New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-04-04
FILIBCSTERS AND THE NAVY.
A NAVAL OFFICER CONTRADICTS JUDGE
PHELPS'S STATEMENT THAT THE
BLOCKADE WAS CARELESSLY
MAINTAINF'
To the Editor Of The Tribune

To the Editor Of The Tribune
ST.: The opinions Of Judge Phelps our for
mer Minister to England on public questions
must always command respect and AS his re-
cent letter 70 L. P Morton will doubtless in
hue"ce many persons in their attitude toward
the present Spansh-American imbroelio IT is to
he regretted that he has included in his other
wise admirable letter popular error. and has
adopted II as his own belief refer 10 the
statement contained in the following portion Of
his letter: But the rebellion lin Cuba, would
long ago have persisted from exhaustion had II
not been supported and supplied by continual
expeditions from this country in violation 81
our own neutrality laws and treaty obligations.
our Government has not. II is true. counte-
nanCed these expeditions and has made some
efforts to suppress them sincere, no doubt. but
always Intellectual"
l wish sincerely to protest against the belief
implied in these words that the Government
has not been sufficiently in earnest nor effective
IN its efforts to prevent the departure OF fill
busters from our coast. Such suspicion Is un-
fortunate for II encourages the popular sheer
and wink OF the eye which seem TO accompany
the remarks of most people when referring to
the Governments efforts to thwar: Cuban fill
busters. How such a popular error got abroad ia
dlIncult TO say. For nearly three years on! men
of-war have been kept constant patrol duty
off the coast Of Florida and other Southern
States. and this. too at a great expense TO the
Government. AS naval officer myself. and one
who has taken part In this blockade service |
wish Il discredit the general assumption that
our blockade has not only been Ineffective, but
| that II has been performed in lukewarm or
pro-Cuban spirit. our naval officers have never
1 lost sight of the fact that they were protecting
the rights of a friendly foreign nation with
| whom their own was az peace. ANY disposition
/ on their part TO sympathiZe with f!lbusters was
/ quickly dispelled by their first contact with the
1 mercenalies and desperados who compose fill
clustering expeditions. That occasionally SINAI
| steamer has eluded the vigilance Of our men-oi-
! war is true, but this has been wholly owing to
! the fact that il takes more than six or eight
! ships yet all that the Government could sparel
/ stretch Of coast People do not generally re-
member that Florida alone has coast me OF
| about one thousand miles. Nor do they know 81
! the large number Of hlibustering expeditions
! which have been brought To nauGht by the vigi-
| lance and decision of our officers. | myself can
deny the sweeping assertion contained In Judge
| Phelpss words. always ineffectual when ai-
piled 10 the blockade Instituted by our ships on
! the coast Of Florida. Judge Phelps has made a
! mistake 1t is possible that his belief has Deen
! encouraged by another popular error ina an
| naval officers are jinSoes. and that hence they
wish 10 induce q with Spain by Lending as
sstance 10 the rebellious subjects OF that coun
try. 1t is pity that both these errors shouId
still possess the public mind. |. =. y.
Washington, April =. 1S3S