Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-10-22
Mad Browns Insurrection."

This is the term by which the late bloody
affair at Harper's Ferry is designated by the
republican organs, now that it has been prov
cd Il sad failure; but it cannot be forgotten
that this man Brown was Il representative
in Kansas Of the Massachusetts Emf grant
Aid Society, during all the trouble there, and
that all the outrascs in which he and others
then participated were sustained and ap-
plauded by the republican papers at the time.
Brown was the recipient and keeper Of the
arms and munitions of war contributed by
the abolition Aid Society, TO plunge Kansas
into bloodshed and anarchy, as is proved by
the fact that he used these same arms in his
late desperate attempt in Virginia. 1t is
pretended that the instruction ut liarpers
Ferry was an isolated affair, concocted by
Brown himself, without the knowledge of
the republican abolition leaders, and that 1t
had no ramitications anywhere else. 1t Is
true that a few of the conservative portion OF
the republican party thought that the Kansas
dlsturbers were going too far, aud that The
same class look with adherence upon this
late sanguinary attempt at llarpcr'S Ferry;
but we think it is quite probable that the va
rious Garrisonian and Seward cliques were
well aware that it was pre-arranscd: in fact,
that such IN opening of the ''irrepresshle CON
fct' was desired, though their organs now
talk of itas Brown crazy insurrection,' and
Mad Browns Instruction. and descrheits
leader rs Old Ossawattomic Brown, and call
him misguided fanatic, and so forth; but
ut the same time they 20 as lar to justify his
act as they dare; and when his trial comes
on, then we shall! probably see By whose au-
thority Mad Brown" acted
That the instruction was the work of mad
impulse rather than of Il preconceivcd plan.
is disproyei BY the admission OF Brown him
SELF; that it was designed As far back rs June.
lSjG, and by the fact, that in August last
the Secretary Of War was informed of the
whole plan. exactly as it has been carried
ont. in u letter which appeared! III the Herald.
We have no doubt that it was Browns de-
libcrate intention to use the arms which he
had brought from Kansas for his reasonable
purpose: that he calculated upon scizing the
United States arsenal, and thus supply the
slaves of Virginia aud Maryland with wca-
pons and ammunition, in the hope that they
would flock to his standard in thousands. by
which he would be enabled either Ia run them
oil into the free States, or 10 incite Il general
seryile instruction, and possibly hold Mary
land and Virginia until he proclaimed Il pro-
vlsiunal government, or some nonsense ol
that sort There il no doubt that the scheme
was very mad one. and could not have
succeeded in any event; but there is just as
little doubt, we think, that Old OSsawattomlc
neither conceived nor attempted it without
aid and counsel from other quarters.
In short, had Brown succeeded in his afro
cious purpose, instead Of failing miserahly, as
he fortunately did, his friends and abcttors, in
stead designating him rs mad man, would
have enshrined his name asa hero: he would
possibly have found place i'll their estma-
ton equal to that of Washington. The
truth is that il is not the act of Brown and
hi. followers which the republican papers
now condemn, but the mistake which he
made in selecting the wrong time for the
attempt. Even as it is, they make very
poor attempt to disguise the fact that it ~
not the spirit which animated this misguided
traitor, that they find fault with 50 much n
the i'll opportune moment ut which the At
tempt wua made and the i'll success which
attended it.-N. y WsruH.