The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1874-01-09

1eTlnS, IN any manner, Will ltn alidlIs.
The members of the American Legation
at st. Petersburg are credited with being in
strumental in securing the insertion OF the ar
ticle in the Russo-Bokhara treaty abolishing
slavery. r
The English Court of Inquiry, sitting to
determine the cause of the Vile du Havre dis
aster, has unanimously acquitted Cart. Rob-
ertson. of the Loeb Earn, from any blame in
the matter. This verdict. by implication, at
least, casts the responsibility on Capt. Sur
mont, of the Vile du Havre.
-
CALEB GUSHING ON THE STATUS OF
THE TIRGLNIUS.
Caleb Gushing, the newly appointed
Minister to Spain, has al article in the
Washington Capital of Sunday, Dec.
IS, severely criticising the opinion of
Attorney-G General Williams in the Vir-
ginius case. 1t seems that Gushing,
who has usually been employed as legal
adviser of the State Department, al
consulted at the outset in this case, and
assured Mr.. Fish that his case was a
very bad one +; hat the Virginius was a
ilbuster, and our Government could
not exact reparation for her capture.
The Secretary disregarded this advice,
and did not consult Mr.. Gushing
further. That Mr.. Gushing has been
since selected for the Spanish mission
is due to the fact that the Government
needs a specially skillful minister to
disentangle its business at Madrid. Mr..
Cushing criticises MIR. Williams as fol-
lows: "The decision of the Attorney
General embraces two points first,
that the register of the Virginius being
a fraud upon the navigation laws of the
United States, she had no right to carry
the American flag second, by carrying
the American flag, which she had no
right to carry, she was as much exempt
from interference on the high seas by
ships of other naval powers, as if she
had been a regular merchant vessel,
prosecuting n legitimate trade and law
fully registered. In other words, on
the highway of nations, whatever pirate
or outlaw prefers to disguise itself in
American ~colors, obtains thereby the
right of American protection as against
those who may be aggrieved by its dep
relations. While the Virginius was
committing a crime against the United
States which rendered her an outlaw,
liable to seizure and c~onfiscation, and
her crew TO punishment, SO potent is the
American flag, which she SO wrongfully
carried, that any interference with her
operations is an insult to the honor of
the United States, for which we are duly
bound to make war the alternative of
atonement. This is simply the doc
trine that n robber going to his work
i'll the stolen clothes of n respectable
man is not only entitled TO the respect
OF persons he intends to injure as if he
were the owner OF the garments he has
assumed, but to the protection Of the
owner himself as against his intended
victim. This is not the doctrine that
he flag protects the ship, but the doc
trine that the mask protects the male.
factor. 1t is the offering of n premium
on disguise. 1t is like saying to a high
way robber: Rob with your face ex-
posed and you shall be punished, but
put on a mask and You shall not be mo-
lested.'"
The Salt Lake HeTdtd, the leading
newspaper of a Territory which is as
much interested in the irrigating ques-
ton as Colorado, is opposed to the
scheme of Government canal building.
1t suggests that the only Congressional
aid required by the Territories is the
passage Of law similar to that of March
:, lS49, by which Congress granted to
the State of Louisiana all the swamp
and OVERLOOKED lands, and all land unfit
for cultivation, belonging TO the United
States, on condition that the proceeds
of sales Of such lands should be ex-
pended in the construction of levees and
the digging of drains, in order that said
lands might become fit for cultivation.
On Sept. 30, 1850, another act was D
proved granting the same description
of lands to the State of Arkansas for n
purpose, and extending the
same provision to all the other States
then existing. On March IL, 1860, an
act was approved extending the same
to the States of Oregon and Mime
sofa. The Herald thinks that the lands
in the Territories which, for want of
water, are now unfit for cultivation, and
the swamp and over1owed lands, should
be granted to the Territories, the pro-
leeds of sales to be used in works of
irrigation.
One of our prominentiti czens on his
way home with a neighbor, Thursday
hight, reached his premises in the
midst of an earnest enunciation of his
.heory Of the planets, and bracing his
pack against his fence and leaning his
,lbows on the top, finished his argyll
nent and went into the house. On TAX
ng off his beaver overcoat he was re-
that the fence had that day
newly painted by the condition of
he back and sleeves Of that garment.
he didn't say anything about the plan
It's. He simply laid the coat on the