Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-10-10
The Alene and the Alliance.

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John Bull now has his turn at ex-
perience of Spanish arrogance in as
serting control over that great highway
of commerce, the Windward Passage.
According to Capt. E. j. Seiders of
the steamship Alene, that vessel, while
passing Cape Maysi, on Thursday
morning last, was fired upon three
times by a Spanish gunboat, which,
after pursuing her for time, then put
about and went off without single
explanatory word.
The case as thus described bears a
remarkable similarity to the outrage
upon the Allianca, for which Spain
was compelled to apologize. The Al
lianca was United States mail steam
er plying between New York and CO.
Ion, and having no Cuban port of call;
yet she was fired upon repeatedly by
a Spanish gunboat, when off Cape
Maysi, with solid shot. The Alene,
in like manner, is a peaceful mer-
chan tman of the Atlas line, plying be-
tween New York and Kingston, so
that her natural and proper route,
both going and coming, is the Wind
ward Passage. The account given of
the affair. thus far, indicates that the
Alene did not have her flag hoisted
when first fired upon; yet it is strange
that any competent naval officer
should have mistaken her for any 9TH
er sort of vessel than she was, as the
steamers of the Atlas line regularly
pass and repass over that route. Pos
sibly the Spaniards may give as an ex-
cuse that they were on the watch for
the filibustering vessel which is said
to have sailed recently from our coast;
but that does not alter the fact that,
after the Alene hoisted her colors and
the gunboat had gone near enough to
discover its mistake, it turned off with
out any attempt to. offer apology for
the mistake.
Thirty-seven years ago the Senate
declared that American vessels on the
high seas, in time of peace, and under
the American flag, were under Amer
ican jurisdiction, and that therefore
any molestation or detention of them
by force on the part of a foreign pow
er was an offence ag ainst the sovereign
ty of the United States. At that time
Great Britain recognized the principle
as correct, and accepted it as applica-
BILE to her own mercantile marine.
Spain does not admit that war exists
in Cuba, SO that the principle thus
spoken of holds good, and it only re-
mains to see what England will do
about it.
The question of the exact distance
of the Alene from Cape Maysi when
fired upon, according to the view TAX
en- in the case of the Alliance. is not
of material consequence. The lam
guage of Secretary Gresham's despatch
to Mr.. Taylor, on the basis of which
reparation was demanded, was that
forcible Interference with the regular
lines of American mail and CONNER
cial steamers that take the Windward
Passage ..cannot be claimed as a bel
ligerent act, whether they pass within
three miles of the Cuban coast or not,
and can under no circumstances be
tolerated when no state of war exists. !"
This declaration proceeded upon the
assumption that the Windward Pas
sage, between Cuba and Hayti, is a
familiar highway of navigation; and,
since the exigencies OF wind and cur
rent, or simply convenlence and ra-
pidity of voyaging, may take vessels
well in toward the Cuban coast, they
are not for that reason to be driven
away by Spanish war ships.
The Alene incident will serve to call
British attention to the peculiarisies of
Spain's course in dealing with Cuba,
and its ultimate consequences are yet
to be seep.-N. Y. Sun.