The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-12-15

! quences of his acts. Then, to add to all the
rest, the present Governor of Virginia, by his
mode of dealing with this question, by his evil
dent attempt to make political capital out OF it,
by his effort to get up panic and to make a
parade, has excited feeling of derision and
contempt among the masses of the people. In
my judgment, the sympathy and the popular
feeling manifested towards John Brown are
owing more to the conduct of Governor Wise
than to any other source whatever. Had ne
dealt with this question as wise and discreet
magistrate; had these parties been brought to
| trial at the proper time, and tried fairly had
he sent few constables, or perhaps few arm
ed men there, to preserve order; had he held
! these parties responsible, and not attempted to
implicate men, for partisan purposes, in COM
plicity with it; had he dealt with this question
as it should have been dealt with by discreet
and proper man, who had no Interior purpose
| to gain, what we witness in this country to-day
would never have taken place.
| Sir, | shall vote most cheerfnlly for this in
vestigation. hope it will be thorough; | hope
the investigation will be honest hope it will
go to the bottom of the affair. shall vote for
| the amendment of the Senator from Illinois as
it has been presented and / shall vote for the
original proposition, with or without it.
Mr.. CLARK, of New Hampshire, made state
ments and expressed sentiments similar to those
of Mr.. Wilson.
Mr.. BROWN. Mr.. President, do not rise
for the purpose of going into any part of this
general debate, but | beg for a moment the at
tention of the Senator from Massachusetts, who
just now occupied the floor. l have seen
newspaper statement to the effect that meet
ing was held at Natick in the State of Massa-
chusetts, which, believe, is the home of the
honorable Senator, ON the 10th of last month,
at which this resolution was passed:
/ whereas resistance to tyrants is obedience
to God: Therefore,
ReSolUed, That it is the right and duty of
the slaves to resist their masters, and the right
and duty of the people of the North to incite
them to resistance, and to aid them in it."
| This resolution, understand, was passed at
a very large meeting of the immediate friends
nelghbors, and constituents of the honorable
Senator frem Massachusetts, and he was per-
sonally present at that meeting. l desire to ask
him whether it is true that he was present at
the meeting, and if so, whether he resisted,
either by his advice, or in any other mode,
the passage of the resolution? If it suits the
Senator, will take his answer now.
| Mr.. WILSON. When the Senator closes
his remarks l will explain the matter, or will
do it now.
| Mr.. BROWN. will take the answer now.
Mr.. WILSON. Mr.. President, will send to
the chair copy of the Boston Journal, which
contains a letter written by gentleman in the
town where | reside in regard to that meeting
and it explains the whole matter.
Mr.. BROWN. Very well.
The Clerk read the letter referred to, as fol-
lows:
"NATICK, December 2.
To the Editor Of the Boston Journal:
Your paper of Friday contains an article
from Southern paper, abiding to a meeting
in this town, which was addressed by II. G.
Wright, and attended by Senator Wilson, and
at which was passed resolution in favor of
melting slaves to resistance. 1t is due to Cen
eral Wilson that the facts should be correctly
stated, and with your permission will do so.
The meeting was not properly meeting
of the citizens of Natick, called for the purpose
of expressing their opinions, but was notified
IN the usual manner of meetings called by
itinerant lecturers who wish to speak to the
| people. These meetings are quite common,
and are attended by all classes of men--friends,
opponents, and the indifferent, who usually go
and hear in silence, and let the lecturer have
his say unmolested.
8" AT the meeting referred to, Mr.. Wright
offered resolution to the effect that resistance
to tyrants is obedience to God,' and, therefore,
the slaves should be melted to resist their mas
tiers. He spoke an hour and forty minutes,
and explained the meaning ofhis resolution to
be, not armed and forcible resistance but re-
sistance by moral, religious social, and COM
mercial means, to make Slavery unpopular and
Improbable. But very few voted on the reso-
luton, and no one spoke but Mr.. Wright.
As General Wilson had addressed large
meeting in the same place, only few evenings
before, and had given his views at length, and
with much explictness, condemning the action
of John Brown in the strongest manner, he
probably did not deem it necessary to depart
from his usual custom of listening in a quiet
way, and let those who hired the hall do as
| they pleased, and take the responsibility.
"The resolution of Mr.. Wright, as interpreted
by him, contained nothing but simple express
sion OF opposition to Slavery by all proper and
Legitimate means but it was artfuy drawn by
Mr.. Wright, so as to convey to those who did not
hear his explanations a meaning of different
character-doubtless with view of increasing
the alarm and excitement now prevailing in the
South. Whatever may be the sins Of General
Wilson in the matter of Slavery, it is not true
that he has approved the act of Brown, either
in public or in private, but has uniformly de-
plored and condemned it. Yours, NJ"
Mr.. WILSON. 1t is not my purpose to de-
tain the Senate by making personal explana.
tions. | have sent to the Clerk this statement,
which was written by citizen of my town on
the receipt of this intelligence, which was re.
ceived after / had left my home. The facts, as
stated there, are correctly stated. During the
can 7ass in New York, spent two weeks there,
and addressed tens of thousands of people, and
my speeches reported in full two or three
times. In those speeches l expressed my
views in regard to this raid of John Brown at
Harper's Ferry fully and explicitly. returned
to my home on the day preceding the election
in my State, and | addressed very large meet
ing of the citizens of my town for two hours on
general political topics, and fully on this mat
ter in regard to the Harper's Ferry affair. At
that time, intended to write out that part of
my speech for publication, but other affairs in
tervened. 1t was full and explicit the sub
stance of it had been published in the press of
the country and scattered abroad. In the town
where | live, we have more than thousand
voters. We have some ten or twenty men who
are radical Aboitionists. Some of them were
present; they did not interrupt me or the meet
ing. When the meeting was through, they said
to their neighbors and friends, and some of
them came to me and said, that they disagreed
with me entirely, and would have somebody
there to put the other side of the question. A
short time afterwards, Mr.. Henry G. Wright,
Garrison Abolitionist, who is protested dis
unionist, no-government man, non-resst
ant came to speak in my town. The popula-
ton of the place went to hear him, and crowded
the hall. Most of the active Democrats in the
town were present. The postmaster was present.
and sat close by me. The resolutions were
offered by Mr.. Wright, and he made a non-re-
sistant speech in favor of resistance. Laugh
teri He went on to explain how the thing
could be done. He said he would not shed
drop of human blood to free every slave in the