The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1859-11-25
The Instruments of Demagogues-
Their Destiny.

| Poor Gerrit Smith is in an insane asy-
lum-driven to madness by reflection
upon the consequences of doctrines with
which his mind had become poisoned,
and which he had contributed to support
Personally kind, amiable and philan-
thropic, the bloody scenes which he could
calmly theorize about, as philosopher,
overturned his mind after they had been
carried into practical operation. The
Ilarper's Ferry development of the infa.
nous programme laid down by William
Ii. Seward, at Rochester, haunts him day
and night, and he imagines himself guilty
Of murders, which he could encouraged
before realizing their atrocity, and ,roI
perhaps, sacrifice his life to have preveri
ed, now that the evil is irreparable. =
And Mr.. Smith is but one of multitude
of the miserable catspaws and fanatics,
whom venal, cold hearted, calculating
demagogues at the North, after having
used to accomplish the purpose of ma
king for themselves political capital, have
heartlessly thrown aside, ruined, or de-
stroyed, when the ends were gained which
they had in view.
$50 incompatible" said Mr.. Seward,
"are the two systems, of free ard servile
labor, that every new State makes its first
political act choice of the one, and an
exclusion of the other, even at the cost of
civil war if necessary" In accordance
with this authoritative dictum, Horace
Greedy got hold of poor Colonel Forbes,
gave him twenty dollars and dinner
and packed him off to drill abolitionist
rebels in Kansas. He told him that when
the time for fighting came, he desired to
be there, and requested Forbes to send
him word. Greeley, of course, had no
more intention of going than Seward has
Of shouldering musket in the great "a ir-
repressible coflict between opposing and
elfauring forces" But his object was OBJ
tanned. Forbes and his battalion of fell
low dupes, created, or manufactured a
hideous succession of "outrages," with
which the republican mouthpieces, East
and West succeeded in keeping their fol-
lowers agape, and the country distracted,
for several years. He risked his life and
wasted his strength and energies in the
service of the conspirators who had en-
ployed him but the moment he inter-
fered with their plans-as in remonstra-
ting against the folly of the Harper's Fer
ry invasion-he was given the cold shoul-
der, and finally tossed overheard Gree
ley gives Forbes no dinners now. but
denounces him as an idiot, and has even
made foolish attempt to call his verac-
ity in question.
The greater part of the wretched in
struments of the rebellion at Harper
Ferry were shot. Some of them were
drowned, and the remainder will be
hanged. few of the accessories before
the fact may, possibly, be reached by the
arm Of justice, and others more sensitive
and conscientious, like Gerrit Smith, may
be deprived of their senses by remorse.-
All these, however, have been but the
tools and victims of cautious, far-sighted
apostles, of treason, who have preached,
for years, what John Brown and his fol-
lowers practiced. While they have puff:
ed themselves and each other up, with
the idea that they were heroes and phi.
lanthropists, they have only been the po,
litical pick-locks, with which demagogues
have made their way into State and fed.
eral legislative halls, and lobby spoils.
men have gained access to the public
treasury.