Year: 1875

Our London dispatches are significant in
the matter Of the memorial of the English
Anti-Slavery Society asking such Office of
mediation in the Cuban war as shall bring
about the adjustment of slavery and the
slave trade. England is a careful manager,
and will not interfere. As a government it
preserved Its neutrality during our war
against rebellion, although the Confederate
agents with cotton batting enlisted the gym
pashies OF many of it's people. Of the war
IN Cuba Lord Derby is..credited with saying
ohat slave owners there are only fighting
Tor continuance Of the present system.
lhis ls partly true, and for that reason the
Cuoan insurgents have gained much
sympathy from the lovers of univer-
sal freedom, and it is thought they
musS ultimately succeed. 1t would be in
consistent to fight for independence and for
slavery at the same time at this stage of
civiiization. We may be told by England
tnht America did the same thing in the war
OF the revolution. The circumstances are
not similar. We fought against a foreign
toe, and in adjusting the affairs of our ma
tion after independence was gained, toler-
ated slave system which was ALWAYS
shame to our country. 1t can be readily
understood that peace was greatly desired
then' and 1t was too soon to quarrel among
ourselves. The John Browns had other
business on hand. They were too glad to
De tree themselves to make further war for
the African, and perhaps lose all we had
gained. In the war Of Southern rebellion
the Contederates fought to main tain slavery.
In not declaring the emancipation of slaves
before President Lincoln consented TO
do so, the Confederates lost the best
opportunity they had to make dignitied
warfare for a separate government calcu,
lated to be respected by nations free from
human bondage. Our fathers of the revo-
luton fought tor independence from mon
archy tolerating African slavery. which
existed. The South fought for separate
government, and directly for the purpose of
perpetuating slavery. Cuba is struggling
tor freedom from a government whose bur
dens are greater than it can bear. There
ara bondmen in that fair land, but their
deiiverance is not far off. England is look
ing to see which faction will do most for
the liberation of slaves, affecting to think
more OF what the United States will say
than what Spain can do in case of interfer-
ence in the quarrel. So far as the abolition
OF slavery was believed to be among
the motives of the insurgents, many
of our States have officially expressed sym
pathy with them: but the etiquette of ma.
tioas will not allow US to take hand in the
disturbance. National politeness requires
us to stand idly by and let the bondmen
and insurgents work out their own saliva.
ton. If we stepped in with abolition in
centives, Spain might misunderstand our
motives, in the way that England fears be-
ing misconstrued, and say that our philan-
thropy was only cloak for our intentions
to gobble the island. We desire better
things, hoping that slavery will cease to
exist in Cuba. and that when the insurgent
patriots attain their independence they will
either join our republic without purchase
money and without permitting US to disturb
the peace, or maintain a government of
their own in harmony with the spirit of our
American institutions.