Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-19

the Alabama and other confederate cruisers
fitted out in England caused demands for
compensation to be made by this country.
After many failures to reach a settlement.
during which war seemed several times to
be close at hand, a joint high commission
met In Washington in 1871 and framed a
treaty by which the whole matter was sub
mitted to five arbitrator. These met at
Geneva. Switzerland. ION December Is, 1871,
and. awarded S15,J00,0OO damages to the
Unifed States
With Spain the United States has had
many controversies which threatened war
before the present uprising In Cuba took
place. They go back to the revolutionary
days. Spain was almost as hostile as Eng
land to the endeavor Of Engiand's Ameri-
can colonies to secure INDEPENDENCE, for she
knew that United States success would in
cite risings in her Central and South Amer
lean possessions. Her loss of these colonies
In the early part of this century through
the United States example engendered a
hatred in Spain for this country. After
the revolution the Americans had much
trouble with Spain about the navigation of
the Mississippi. Spain owning the territory
on the west bank of the river. and on both
banks near the rivers mouth, from 1763 to
1900, when she retroceded 1t to France.
Clash With Spain.
In the second decade of this century Flor
ida, which was Spanish territory threaten
ed to create war between the two coun-
tries. jackson, during the Seminole con-
flict, invaded Florida In 1918 to punish In
dams and whites who made raids on the
people on the American side of the line.
He captured st. Marks and Pensacola and
hanged Arbuthnot and Ambrister, British
subjects, who gave help to the Seminoles.
This enraged Spain. but as she saw that
the United States could seize and hold Flor
ida at any time, in spite of all her efforts
to retain it, she was frightened into signing
a treaty ceding Florida to the United
states in return for the assumption by this
country of claims of American citizens
amounting to about $5,00O,000 against
Spain.
Cuba. however, has been the principal
cause Of controversy between the two
countries. In one degree and another that
island has had a connection with Ameri-
can politics ever since the administration
of John Quincy Adams. Projects have sew
eral times in the past sixty years been
started to buy it. Buchanan, Mason and
Soule, in the Ostend manifesto of 1854, ad-
vised the Pierce administration to buy
Cuba. or to seize 1t If Spain refused to sell.
The flibustering expeditions from the Unit
ed States In the 40s and Sos to capture
Cuba were cause of considerable annoy
ance to this country. The Cuban rebellion
Of 1S6S-'1S threatened several times to bring
this country into the trouble. In 1873 when
the Vfrginius was captured in Cuban wa
tiers and some Americans whom she car
rfed were executed, the excitement in this
country ran high for few weeks Spain
made ample reparation for the outrage. 1t
was found. moreover, that the Virginius
was not entitled to sail under the Ameri-
can flag, yet that incident brought an at
tack by the United States on Spain nearer
than at any Other time in our history ex-
cept at the present moment.