Evening star., 1923-12-16
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

, Though the virginius affair fifty
years ago was apparently settled as
! between the United
War Rumors States and Spain by
I par;ra5 the negotiation of a
protocol, the situa-
| tion early in December suddenly be-
came once more acute and there was
a revival of rumors of war between
the two countries. In The Star of
! December S, 1872, Is the following:
| THE unofficial press reports con-
| tinue to give warlike aspect to the
news from Spain and Cuba. On the
other hand, Secretary Fish stated to-
day that the confidence of the gov
ernment in the intentions OF the Cas-
telar government to faithfully carry
out the provisions of a protocol re-
Gently agreed upon Is undiminished
and that they have strong reasons
| for believing that the CASTELAR, gov
ernment will be able to do so. AS we
| understand it. the government fully
! appreciates the difficulties under
which the Madrid government are
laboring in undertaking to carry out
! the provisions of the protocol, but has
reasons for believing that they will
| succeed. A telegram states that our
war vessels that have made Key West
q rendezvous have left that point, and
| it is probable that they have gone
over to take a position of observa-
| ton on the Cuban coast. Undoubt-
| edly the situation is critical, but by
| no means so hopeless of peace as the
4 tenor of the press dispatches would
| indicate. And if war should come our
government, having exhausted every
| resource consistent with self-respect
| and national honor, to settle the diff
| ficulties without bloodshed, will go
| before the country abundantiy justi-
fed"
A singular accident" befell the
formidable Spanish ironclad Arapiles,
which had been
Accident" to undergoing repairs
the Arapiles. srx "a, daDk sne BROOKLYN brooklyn
| to The Star of December 8, 1873. On
| the Friday preceding the foodgates
| of the dock became blocked somehow
| SO that they could not be made to
work, and Saturday, "by another
! freak of bad luck" a barge with 200
| tons of coal sprang a leak and sank
| right in front of the gateway Of the
| dock, completely blocking the pas
| sage. 1t was thought that in view
of the difficulties of raising barge
| load of coal in December the release
| of the Arapiles might be expected to
be somewhat delayed, perhaps until
it is settled whether we are to have
| l.
to say:
"As we have no right to detaln the
Arapiles. unless war has been de-
clared. the accident to this coal barge
any rate, 1t is a curiously apropos
accident. as the elder Weller remarked
when his coachload of opposition
voters got upset on their way to the
polls"
In connection with the anxiety over
the outcome of the virginius dispute
between the govern
Gen. SlckleS ments came reports
Resione that Gen. Daniel
Sickles, American
minister to Spain. had contributed to
the confusion by resigning. The Star
in its issue Of December 9, 1879, SAYS:
Sickles has done some very creditable
and important work in the line of
diplomacy; but 1t must be admitted,
If reports are true, that he signally
failed in the conduct Of the delicate
negotiations between the govern
ments of Spain and the United States.
His vital mistake seems to have been
in losing his temper. There are two
classes of persons. at least, who should
never let their angry passions rise IL
they desire to be successful-diplo-
matists and politicians. The blusterer
in either role is always sure to come
to grief. Bravado may overawe for
a time. but it soon proves Intellectual"
1t appears that Gen. Sickles felt
that he had been ignored. inasmuch
as the negotiations were directly con-
Quoted. by Secretary Fish instead OF
by the minister. and rendered his
resignation, which the President re-
fused to accept