Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1859-12-09

AS that union Is among the most precious OF Ouc !
blessings so the argument ought to weigh which
weighs its value. But this consideration is de-
spised by fanaticism. 1t contemns the Union,
aud now contemns us for clinging to it as we do.
1t SCOTS tho warning that the union is endan-
gered. The Union itself Is denounced as GOV.
enant with sin, aud We are soorned as too timid
to make the warning OF danger to 1t worthy to
be needed. IL arrogantly assumes to break all
the bonds of faith within II, and deties the at
tempt To escape oppression without It, 1nas
aadeiy aSsaiLs cur honor as we'll as our interests,
and demands of us what we will do. We have
but one thing to do: unless the numerical MA
jority will cease to violate confederate faith, on
question of such vital Importance to US, and
will cease, Immediately and absolutely cease to
disturb our peace, to destroy our lives and prop
erty, and to deprive us of all protection and re-
dress under the perverted forms and distorted
workings of the Union, we must take up arms
The issue is too essential to be compromised
any more We cannot stand such insults and
outrages as those of Harper's Ferry without
suffering worse than the death of ctizens-with-
out suffering dishonor the death of State.
! For quarter of century we have been per
suaded to forbear, and patiently to wait for the
waking and working of the conservative elements
| in our sister States. We have borne and FORE
borne, and waited in vain. We know that we
have many sound and sincere friends in the non
slaveholding States. 1t may be that they are
most numerous far who abhor and detest such
wrongs as these; but it is not to be disguised
that the conservative elements are passive, whilst
the fanatical are dctioe, and the former are fast
diminishing, whilst the latter are increasing in
numbers and in force. But where is the evil
dence that the conservative elements are most
powerful Do we look to the schools md col
leges? to the pupits and clergy, and churches
and congregational to the press to the jour
nails to the books9 to the professions the ar
tisans! to associations which are marked char
acteristcs of the age to politics to public as
semblies and speakers? to legislatures to Con
gress9 to laws, either State or federal! to elec-
tions2 to the administration of lawss to judicial
! decisions2 Alas turn where we will and to
what we will, we find that the judgments of the
: courts only are with us, but they have lost all
reverence and respect, and we are left without
protection, and the Supreme Court of the United
States is itself assailed for not assailing our Con
stitutiona defences. And these last are assailed
in denying the rights of protection itself. new
sovereignty and new law is set up over the
old, and we are denied protection under BOTH
Where the Federal Government has no power te
Cypress, it is assumed; and where it has the
power and it is it's duty to protect, it is not al
lowed to intervene. And the non -slaveholdlne
States are in nearly solid array opposed to u.s.
: We, united, may contend for while by the aid
pluralities, but for short time only, and uncer
tainly at any time, and at best have no majortle'
on which we can rely in at least sixteen States
/, having the power of the Union. The active ha
D overcome the passive elements; fanaticism has
Q subined conservatism in all these States, an(
these can now, in our present condition, practl-
: caly WELD our destinies for veal or woe. vii
!, they come back to the Constitution end abid
it's covenants or not2 What those covenants ar
| have fully discussed in reply to the resolution
! of Vermont, which are herewith submitted, witt
my response appended, as part OF this message
1 Ipt it upon the archives Of State as the mos
elaborate study Of the subject OF which l an
capable.
But no words can elaborate the issues to WHICH
s we are now practically brought by the events AZ
i Harper's Ferry.
1t is vain to point to the paucity of the numbers
of the marapders. The daring of their attempt
would prove mere their foolhardiness than their
full assurance that they to be joined by aforee
sufficient to be formidable. If they had not mlsa,
ken the number and disposition of the slaves W.
they expected to seize the spears wneI :; 'r ny
brought to capture an arsenal o. ar many other
white fanatics would have sweled tner nInIe,s
Y nor how much blood and treasure ~, !. 49, ~ ht
cost to quell their rebellion Few rIs onr most
oTthv c;t;zans. and insutingly dared the chances
Y ~ do;nr mischief to our entire ORTIZ
ern border. ro;.os
Men;ses they were, only all great criminals; and
monomsnacs they were, only rs the suo]ect OF sla.
very makes men more lnsensate than ahE oshef one
b subject can. If these men were monom0nlacS, tnen
81 area large portion of the people OF many OF the
States mOnomanlacs.
Before these crimes, they were deemed sane SOL
ders in notable crusade against slavery ana slave-
holders. Many of those who now plead their IN
sanity for them, put Sharpe's rifles in their hands
and enlisted and trained and trusted their wts for
war in Kansas Contributions were raised for them
in churches. They had been pulled With the praise
II of the professedy pous for being the very men OF
destiny for the mission against slave settlements
They had been furnished with money TO MAKE snafR
spears of hutchery for the Threats and breasts OF
masters and to supply munitions and stores OF reg
parts far between as they themselves we're lew.
They were provided, supplied and furnished with
, much beyond their own wants or means. Anolt Is
passing strage that they, madmen should, lew as
they were, have been SO many madmen, meeting
from 50 far apart 50 well supplied by others than
themselves, at point 50 well selected, and that
they should have conspired with So much method
as to be so successful against such apparent odqs.
Were these parties, known and unknown, so sltua-
ted all mad? 1t is enough to say that the leader
himself spurned the fasehood, hypocrisy and COW,
ardice Of this mawkish plea of monomania, and
neither he, nor one OF his men, nor tnelr counsel,
: put 1t in upon their trials. He expected from his
prompters and hackers and sympathzers .pe5ter
pretence and more potent defence that that Be-
fore his failure and defeat IN Wlag, N tdlr poFFe
pondence with him. they called GLORIOUS cause
their sympathy was all with his desperate daring
and success; and now it is with his insanity Tor
plea against the legal penalties of his crimes, which
had their origin in this very sympathy. sympa-
thy which saw bis insanity too late to snatch from
his hands the weapons had placed there; too late
to save the lives taken by its own Indictment ana
too late to save him from a felon's fate
By our laws, the plea of insanity could aEah AZ
any time, in any stage of trial, and after sconyic-
ton, before sentence of the COURT and after the u
dicial tribunals were done with the prisoners and
they were turned to the exec4toner, the exc
cutive authority could forefend the laws sentence
upon the insane. If either could show or prove IN
sanity. either now trial he could not De exc
cuted as long as = am the Governor OF the Com
monwealth, until currd in an asylum; and, if insane
at the time of committing the offence, he could not
be executed cured not cured, at all. But these
men needed no mental cure; theirs was moral
maady of devils, which no power but divine
could cast out. They were deliberate, cunning
malignant malefactors, desperately bent on mis-
chief, with malice aforethought, gangrened by Sec
tiona and social habitual hatred to US and ours
Their vengeance whetted by previous COLLISIONS
hundreds of miles from us, and it whetted Jagged
edges spears which it broughtthe hundreds OF miles
for our destruction. They came a few, like thieves
in the night, did their deeds of death and were
! easily crushed; but they were prompted by an evil
spirit of ncendiarism which demoralizes a numer-
GUS host of enemies behind them, who now blatant
" sympathize with their deeds in open day before