Year: 1869




ca--A" Opening for American States
| naasisip.


The Cuban question grows apace A few
weeks since we announced the opening OF the
ports Of Mexico to the Cuban flag, by special
decree Of President Juarez, and the last mail
that Peru has formally recognized the new
republic, Chile, it Is stated, will do the same,
and we may reasonably expect that all the
sister republics Of America will follow at an
early day. They all have feeling towards
Spain similar, but far more intense, to that
which animated the people of the United States
towards Great Britain during the first gene
ration after our war of independence. That
feeling was not satisfied until it eliminated In
our second war with England in 1912, and
like result is evident In all the South American
colonies In fact, war exists to-day between
rents having been extended to enable peace
to be restored through the good offices Of our
government.


In addition to the request for recognition
the e'Cuban envoy in Peru has asked for q loan
Of the two monitors recently purchased in this
some of the republican officials during q short
visit to the Bay of Nipe, in Cuba. The spirit
which animates the Cuban government, and
which will produce fruit in some If not In
many of the thousand ports of the sister re-
publics, will be seen in an extract from a
,,r;v 70 Iotta hxr do 70
a naval officer in this city, which we publish
to-day in another column. The writer of that
letter holds the important position of Com
mander-in- Chief of the patriot forces, and it
will be seen that he looks forward to combina-
tions which shall drive the Spanish ships from
the sea. Our own experience during the late
war shows how great is the evil which may be
inflicted by single armed cruiser against
merchant vessels. Spanish ships are no ex-
ception to the laws which govern commercial
transactions, and Intercourse between Cuba
and Spain would find a refuge only in power
full ships of war or under neutral flag. We
should see return of the condition of affairs
in 1880, when the complete disappearance of
the Spanish flag from the ocean marked the
era of greatest decay in the monarchy.


With the state Of feeling which the Cuban
revolution has brought out in all the Spanish
American republics we shall not be surprised
to see all their ports opened to Cuban cruisers
and their prizes-a measure which of itself
would give great impulse to the war against
Spain, both on the part of Cuba and Peru;
and rupture Of the peace negotiations
between the latter Power and Spain would be
no. very difficult matter to accomplish. The
vital point in the question would be the atti-
tude which the United States might assume.
If Mr. Secretary Fish should determine to
carry his Interpretation of our absurd neu-
trality laws to the extent of trying to suppress
American sympathizers with free Cuba we
might fnd ourselves in an anomalous position.
One 9f these anomalies would be the fact now
before us. Spain is building to-day thirty
steam gunboats in our shipyards, and we
could not refuse the same privilege to any of
the sister republics that might ask it. But
should it be denied by Mr.. Fish there can be
no doubt that American capital would find a
way to put cruisers on the ocean against Spain
if there were profit in it aud harbors to use,
and we should find our government and our
citizens engaged in very strange conflict
with each other. These and similar embar-
rassments are destined to spring up continu-
ally as the Cuban question grows-and 1t will
grow, for it is the living question among the
nations OF the New World to-day.


The complication opens field Of vast extent
for truly American statesman, and we hope
to see some one occupy It. With all her
curious crotchets about and against us, we
owe debt to Spain that 1t would well become
us to repay to her to-day In the hour of need of
her new and freedom-impelled movement.
She was one of the first of the nations of
Europe to recognize our independence in days
when the founders of our republic were beset
with enemies and doubt attended them on
every hand. To-day she is in stress from the
complications which attend both her home
government and her administration in Cuba.
Let the United States propose that truce
shall be established between the belligerents
in Cuba and that commissioners shall be sent
by both parties to Washington to see If some
arrangement cannot be made between them,
satisfactory alike TO the honor Of Spain and
Cuba and consonant with the inter ests of both
parties. That such solution can be found
we do not entertain doubt, and when found
1t win contribute largely to the establishment
Of the new government now terminating in
Spain and to the general interests of all the
sister republics of America.


A SUGGESTION FOR CoDIoIL.-Rich men
die and leave millions to be devoted to the
mental Improvement Of mankind. Why don't