The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1864-11-17
THE FLORIDA AFFAIR.

Win lengthy ana eopnomoric arguments
and appeals in the rebel papers North
against the conduct of the brave Collins
in his bold dash and capture of this daring
pirate of the high seas under the guns of
Brasilian fort, and surrounded by an
armed fleet of their ships of war. 1t will
call forth the depth of the Northern rebel
mind upon constitutional law, which will
serve, in the absence of other claptraps
with which to deceive the people, to fur
nish food for the action of their brains,
ever prolific in expedients when their
country and Government is to be opposed.
We congratulate them in the possession
of something upon which they can spend
their ink and wrath and expect to find
them make Collins conduct black with
the former aud to fill the air with loud
resounding, echoing and re-echoing howl
with the other.
In advance We would ask consideration
to the following points in international
law,
l. No international law..was violated,
because the Confederate rebel States bav ve
not been acknowledged as such.
2. The Florida was pirate of the high
seas.
5. The Brazilian Government commit
ted the first offence BY permitting repeat
ed piracies upon our vessels almost within
their harbor, aud almost, too, within range
of their port guns.
Tho above propositions embrace points
which will go far to justify the action ol
Commander Collins, and trust our Gov
ernment will make no national concession
when the justice of the act is SO clear nd
manifest. If the Brazilian Government
will invite into their harbors aud poftf
piratical vessels, which have been perpe.
trating Wholesale plunder upon our com
merce, and then protect them there in vi
olation of all justice aud that amity which
has heretofore existed between that Gov
ernment and ours, they may consider
themselves fortunate that it went no fur
ther than to dash into their port and dfas
out the pluuderer of the high seas. They
were in no wise injured in their substan
tial Interests. aud if they have suffered il
anything ii vas from bitter feelings O
chagrin and disappointment.
This act ought to square with the prin
ciples of ccmmol. a., IN which if an indi
vidual who has been depredating upo,
the lives and property OF one communit,
seeks safety and protection in another
the officer Of the former may dash in an.
seize the person Of the offender, provides
| be does no injury to any one either i
their .persons or property, and no Ia,
would condemn him.
An officer from Louisville, Kentuck,
some years since, arrested an individua
in Indiana, took him to Kentucky, trie
| and convicted him for aiding in the Q.
/ cape of slave woman, almost white, an
incar@rated him in the ,peni.entiary for
: number Of years, and vas only liberate
Q during the past one. Did the courts d,
7 eide on the illegality Of the arrest in th
, case? No. Aud yet the whole broo
of Copperhead sheets of Kentucky will
shocked at the boldness of the above ca
r ture and denounce it IS illegal. We sha
r see. L.
EE "Another Democratic meetir
D broken upl'
II 'sWhere at p
ga large crowd Of Democrats scatter.
by the Union soldiers -
"Where2 Where ?''
"Union officers participate in the d
. turbance r.
S Good! Good Where did it
q happen 2"
70 "Iu the Shenandoah Valley r
s'Git outP'
= @ Governor Curtin has Issued
A proclamation setting apart Thursday. d
it z4sn inst, - . day Of thanksgiving
n Pennsylvania.
-
= "a casting weighing IL 900 poun