The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-07-06
WEDNESDAY, JULY Q. 1854.

a DAnY AFTERNOON NKwsFArER.


-
TINE DESTRUCTION OF THE PIRATE.
Let Secretary WELLEs rejoice. Let the
whole navy fling up It's cap and hurrah with
Will A glorious victory for our arms has
been won upon the sea, and the value of It is
greatly enhanced by the peculiar crcum-
stances under which It occurred The pirate
8EMhEs and bis vessel, the alabama, have
long been the scourge and terror Of our COM
Enerce. Like LAFT1TE, or the Red Roper,
rnade famous by the splendid genius of
CooPEB, the Southern buccaneer has, for q
Dong time, been securing the ocean from the
Mexican Gulf TO the Chinese shores, and prey
ing, with nerciless rapacity and malice, on
every erah that bore our flag Our merchants
were reasonably alarmed for the security of
their ships and cargoes Our marine insurance
companies were altogether warranted in put
1ing up the rates Of policies covering any pro-
perty exposed on the high seas under the
stStarp and Stripes" In that state of appre-
honsiOn 1t was not at all to be wondered that
British shipping began to monopolize the car
rying trade between this country and the
foreign world, and that the British ship
Owners we're disposed to wink 1T every mea-
eure and coRtrivance, however unlawful, that
would contribute to destroy our commerce
and throw the whole business and profits of
marine transportation into their hands.
But the defeat Of SEAMEs In q square, open,
and pitched fight, and the sinking of his vessel
with the loss Of number of bis crew and the
wounding Of otheEs, including himself will
probably open the eyes Of the English and also
the French Admiralty to the danger of OPP
posing our nevy In direct warfare, or by any
mean and eowardly eollusion with the pratt
cal Captain KIDDs Of the bogus Government
r.. dachlnond
Oaptsin WINsLow, who commanded the
Shird-rate screw steamer Kedrsoge, is reported
10 have challenged SEMMEs to q naval duel,
and SEMMEs, with true Southern pluck, for
which we give him all due credit, took up the
glove. He sailed or steamed out of the harbor
of Cherbourg, in which he had been permitted
10 repair his ship, and made right at the
EedrsGge, with an evident hope Of using her
up In short and sharp engagement. But he
found his match at last In the gallant COM
nander and crew ofthat vessel, and after fierce
encounter he got q broadside under his water
line and went down ingloriously.
We say ingloriously, because the news we
get Of the affair from SEMniEs himself repre-
sents him in the miserable character Of q
plaintiff, who complains that the crew of the
Kearsage kept up the fight after the pirate
had struck her flag. We do not know GER
tainly whether this complaint of SEAiMEs is
really well-founded, or only trumped up to
excite unjust feeling on the other side of the
water against our navy. But be all that as 1t
may, we should like to know what title q
pirate has TO the comities of naval warfare
Is IL possible that lawless marauder on the
= ocean, who is assailing the commerce Of any
one nation or Of all nations, under the pre-
tence Of legitimate belligerent right, is to
be suffered to enjoy the privileges ofthe decent
and legal character he assumes? Privateering
Is wei understood by all naval powers.
1t is the right of preying on the commerce
of an enemy under the sanction of letters OF
marque and reprisal, issued by recognized
government But what nation In Christen-
dom has recognized the Government of JET
4 PERSON DAvIs2 England and France have
regarded the Southern Rebels as belligerents,
which was a concession quite beyond the
limits of that law and policy which every
government Is interested to preserve as q pro-
lection against the revolutionary attempts OF
its own disaffected subjects. But we very
much doubt whether the belligerent rights
conceded to set of Rebels on land will JUS
tify their extension on that maratime domain
which belongs to all de jure governments
In common, and to them only.
A purely de tacto government should have
no rights whatever beyond the land or water
1hat 1t actually occupies and CONTROLS and
the idea OF giving 1t legal and international
privileges on the high seas, where it cannot be
properly recognized until it is formally &C
knOwledged as a government de jure, seems
to us to be positively and plainly prepos-
ferrous.
But waving this question Of moral right
there Is one fact about which all loyal persons
will agree-and that is, that Captain WINsLow
has behaved most gallantly in the affair with
SEnMEs, and has done much to retrieve the
BOZ ewhat discredited honor and prestige oi
our navy. He has won his title to the highest
neod which it is possible for the Government
to accord him, and we most sincerely trust
that the President VIII signalize his admirable
prowess and splendid achievement by bestow'
ing on him at once the most distinguished re-
ware which the law of our naval service will
admit, and which Secretary WELLEs has
already requested. NAPOLEON made his army
and secured his great military successes by
exemplary promotion Of men who proved
themselves worthy Of his confidence and favor
His rule Is the sound one, and our Govern
ssnt should adopt it both in our army and
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