The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1898-09-15
WHEN SPAIN GAVE in.
ASPlNWALt CASE AND SA-
GASTA'S POLICY.
Three Months of Diplomacy That Bris-
ties with Lies and Subterfuges
Characteristic of the Castilians-A
Demand That Meant Business. v

"aooo oily OInSs luiiIy years u6o,
In 1853. Spain and the United States
were on the verge of war. The strug-
giles of Cuba for independence and
Spanish conduct toward an American
ship were then, al now, the thorns
In the flesh of the American people.
The capture Of the American ship
Colonel Lloyd Aspinwall by a Span
ish man-of-war led to an international
dispute which. but for the final sur
render OF Spain, would have exploded
the shells of actual warfare between
the republic and the monarchy. The
incident Of the Aspinwall brought out
the unchanged national disposition of
Spain-that of procrastination and un-
warranted delay in its dealing with the
United States. The Colonel Lloyd AS
p1nwall, owned by a New York firm,
had arrived within five miles of Ha-
vana on January 81, 1869, on its jour
ney from Port-au-Prince, when the
Harnan Cortes, a Spanish man-of-war,
brought the American to a %standstill
with a shot across it's bow and sent a
force OF armed men aboard. In spite
OF the protest of Captain McCarty of
the American ship that he bore dis
patches to Rear Admiral Poor Of the
North Atlantic squadron, and in the
face OF McCarty's official passports and
letters. the Spanish captain kept the
armed force aboard the Aspinwall for
six days, and then when McCarty re-
fused to sail for Havana under Span
ish orders, the Aspinwall was towed,
her crew still captive, into the harbor
of Cuba's capital under the shadow of
MORO castle. There was a whole days
delay before the captain of the Ameri-
can ship was allowed to send his dis
patches ashore to the American con-
sui general. Not until February 10,
tWenty-three days after the capture,
was Captain McCarty permitted to hold
a conference with the American con-
sui, and SO dilatory were the tactics of
the Spanish hat the United States gov
eminent did not learn of the capture
by a foreign power of an American
ship upon the high seas until Febru-
airy 16, twenty-six days after the oc-
currence. After two days, Secretary
Fish of the state department tele-
graphed to the consul general in Cuba:
Report particulars, and if seized on
the high seas, demand release" On
February 26 Captain McCarty filed his
formal protest with the authorities of
Spain. Then followed a period of in
excusable delay. Spain appeared to ig-
more the protest of the United States.
Meanwhile. Spanish cruelty and out
RACES f1ourished unchecked in revolu-
toned Cuba. The United States gov
eminent, with General Grant at it's
head, rigidly enforced its laws against
f1l1bustering. This curbing of the
American sympathy for the oppressed
was an unpopular measure of the ad-
ministration, but still the Spaniards
delayed. A telegram was at last sent
by the secretary of state to United
States Minister Sickles at Madrid, au-
thorizing him to make an official de-
mand for the release of the Aspinwall,
March 5. Spain replied after more de-
lay that the ship was under the con
troll of the admiralty court at havana,
and could only be released by that
body. The United States renewed it's
demand. Spain again replied that the
ship had been Seized on suspicion
that she was landing arms in Cuba"
n was therefore a subject of the
prize court. Secretary Fish replied:
Suppose she had, you could not seize
her for that unless you took her in
Spanish waters" More delay. 1t was
during the latter part of March and
President Grant again renewed his eff
forts. On April s, Minister Sickles was
telegraphed: "The president is not
satisfied with this long delay" This
was the first intimation that the
United States was becoming offended
at the conduct of Spain. General
Grants warlike spirit boiled. He pro-
posed to the cabinet that an armed
force be sent on board of the Spanish
frigate then in dock in New York har-
Dor. which act might have been the
beginning Of hostilities. Minister
Sickles, who renewed his protests with
the Spanish premier, Sagasta (who is
still at the helm of the Spanish ship
of state), was again put off with the
excuse that the matter was undergoing
an examination in the prize court.
Uncle Sam then submitted his ultima
tum, which would have begun the con-
fict had not Spain surrendered in the
end. Minister Sickles told the Span-
iards that the United States would not
recognize a prize court which had no
jurisdiction excepting in a state of
war. The very positive information
of the Spanish minister, that the gov
eminent of the United States would
construe the jurisdiction of a prize
court in this case as a declaration of
a state of war, thus according the
Cubans their long-hoped for recogni-
ton of belligerency, vas a dilemma
from which there was only one escape,
and that was by an unconditional re-
lease of the vessel. This brought the
| issue to a point, and Sagasta told the
United States minister that orders for
the release of the Aspinwall would &c
at once to Cuba. Either this promise
was not carried out, or the orders were
ignored at Havana, for the American
ship continued a captive. Her mer
we're prisoners in their own quarters
The captain was not allowed the priv
ilege of wetting down the sides of the
ship, so that the weather boards of the
Aspinwall dried and warped in the no
southern sun The cabinet at Wash
ington grew impatient. The presiden'
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