Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1859-10-21

merous in thu, region. or that they have any more ra
son Tor discomfort thew than anywhere else IN the same
state. ~
Ilo~ far the rebellion has sprrad among the black pop.
ulation, or TO what degree the whites of the vicinity arr
involved In IL Is not yet known. Some accounts repre-
negroes. and that only a fe~ hundred are engaged In il
At most. But other accounts give us a more alarming
view, stating that i've or On hundrcd negroes arr In
arms, assisted by three hundred white men that they
are in fun possession of the Arsenal andtoNu, have stop
ped the railroad cars, cut oil the communications by tel
cgraph, and declared their purpose TO fight 10 the death,
Negroes are said TO DC huuying in large numbers from
the adjoining cities and districts 10 the rendezvous, 81
that. as TAR north as Baltimore and Washington the May
ors are taking active measures to prevent any Syupa.
thets movements lt is a most serious and dreadful
condition Of things in any aspect even admitting that
The panic of the SHAREHOLDERS may have grcauy exagge
rated the extent Of the danger.
Rumors which are current among the frce blacks OF
this CITY represent that this outbreak Vas only a prcmS
turo explosion OF a more general conspiracy, II Is aneg,
cd that = rising all over the States % MARYLAND and Nir
ginia WAS contemplated; that the s1th OF October was
The day appointed tor the attempt. and that the seizure
ct the arsenal WAS - he the siSaAl TO the insurgents
The taking q the arsenal in anticipation OF the iay,
whereby the ccntict has been pccViptsti before the
slaves wcrc rcaiv for IL il supposed 20 hc a mistake OF
some one cntruSted hv the headers With the execution OF
ihat part Of the plot Whether therc il any foundation
for these rEH,orS Or whether thew are meCe Inventions
Got NJ aler the cvCnt 10 stimulate Pahbr curiosity, Ne
cannot SAY.
The siorScs connecting the name q " Old Brown, Of
oSSNws;SuSc, - he Is called. With the leadership ct this
tanAiSal. enterprise, art, NC arr inGcCi e. think, well
founded. and II that event the WkNc AFFAIR NAV bc
regarded A. a late frui, Of tie violence which the slave
holders intro1eccd into Kansas R7cva ~Ns one cC the
eNdy SETTLERS in that oeN Territory, Ae MISCONCEPTIONS
object % uSrSccutScn AT through the trNghlcs, his pro
Te1y Vas DESTROYED; he and his t,ujy we're cruelty
sroAici o. >evcrAl ~cocAsioaS: thuNe - tnat u his sons
~eTe kicd hy Southern 1eSgerS3Ne> and iher many
cvaspc.tons jrovc hm 70 msdnc> he has NJ, bcrn
rSCariN Sncc, - an TOLD a. \ pS1ecty sane mAn. lie
has eccn kuowu - VoS Ncaecaucr against the whole
cisSS 81 Ssvcholdc-s Tor the oUtrScr> pcs~tstei oy their
representative in hAn>a~ aud iA> in>arN~OOa, II he i
Al TIE head - 10, = TIE manner j. wAch Ac c.aS his ~.
sentiments Ervusici by the reaenbrsnSe q his urOncS
lis ~hole nature turued into gall by the httcr hstrcds
>iirrNd Up in Kansas and reckless u oSaSeQuence> he
has plunged into the work Of blood
Passion does not reason; but ii Brown reASoned and
desired 20 give a pablc motive TO his perSoull ancor,
he probably said 10 himself that " the slave drivers had
tried TO put down freedom in Kansas by fooe OF arms,
and he would try to put.down slavery in Virginia by the
same means. Thus the bloody Instructions which they
taught return 10 plague the inventors. They gave, for
the first time in the history Of the United States, an OK
ample o.the resort 10 aruS 10 carry out political schemes,
and, dreadful a. the retaliation il which Brown has mi.
tiated, must take their share of the responsibility. They
must remember that they accustomed men, in their Kan
sAs torovS, 10 the idea o, using arms against political op-
pOneutS. that hy their crimes and outraCeS they drove
hundreds to madness. and that the feelings OF bitterness
and revenge thus generated, have since ranked in the
heart. Brown has made himself on organ Of these in a
f~earfully significant way.
No one can think of the possible results of an ont.
break of this kind, should il become general, without
shuddeTing, without calling up to his Imagination the
most terrible scenes OF incendiITi>m, carnage and rape.
In nearly all the Southern States the negroes greatly
preponderatc in number many Of them, /, is true. arr
too ignorant and stupid 10 take any effective part in AN
Instruction Others, too. arr profoundly attached In
their masters OF their families: hut these excepted. there
are Vet thousands able and willing to strike for their
Emancipation. 1t has been impossible tOkeep them in
entire Ignorance of the blessings OF freedom, and Of the
OF attaining II bN force of arms; the fugitive
slaves OF the North have iound means OF communicating
with their OLD comrades: the AhoitioniStS have SpoEcn
to them 10y pictuurs. If not by language Democrats
orators have told them falsely that the entire North was
engaged in a crusade against the South for the sake of
the slaves; and as servants in the cities they have heard
the talk of the parlor and the harroom, aud in Immune
rahle other ways have been made To think and to de-
When the hour comes, therefore, they will not be
found either So incapable or 80 docle A. the shareholders
seem TO suppose.
But what . condition Of socicty is that in which one
hall the population constantly menaCeS the other half
civil war and murder-in which the leading c!aSss-
10 sleep every night, csrelesslv, 1t NAV be. over the
arlier of a volcano, and which the dangers DO not les
asi III other societies, with time, hut grow with its
growth, until an explosion becomes o. inevitable ss the
,ruptons Of Etna or NesuviGs, What a condition ofso-
'tety. to be extended over the virgin territories OF the
est-the seat Of our future empirc-and for which poi
tcians should clamor and scar their conscience and les-
peradoes should fight.
How insane the policy which would recruit and extend
THIS form OF social existence, even while il i becoming
unmanageable as is. Open the gates to the slave trade.
cry the Southerncrs, who are as great fanatics a. Brown.
tap the copious resources of Africa, let new millions of
blacks Ice added To the enormous number that now cul.
uivate our fields, let the alarming disproportion between
them and the whites be increased It l. q blessed institu.
ton, and We cannot have too much oft But while they
speak the tocsin sounds. the blacks are in arms. their
houses arc in flames, their wives and children driven in
TO exile or killed, and n fearless servile war stretches it,
horrors over years. That is the blessed institution Won
ask US TO foster, and spread, and worship, and for the
sake OF which you even spout your impotent threats
against the grand edifce Of the Union.