New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-04
THE SPANISH CONSPIRACY.
.N ARoRIIyE TREAsoN on EARLY TIMES.

THE SPANISH CONSPIRACY. A REVIEW VI sA,T or
WEST BY Thomas Marshall Green. ovo, PIP quo
Cincinnati Robert Clarke & co.
The principal facts OF the Spanish Conspiracy nave
long been established and have passed into history
rhe author Of this volume finds justification for fresh
Ind exhaustive examination of the case in the puphc
ion quite recently, OF work intended to vindlca'e
he memories of the men who stand chareeo WIN u'o
chief responsibility for the attempt TO take hetuchS
ont Of the Union and to deliver it up to spal'' 'i
Green's volume Is in the first place, therHoe, q"
answer TO and refutation Of the book entAeu Inc
Political Beginnings of Kentucky" by the ia'e Noio
John Mason Brown. whose object was TO )usuly anu
rcbabate his ancestor John Brown, the first senator
from Kentucky, and incidentally TO prove Una, "''
friends and associates OF the latter, Jau'es "iA'on
and judges Sebastian, lines and Wallace h"u o'e,i
wrongfully accused of participation In the Spanish
,ntrirues The whole subject is fun Of interest. ana
Mr. Green has done his work in so thorough anu
hearty a manner that even the length ana compieAis
of the inquest fail to weary or confuse u'e reouei
There is of course family feeling ihVo'eo' io
the present historian represents the 1'inous
family, two Of whose members Thomas ana 'a"eS
1verc an Intimately associated with the exposure OF the
Snanisb Conspiracy and with the Organization OF Ohe
reaction against ID which frustrated the primary opJc0V
of the plotters, and so gave time LOT 'he ma.'n -
events which brought about It's collapse III 'ii'
family sentiment, however, lends Visof anu "'" ~,
IN Mr. Green's pages, 1t nowhere detracts rom MS
Sarness and his regard for historical truths lie MAKES
NO statements without documentary proof OF uneir
ACCURACY nor does he draw any lnerences WHICH di0
not justified by the demonstrated iacts.
The period in which the Spanish Conspiracy WIS
s,tcbed uys that anarchic time when the ConienerE
ton of States seemed falling to pieces ana INC SUI
go ~ the proposed Union regarded, even by itS
.rends as predetermined. The region wmch WIS
IN he Kentucky had not yet been separateo io"'
Virginia II possessed stable insututlons' ho o9
sabI,shed settlements Of Importance. and popu
hlnAr n
"a endurinn but impatient Of legal restralhVs'
,,orso,v occnped with material interests, ana lot
Who most part neither knowing nor caring anything
about National concerns and poltcs. IL "'So .
fine when France. and through France NP"i"'
wore having far too much influence in the urecuoh
of our foreign relations, when Spain was anectns
srendship for us that she might the more easily
ynsh her own schemes, which lhVo!Neu @in'"7
other things the exclusion of American traae from
the Mississippi. and If possible the dslhlesn'ion
nj the Southwestern States and IeTntoHes 'o"'
The people of Kentucky at that time did not look lar
Toward They say that the Mississippi, their
satnral and only highway for commerce. was barred
against them, and proposition made by jay al'er Ills
return from Madrid. reached them IN SO t"sue" urn
as TO create strong dissatisfaction Jay percclVoi
<bst spain would refuse TO open the MISSISSIPPI
nv treaty With the Union. He also perceived thaV
.b eth loosely ointed colonies could not as vet nope
% win Inv force what diplomacy denied to them
Ia war with Spain. involving as IL would' anothcr
with France, by reason Of the Bourbon famH COM
pact would be runiols SO Jay suggested that tne
states without waivng their always asserted rghc 10
tbe free navigation of the Mississippi shouid DIV
treaty consent to refrain from attempting to exercise
those rights for period of from twenty to twenty
five years.
nv the end Of that time, Jay thought the country
would be strong enough to face spain in the neid anu
the natural presence of population mlgh. ny "9en
solve the problem without hostilities or course lie
no
or he would not have been willing TO grant even ule
time he suggested for inaction. But the kenVucNans
took the idea in high dudgeOn. They had already cause
nj complaint against the Congress- which had wholly
failed TO protect them against the INDIANS. Inc iu
troubes were no doubt brought originally ana o'en
.,oipt,,pes md renewed by white men, who began by
stealing the lands of the Indians then resented te
natural anger Of the swindled landowners theh iauc
eborve treaties with Them and then proceeuea W
asregard those treaties and to kill every lndah tey
met Congress could not prevent these tmngs III 1ne
first place because Congress at that tune reaiy pos
oesed very little power All il could do was to direct
and IL depended entirely upon the inchnatons OF INC
states whether not they followed such drectohS'
Congress had or next to none, ana whatever
Irdi.n fighting was done fell upon the militia ana
r,oInutecrs Now the Kentuclians were ALREADY soie
over the Indian difficulties, from which they hdu oeo
left IN extricate themselves best they coud "heh
tho news OF what was bruited deliberate SURRENDER
ny the central government of the Navigation Oh tne
,fissssippi came to them. 1t created widespread as
Affection and nothing more opportnne ior uo
purposes of Spain and her Instruments
Precisely what ultimate aims John biO"h Ia" III
entering into secret negotiations with the Spanish
Minister Don Guadoqui, has never been maze 9uVo
clear There is no possibility OF mistake as 10 INC
motives of his cOadjutOr, James WllIhSOh, 1or lo
stands in history as a barefaced, Interruptions ad-
venturer a soldier Of fortune, like Dugaid Dalsets
sighting always for his own hand He hrst OF al,
become spanish pensioner and he first of all utilized
his relations with the Spanish Governor OF Loui'ua
10 run his private trade ventures free OF duty 10 new
orleans. He sought only his own enrichment anu lor
that was willing to sell whatever could be brought
10 market including his State and his country Joill
Brown was evidently man Of much higher character
u is NOT shown that he venal, and while the IN
iouty of the intrigue with spain Is ncontestabe there
Is lust q possibility that Brown may have lmaSmeo
that he wocld benefit Kentucky by turning her over
TO a foreign Power. Let us remember that the pre-
yainC idea Of Spain at the close OF the elghteehlf
century vas still that CT a strong power The rcpu
ration OF the Spanish infantry, so long the flst II
Furope was not extinct. and then Spain as an enemy
meant France enemy too Kentucky lay ngh
on the frontier of this possible and formidable Zoe
On the other hand the Union was believed by many
IN be a chmera. After the war of independence Il
became Ifeebler and feebher. The circulation o.
.utboritv toward its extremitles had not so mucl
rs been established. And upon this conjunction
came SPAIN temptation in mouth, and offered thu
free navigation Of the Mississippi to the "Westeri
peoples on condition, merely, that Kentucky bt
erected into an independent State, free, not only
Virginia, but of the Union
spain knew her own weakness and feared the youn
md vigorous nation at her doors in America. !
nowerful incentive 10 the conspiracy was the hope
nlacing Kentucky as a buffer between Louisiana an
the states of the Union. This motive, however. va
mot disclosed apparently, to the American plotter'
who were encouraged 10 think of the proposed chang
as assuring the new state powerful protector. Z
course the ultimate aim 70 incorporate KentncR
IN inc Spanish domnions, but that had 10 be handle
very gineerly for the Kentuckian mind. though prn
tive rough and not too fond OF legality was pred
poed 20 AngloSaxon affiliations, and could not easii
be brought TO anything but Illumination III I'll
prospect of subsection TO His Most Cathoc AsleSt
Tbe uorl, 81 detachment however was proceeded wit
-e.......,,. o,-,ftr and al nit The fir