Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-12-13

reference to that terrible question whch threatens
to destroy itf ask patriotic mon in both sec
tons to run over in their minds tho causes Of COM
plant which they have. or think they have, in the
existing state of things, and then ask themselves
dspassionately whether anything is to be gained,
anything to be hoped, by pushing tho present ali
enation to that fatal bourne, from which. as from
death. there isno returns Will the South gain
nny greater stability for hor social system, any
larger entrance into the vacant public territory
viii the North have effected any one object which
by men of any shade Of opinion, extreme or mod
crate, is deemed advisable; on tho contrary. will
not every evil she desires to remedy be confirmed
and aggravatedf II this view Of tho subject bc
correct, what can be moro unwise-what more
suicidal than to allow these deplorable dssensions
to result in revolution, which will leave two
great sections of tho country in q worso condition
than il finds them with reference to the very OBJ
jects for which they allow themselves to be I'M
PEELED to tho dreadful contamination. Ap-
plausc
But l shall be told perhaps that all this is ina.
gnary-that the alarm at the South 10 Fictitious,
or rather groundless panic, for which there 10
no substantial cause--ft subject for ridiculo rath-
or than serious anxiety. But see no signs of pm
10 in Virginia. except for few hours nt lIarper's
Ferry, when in tho confusion Of the first surprise,
and in profound ignorance Of the extent Of tho dan
ger, the community WAS for a short time paralyE
ed am not sure that n town or four or five hun
drcd families in this region. invaded ut night by
resolutc band OF twenty men, entering the houses
"f influential citizens. and hurrying them from
their beds to stronghold previously occupied,
and there holding them as hostuges-l nm not
sure, sir that cqual panic would not be crcatcd
till tho extent of tho danger wa, measured. Be-
sides, sir if the panic Ind been much more exten.
sive than it was tho panics of great and bravo
communities no triaos. Burke said he could
not frame an indictment againsta whole people;
it seems to me equally in bad taste Mt lenst TO try
To point a sneer at n State like Virpinia Tho
French are reputed gallant and warlike peopc;
but the letters from the late seat OF war toll u.s.
that even after the great victory of Solferino. n
handful of Anstrains' struggling into village, nut
n corps of the French army--thousnnds strong
to flight. hundred and fifty men overturned
the French monarchy, on tho occasion to which
have already alluded. in lSiS.
When the circumstances of tho case nro tnkcn
into consideration, expect it will be agreed that
any other community in the country. similnrly
situated, would have been affected in the snmo
way conflict of such an nunpreccdentad charnc-
ter in which twelve or fourteen persons on tho
two sides are shot down, in course of few
hours appears to me an event ut which eyity ought
to stund rehuked md a solemn chill 10 fall upon
every right thinking man.
fear sir, from the tone of some Of the public
journals, that we have made this case our own. -
Suppose n party of desperate, misguided mon, uu
der resolved and fearless leader hnd been organ
lied IN Virynin 10 come nnd establish thcmse Ives
bv stealth in Springfield in this State. intending
there after possessing themselves Mt tho unpuard,
ell hour of midnight of the National Arm"ry, to
take advantage OF some local cause ofdisaiFecton
say the feud between Protestnnts and Catholics
(which led to n very deplorable occurrence in this
vicinity few wears aro) to stir IN n socal rovo-
luton; that pikns and rifles TO arm 2 500 men had
been procured by funds raised hy extensive sub.
of n Sunday night tho work of destruction had
begun by shooting down an unarmed mnn. who
had refused To Join the invading force that citi-
zen. Of the first standing were seized and mprison-
ed, three or four others killed, and when. on tho
entire failure of the conspiracy it's leader had been
tried ably defended by counsel from his owl, part
of tho country, ryicted md executed: Tint
throughout Virginia, which sent him forth on his
fatal errand, aud the South generally, funeral
bells should be tollcd, meetings of sympathy held
ns at the death of some great benefnctor and tho
person who had plotted to put q pike or n rife in
the hands of twenty five hundred men. to be used
against their fellows, inhabitants of the same
town, inmates in tho same houses. with an ulte-
rior intention and purposes of WI apping the whole
community in civil war orthe deailest and
bloodie-t type. in which n mans foes should he
those of his own households; surpose. saw. the
person who planned and plotted oil this, and with
his own hand, or that of his associates acting by
his command had taken the lives O. several fellow
beings should DO extplled canonizcd placed On n
level with the great heroes of humanity, nav as
simulated to he heroes of mankind, and ali this
not the effect If solitary individual imrulse. but
the ripe fruit of Systematic agitation pursued in
the South for years! What, sir, should We feel.
think, say under n such a state of thingsP Should
We weigh every phrase of indignant remonstrance
with critical accuracy, and divide our murmurs
with nice discrimination among those whom we
might believe, however unjustly, to le directly or
Indirectly concerned in the murderous aggression
at tue South as Fictitious or cxtravagant, have, /