Year: 1869

Quostion-Actions Action.


The House Of Representatives, just before


the final adjournment of the first session of the


new Congress yesterday, passed a joint reso-


luton authorizing the President to recognize


the first de .facto republican government that


may appear in the island of Cuba on the plat


form Of the independence of the island. The


resolution, for the want of time, has failed in


the Senate but the action of the House will


be safe enough as the guide of the administra-


ton.


Is General Grant aware of the overwhelming


popular sentiment of the United States and


the general expectation touching his duty in


regard to the island of Cuba? Has the thought


occurred to him that upon this question an


opportunity is presented for the initiation of a


foreign policy, on the basis of the Monroe doc


trine, morally certain of the grandest results


achieved under any administration or in any


epoch of American history? Has he con


sidered the dangers of temporizing inactivity


and wasteful delays? 1t is our opinion that


his answers to these questions, if he were to


answer them, would be satisfactory. We think
that he, as a Western man, Is inspired with
those great progressive and expansive ideas of
the West among which the idea of the absorp-
ton of the whole North American Continent
and the islands of the Gulf of Mexico is pre-
dominant His inaugural looks in this direc-
ton, and from the hints here thrown out, and
from other remarks that have fallen from him
on our foreign affairs during the last four
years, the impression has become fixed in the
public mind that before the expiration Of
General Grants present term of Office the
boundaries of the Union southwark and north
ward will be greatly enlarged.


How is it, then, that at this inviting juncture
in the affairs of Cuba our Gulf squadron seems
to be supporting the revolutionary government
OF Spain instead Of enforcing the rights of our
citizens and fair play to the revolutionary
cause of the island? How is it that just now
chilling conservatism prevails in the State
Department? They tell us that it is because
Mr.. Fish belongs to the epoch of John Quincy
Adams, and is thus far behind the advances
and spirit Of the age that he thinks the island
of Cuba is better as it is than it would be under
any change, and that he is apprehensive that
any active manifestations from our government
in behalf of Cuban independence might involve
us in serious complications with England and
France. Accordingly we are told it is the poll
cy Of Mr.. Fish rather to support the cause Of
Spain than the cause of independence as the
safest course upon this Cuban question.


If this be true, with all our respect for Mr..
Fish as a worthy citizen and public man, we
must say that he is not the man for this crisis
in the State Department. No man holding the
views indicated is the man for this place at this
time. Serious complications with England and
France! The idea is preposterous. The issue
of Louis Napoleon's Mexican adventure while
we were involved in our late terrible struggle
of life or death to the Union has settled the
position of France in reference to any
future interventions in North American
affairs involving the danger Of serious
with this country. Napoleon
and France have had enough of such interven-
tons. If it was otherwise the present COM
plications among the great Powers of Europe
are, in any event, guarantee of peace be-
tween Franco and the United States on Amer
lean affairs. As for England, she is just
beginning to comprehend the powerful scope
OF her recent construction of beligerent rights
and of her examples of neutrality as an active
ally of our late so-called Confederate States.
England, as it has turned out, has had quite
enough Of such applications of beiligerent rights
and neutrality. She dare not move finger
against any Intervention from Washington for
the settlement Of this Cuban difficulty. We have
heard nothing from France or England on this
subject, because they feel that they can have
nothing to do with it, and that there can be no
more tripartite propositions touching Cuba on
the basis of European balance of power over
the Gulf of Mexico.


We have, then to say to General Grant-and
we say it as the common voice Of the Ameri-
can people-that he cannot intervene too boldly
for the pacification of Cuba. Sound policy,
peace and humanity call for prompt and
decisive action. In acting up to the House
order the Gull squadron TO be anchored in
front of Havana, with demand in the name
of civilization and humanity for the
cessation of the barbarous atrocities
Of the Spanish volunteers; If he should
demand the instant release of every
American citizen held as prisoner by the
Spanish authorities and immediate indemnity
for the property of such citizens coniscated or
destroyed; or if he should apply Lord John
Russel's neutrality and belligerent rights to
Cuba, or follow the Mexican example Of
Napoleon by landing an army and establish
ing protectoratc over the island in the inter-
ests of civilization. there would be no foreign
Power that would have the right or the hard-
hood to call him to account. England's ncu-
trality or Napoleon's Intervention precedent