
Spanish paper In Paso del Norte and
not In FL Paso-that Is, in Mexico in.
stead of the United Statcs--and the
trouble seems to have originated in a
quarrel which Cutting had with one
Emilio Medina, who proposed to start a
rival newspaper. 1t resulted in the
publication of a card by Cutting, on
both sides of the river, severely do.
nouncing Medina as fraud, dead
beat and other obnoxious things, where
upon the latter procured Cuttings ar.
rest, in the meantime coming into vio-
lent collision with the secretary of Mr..
Brigham, the American Consul. Judg-
ing by what is said of the two editors
they are bad lot, and If the truth Is
ever known it will probably be found
out that the whole difficulty was a put.
up job, having for its ulterior motive q
rupture of friendly relations between
the American and Mexican govern.
ments-which has long been the dar-
ling ambition of many of our esteemed
fellow citizens along the Rio Grande.
But what purport to be the facts in
the case would hardly seem to consti
tute casus 6ellt, unless supplemented
by further acts Of overt hostility on
the part of the Mexican authorities.
That any serious result will ensue 1;
not TO be believed. The Mexican Gov.
ernment in due time will mail q reply
to our peremptory telegraphic demand
for Cuttings surrender, but the ground
is likely to be taken that the editor
being q violator of Mexican law, will
have to answer for his ofrcnse-pre
oisely the ground that would be takel
were the conditions of the case re
versed and an alien editor at Ell Past
incarcerated Tor libeling an American
citizen.
While waiting further development
II is well enough to remark that tn,
populations residing along the border
and on either side of 1t have long beer
at loggerheads and do not really repre-
sent the best public sentiment of thei
respective countries. Indeed, it is tht
evident determination of certain ele
ment of our own people in that section
to provoke war possible. They will
never be contented till another slice o
Mexican territory is added to tn
United States, and this state of feelin.
naturally begets similar antagonist
among the border States of Mexico, Il
shown by frequent acts Of fragrant in
justice perpetrated upon American resi-
dents in those States.
Let the worst come that may, how
ever, we have no doubt but what tn
United States will prove equal to tn
emergency. We are certainly bi
enough to enforce our demands in tina
direction If we are not in the directio
of Canada, and having taken the in
itiative in Cuttings case, the Govern
ment cannot afford to wait more tina
three or four weeks, without shown
our slow Mexican neighbors that MI
Bayard means what he says.