New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-12-10

Most eeainly and there is the end oft far as the
North is concerned. Now, gentlemen Of the South,
cease agitation; mind your affairs; let ours alone,
and YOU will have no further trouble with FreeSoiers,
aud Northern Abolitionists. COUSTRTmAE.
THE HARPER'S FERRY INSURRECT0N.
From The London Times
In the defense made by the rngleader of the late in
surrection in the United States, receive a notable
exposition of the motives by which the offenders on
that occasion may be conceived to have been ciuated
The statement Is true, is not only an en- Parte state
men but proceeds from man pleading for ms life,
and must therefore be taken with some qualification
is calculated in fact TO reduce to the dimensions Of
mere fanaca folly an attempt indicted as absolutely
reasonable and thus deprive of its worst features
| charge which had been considered OF capital magn-
tude Still, notwithstanding these obvious reflections
| it is by no means improbable that the argument in
question sincerely advanced, for the composure OF
the prisoner was exceedingly remarkable, and his pre-
| y,ons character had been well established. He had
been tried for certain acts involving the crimes OF
treason and rebellion, and on these charges bad been
found guilty. when, in arrest Of Judgment, he delivered
the address which we published at length on Thursday
last.
The purport Of this strange justification is that the
criminal incidents Of the attempt mad never been con-
templaied and that the real object Of the proceeding
admitted Of Defense according the laws of humanity
and the Word of God. Mr.. Browns design as de-
scrbed by himself, TO accomplish, on a compre-
bepsiyc scale in the Eastern States Of the UniOn
project which he says he had already achieved with
perfect success in the States Of the West. Last VIM
| Ter he went into Missouri, and there took slaves.
| them onward through the country, and finally saw
them safe across the Canadian border. Embodened by
the results of this singular experiment. he conceived
the design of attempting 1t ON lar larger scale III
Virginia and the overt seizure of post at Harpers
| Ferry was the commencement of the plan Harpers
Ferry is situated the northern frontier of Virginia
| and consequently the very confines OF the Slave
and Free States of the Union If the scheme had sue
ceeded we must imagine that the slave populpuon OF
4 the South-millions in number-were TO be pushed
! through PENNSYLVANIA and New-N0rk, and taken
across the ST. Lawrence into British territory. On
proieot so inconceivably chmerica and wild, we need
waste no words. IL is not with this part OF the de-
tense that we are concerned. lie notable features OF
the case are to be found less in the plan of operations
than in the doctrines by which the attempt Itself was
| justified IN open Court.
| Mr. Brown argued that in thus endeavoring to be-
come the bera0r of his fellowcreatuFes he was simply
obeviug the inunctOns of Christianity, and the more
so indeed inasInuch az the slaves despsed and
poor and without help or strength OF their own. lie
suoke of them as the millions whose rights were dis
regarded by wicked, cruel, ana unjust enactments'
He declared that " those who were in bonds were
bound with him" and he appealed Tor his warrant
to the Book fthe Gospels produced in Court and to
the law Of God, which he assumed that the Court -
knowledged As he designed 10 do nothing but release
men frem bondage and as such an act was in confOr
nifty with the teaching Of the Bible he beld that he
had done wrong and asserted that he was free IRON
ali consciousness Of guilt His attempt implied no
no man could enjoy property in the person of others.
fit was attended with homicide, eommotion or other
| evil consequences that not his fault for he had
! never contemplated any such events. lie never IN
tended TO excite rebellion, 10 commit treason, or TO
DO wrong TO any He would have deprived masters
of their slaves but that was competent for him TO at.
tempt for the right of the slave 10 freedom cverruled
the right of the master 10 possession More than that
had never entered into bis designs
W. repeat that, IN our opinion. there is appear
ance of sincerity, if not of reason, in this singular
harangue. In It's character, indeed II strongly resem-
bles the addresses which fanatics, whether religious
or political, have ever been wont TO make. Anna
| baptists Puritans, Covenaners and Fifth Monarchy
Men have 20 spoken times Of mind. The early
French Republicans under King Louis Philippe adopted
similar siyle Of argument, and wherever, indeed,
single doctrine assumed to be imperative above, be-
yond and aIari from all other doctrines whatever,
similar consequences viii be found 10 follow Brown
had hat one idea-that of abolishng Slavery; and,
| having persuaded himself that the end good, he
gave himself little trouble about means or opporuni-
ties. We shall be thought 20 have strained tins sTgu-
ment 20 the utmost If suppose that any man, not
being absolutely insane, could expect 10 transplant the
eoofed population of the Southern States of the Union
10 free soil without connection, boodsted or injury
10 preperty vet the scheme is at least rational this
assumption as on any other. Ii would have savored still
more Of madness 10 project torcible subversion OF
American institutions and TO anticipate that the score
of consprators who broke out AT Harpers Ferry could
really oVerpower the Government OF the United
States There insanity in the thing either way, and
The insanity of fauatcsm offers oreditable n.y.
1 uothess than the INSANITY OF ambition or crime.
| Considering the extreme senstveness of the AmeIi-
cans on the top of Slavery must needs be aeknow-
tdged that these extraordinary proceedings have been
d;stneushed by remarkable moderation the part OF
the people. Brown himself, while arraigning the jus
tce of his sentence bore willing testimony nos only 10
the fairness Of his Trial. but 10 the general character Of
the treatment he had received. When first brought TO
l the bar al Charestown he disdanfully refused TO
trouble himself with pleading against what ne alleged
was ioregone conclusion, and the Court was CON-
peled TO assign counsel for his defense. But as time
wore ON he appears 10 have changed these opinions,
| and at length to have defended himself IN speech
which, while designed for his exeulpation, gave
ull credit 10 his prosecutors. Perhaps the very alb
urdtv of the scheme well as the utter abortion OF
the project rendered the public less eXclthle on the
point but many commonplace oifense has produced
greater sensation in the United States than this overt
attempt TO Irset the institutions OF the Republic.
We can only look at the whole case as q fresh ex-
ample of the dangers involved in the establishment OF
Slavery dangers which in the instance OF the United
States are more serions and complicated than IN any
other instance ON record. slave population is per-
lous element in any country, but 1t ~ more perious
than ever when large proportion of the free popula-
ton are sympathizers with the slaves The disputes
which convnse the Union periodically from North 70
Snh ere not contests between shareholders and slaves