The Cuban Question

Tho Washington correspondent of the ( Chicago Times lites : " The talk about , the Cuban business has naturally ( ened a desire to know what position will bc assumed upon the matter by the President in his coming message to Congress. His views npon the subject and his oftenexpressed depire to see the belligerent rights of the Cuban insurgents recognized are sufficiently wett known. However, it is not generally known how intensely the President's mind is worked up on this subject, and how vigorously he proposes to carry out his plans f or the adjustment of the troubled affairs in the West India islands. In his coming message to Congress it is his intention to more fully discuss this matter than he has ever done before. He will try to make more clear his intcntions when he advocated the acquisition of San Domingo. He has not hitherto cared to defend himself in this matter, but now, for sonie reason of his own, he desires the country to accept his explanation of the attempt to gain possession of this island. These reasons he gives -with his customary brevity. He says that primarily his great object in acquiring San Domingo ■was to secure for the forraer slaves of the South a place of refuge whero they j could ñnd labor and shelter whon they were oppressed in the South. Tho possesion of this island. alone, he thinks, j would have done more to settle the troubled condition of tlie South than all { the legislation in the world. The i I ed people would have had a place to fly ! to if the Southern people should maltreat [ them. The former would then be driven ! to treat the negroes kindly from tlie faet of the fear of losing their valuable . ices in the field. The labor question j would do much, the President thinks, to bring the South to the proper consideration of the rights of the colored people. Another reason is to be given for tMe j purchase of San Domingo. The President thinks that if -we had secured the possession of the island we would have been able to raise there all the products which we now buy of Cuba. Here is where he thinks the whole case lies in a nutshell. He is of the opinión tliat without her trade with the United States Spain could ïiot sustain her war in Cuba upon the insurgen ts, and that really the United States is made to catry the ' den of the expense of this cruel war. This the President proposed to remedy, and his idea is that the moment we arrive j at a point when we can do away with the j product of Cuba, then will the war in Cuba be foroed to a close. Two great ; pointe are involved in the President' ■ West India scheme ; one to secure a j home for the negro, and thereby quilize the South, and the other to secure the freedom of Cuba. This he will most urgcntly bring forward in his annual message. He expresses in private j versation the strongest opinión in j tion to the matter, so that all his friends are convinced that he is unusually in earnest about it. A strong efforfc will be j made to secure the recognition of the . belligerent rights of the Cubans before the lst of next Jamiary. Several : tional versions of the Cuban c mse have been sent over the country, abounding in just enough fact to give color to ther assertions. The plain matter of the whole business is that the President is going to make one more vigorous effort to carry out his pet ideas in West India, and if Congress refuses to aid him then he will see whnt he can do upon his own responsibility. In the absence of Congress the President has the right to recoguize the national existence of the Cuban insurgente. It can also be stated upon the best authority that Secretary Fish has been brought over and made to syinpathize with the President in his idea that something ought be done. Mr. Fish heretofore has been the great stumblingblock. If he indorses a movement on the part of this government looking to the recoguition of the Cuban belligerents, the matter is as good as done. It is only a question of time for the rest.