Year: 1869

- W A>G Ass AOOcs AASAA -
| Peru and the spanish Compiicufios.


Our very respectable and very slow Secretary
of State, in his anxiety to avoid European
complications, had lost sight of an American
complication until few days since, when he
found it had grown to such magnitude that he
took to his bed sick at heart. 1t will be re-
membered that not long since Peru and Chile
were in state of active war with Spain,
during which the latter Power sent feet into
the Pacific, bombarded Valparaiso and burnt
portion of the city, and then proceeded to
Calao to effect the same purpose there.
Driven off in this attack by the superior
gunnery of the Peruvians, the fleet finally
wended its way back to the Atlantic with small
prize money and scanty honors. The war
sumbered in state of inaction, and the
recent administration at Washington rendered
to the belligerents its good offices as mediator
| for the restoration of peace. These were ac-
| cepted, and commissioners from the parties
were to meet in Washington next month to
arrange the preliminaries.





is worth more than the value Of button is
SPAIN She entered upon the war with the
the aggressive spirit of Quixote, without
| waiting to examine if the point of honor for an
imaginary aflront in the case of merchant ship
was well taken, and, having struck her blow,
is now willing to forget and forgive. To add
to her wish in this respect it was the Cuban
treasury which enabled her to strike the blow,
the government at Havana being charged
with the duty of paying the bills incurred by
the Pacific fleet, and just now it is hardly in
a position to repeat the act. But Time, who
does not wait for negotiators or nations, has,
meanwhile, brought to the South American
belligerents the opportunity to strike back, and
that, too, at the vital part which enabled Spain
to assert her strength as Power on the
American side of this mundane ball. Cuba
declares her independence, President Cespedes
requests the antagonists of Spain to recognize
the belligerent rights of the Cuban republic,
and Peru and Chile do so with expressions of
friendliness becoming nations at war;


Here the Spanish Minister comes upon the





the duty of his Office to attend to the peace
making between Spain and the belligerent
members of the American family of nations,
he shall also undertake to keep them from
hitting back while negotiations are going on.
He furthermore assumes that the course of the
republics in the Cuban question is discour-
teous to the United States, and TO illustrate his
position cites the case of a private quarrel be-
tween two gentlemen which is under arrange
ment by third party, and which he assumes
ends the quarrel from the moment the arrange
ment to enter upon negotiations had been ac-
cepted. According to his view the quarrel is
now ours, and not Spains.


Setting aside the fallacy which is contained
in comparing national to individual powers,
our friend, the Spanish Minister, makes an
other very great mistake in assuming that a
consent to open negotiations amounts to q
treaty of peace or even a truce. If he will
take the trouble to read he will find the pages
of history to abound in the contrary view,
and we will cite one fact in American
history for his easy reference: Our last





while peace negotiations were going on
at Ghent, and the greatest battle of the
whole war-that of New Oreans-was fought
after the negotiations had been concluded and
the treaty of peace had been signed. The
little episode Of the recognition of the bellige-
rent rights of Cuba need not, therefore, inter-
rupt the negotiations at Washington, and they
can be kept up even amid the greater coming
complications which time will no doubt exhibit
between the belligerents.


To Mr.. Fish we present these assuring facts.
in the hope that they will help him to q speedy
recovery Of his health. But we have few
words to say to him in regard to these Spanish
complications. The people of the United
States have recognized the belligerent rights
Of the Cuban republic, and are fast taking an
attitude which will vindicate our national
rights and national duties amid the great
events that attend u.s. They see, too, and
comprehend the petty party policy which
would make bluster about the Alabama claims
cover up and hide your delinquency in the
higher duties which attend you in the Ameri-
can questions now pressing for solution. If
you rouse yourself to the duty Of the hour
the statesman's pen can solve these difficulties
and further the hopes Of civilization and hu-
manity. If you do not waken to it the diff
cuties will continue to gather around you until
the Spanish complications open the grave
of your reputation as a public man and of the
hopes of the administration Of which you are
part.


THE MrDsuIPMEN. ''Inasmuch as MANY
of our vessels in active service have no mid
shipmen, the Board suggest that the graduating