Year: 1873

Where Shall we seek Redrcsss
If the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs


had been person somewhat more cultivated
and less tinctured with the vanity Of his coun-
trymen for playing the hidalgo; if he had
been moderately informed of the conditions of
international relationship in this century and
had known rudimentally the laws which gov
ern those relations, now that there are no
Spanish armadas and that Charles V. and
Don John OF Austria have been dead several
years. in such q case he would clearly have
understood that the right or wrong of the
seizure OF the Virginius is not to be determined
by the principles of Spanish municipal law,
and he might have known that in the execution
of our citizens by summary process his gov
ernment had violated its treaty obligations
with this country, and was liable to be called
to account by us on that fact, if
on no other. We have now supposed
an intelligence on the part of Spanish gen.
tleman which would render it very unlikely
that he could be o Minister in the present
condition Of his country but, this degree of
intelligence and culture granted, we may sup
pose, further, that it is probable he would have
recognized that the reclamations Of our repre-
sentative were such as he had right to make,
and that he would have discussed the situation
with him as comfortably as two gentlemen can
discuss anything in the cold winter weather
seated alongside a brass dish full of dead
ashes and dying embers. He might thus have
come to be convinced that the demands pre-
sented by the United States were just, and
that the reparation called for was due us, and
he might have reported in that sense to
Cabinet Council, and in consequence the
Spanish government might have firmly de-
termined to do us justice.


And if he had done all that, if the case we
have supposed were picture Of the facts and
not igment of fancy, how much better off
should we be than we are? How much
we require? Could the government of Spain,
though animated by the best possible inten-
tions in our favor, have made its intentions
felt in Cuba? Would decree such as we
might desire on all the points of our demand,
telegraphed from Madrid to Havana, have been



restoration of the confscated property of
American citizens or the order that no penal
ties should be inflicted on the persons taken
on the Virginius-a decree and an order which
have been scorned and laughed at and
trampled in the blood pools near 'the
slaughter house wall" Our supposition tends
to put aside some delusions and to place us
face to face with the central fact Of
the situation as we must meet
it, which fact is that we must deal with this
subject in Cuba, and not elsewhere. Though
Madrid were animated only with the idea of
complying with our demands it would be of
no avail practically. Though the Spanish
Ministry were as complaisant and just as it is
arrogant, supercilious, ignorant and insulting
we should still be as far from the realization
Of any adequate satisfaction as we are at the
present hour. In this condition our only hope
of redress is in such q line of action as will
show to the authors Of these outrages in Cuba
that there is q force behind our demand which
must be respected. We must demonstrate
that we are no longer to be sent to Madrid in
order that we may come home again with
harvest of empty promises.