Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1859-11-19
RICHMOND WHIG,
THE HARPERS FERRY AFFAIR.
nRirIsH OPINIONS CHANCES BROWN AND MS
[From the london Times, Nor. 2.1

coLoRED yRiENns
From the London 7Tnss Nor. 81
The last mail from New York brings further news Of
very extraordinary incident What may be called an
iusurecton Of aboonisis and negroes has broken
at place called Harpers Ferry, and the United States
Armory has been seized by band Of desperate men.-
As the contest going when the steamer left we
unable to give the result Of this serious affair but
there be little doubt that the insurgents have been
crushed and their leaders punished with death. The
small number OF men engeged contrasts strongly with
the boldness Of the scheme aud the skill with which
carried out The promptitude Of the authorities in
bringing overwhelming force to the spot shows that
the outbreak was considered matter OF small i'm
porance. But at first sight the details given by tel
egaph ouly inspire wonder that should rick their
lives Oh so mad scheme is only rhe consider tie
social condition Of e Southern States that hare a clue
10 the object insurgents and perceive the fell danger
Of their moremsHts. Ii would appear that a named
Brown who bad taken an eager part in the struggle in
Kansas formed design Of hberating the Northern slave
States by insurecon of the negroes of Maryland and
Virginia II is well known that the abolitionists-eyen
the more moderate of them-haye long cherished the
hope that these regions discard slavery in course of
tne and il for the market which the new slave
States afford the institution would probably die out north
OF the Caronas But Brown and his were not
the TO trust TO time and to peaceabe means Ac.
vary TO the number engaged in this desperate
terpre but the latest is that they originally number
ed only seventeen white and five negroes they
sequenty Increased 200, the fact shows how DANCE
the movement be in such n community and
how necessary the measures for prompt repres-
sion The Armory taken by a coup de main the
trains stopped the telegraph wires cut and all with bold
ness and success which showed that the insurgents clc
lated the general support of the negroes The insur
gents seized and held several citizens hostages and on
the morning after the outbreak they entrenehed in
the Armory where they held against the troops and
militia. IL also reported that portion of the insur-
gents had left, under the command of named
Cook, with large party of slaves and supposed TO
be moving towards Pennsylvania.
OF course there be but issue TO this foolish
and wicked enterprise The insurgents will by their fate
give warning to all who may dream of remedying a
great social evil 10y appeal to But the state of
society which causes such scheme to be formed aud
carried out is the less threatening When few Papsts
planned the blowing up of the English Parliament the
chances were desperate but the act showed
that there existed elements of danger in the State Nor
can il be doubted that with skiul and audacous
leadership tie coored people of Virginia would be ca
pable of inctng terrible calamities their masters
With men who would set their lives the cast and who
cared for nothing provided liberty least revenge
gained, usurrecton would be truly formidable
The blacks of this part Of the Union more instructed
than further South where slave life is round of toll
there great number of muattOes many free ne
groes, and good many poor whites some of whom
might be expected to take part in any outbreak All
this population has by with the more civilized
regions acquired knowledge and feelings which perhar.
hardly exist in Alabama or Texas. They know enough
to become dscontened with their condition, but not
enough feel the utter madness of struggle with the
American people Our correspondent expresses probably
the opinion when he says that the plot was wide
spread and that the premature outbreak has probably
saved the country from deluge of blood. The nsur
gents easily believe thought that the seizure of
government establishment and the possession Of rifles
and cannon, would encourage the whole population to
rise against their masters. Fory-eght hours might
have been enough 10 make half the plantations in the
State the of the fouest crimes The isolated and
unprepared families in the country districts might have
been set upon by their maddened slaves, and the
whole system Of shveholding been so shaken as to
| necessitate some plan of abolition.
This, at least seems 10 have been the design Of the
leaders That they could have expected conquer the
United States Executive in seryile war and 10 turn Vir
ginla and MARYLAND into
gained by rebeious negroes, OF the question
America is not like of island colonies where
the negroes ounumber the whites many fold In the dis
trcs where this outbreak took place the whites are pro-
badly superior in number to the coored population -
They all armed, and accustomed almost from child
hood to the use of their weapons The circumstances
which they are placed have given them aptitude for
something like military organization and they have CON
tnua before their eyes The necessity of preserving
der among the African We may be sure that after
the hrst surprise the white in every American State
would take prompt and eeetua measures 10 crush rebel
lion, though probably enough TO prevent the
commission of many atrocities This adds much TO
the guilt Of the who organized this scheme Moth
ing but sckening and bootess slaughter could come OF
it, frst the slaughter Of white families by their slaves
and then the bloody revenge of the cKasperael
| ters.
We will not affect to indulge the hope that the COM
mOnwealths OF Virginia and Maryland will be moved by
this event TO take into consideration the extinction OF
slavery Putting aside the fact that such outbreaks gem
orally steel the heart instead Of sOitening H. and that the
yoke likely to be pressed down heavily than ever
on negro neck there the great inducements of gain
and fear TO support the system. Cotton produced
in yaste quantities than ever and the value of negro Ia
Dor is continually rising The price of negroes is nearly
double what il was few years back for the incrcasc
by breeding does not keep pace with the demand for
the newly settled country. As long as Virginia sup.
plies the dealers OF the South with profit to herself so
long will owners keep firm grasp their human prop
erty.
From the London Ne,rs Nor q
IL there must be a negro insurrcction in the United
States before the slavery question is settled Maryland
more likely than any other place TO be the scene Of IT,
under the circumstances Of the present time Is mis-
fortune that the negroes should risc and for long in.
terva there hope that the transition from slave to
free labor might be accomplished in peaceful and order
y way Up to about quarter Of a century ago the uni
ycrsa supposon that sarery could come 10 aH end
BY no oher means haH servile odr and this ors the
dread rbich kspf g'si leading citizens irio II
they had stirred iH time, might haze accomplished ne
reroidion IN he tabor market long 5sfore his There
were then rsngs, OF more less consequence In the
slave States frequently that the average was set down
twelve per year. The fearful insurrecon known by the
name Of the Southampton Massacre took place in 1882
and this l recently called the last negro rising
The abolition movement instituted that time the
news Of that humble beginning spread the slave
States In the way that about negro interests doe.
spread and from tie when Garrison was under
stood TO have dedicated himself TO their cause the ne
grocs acitly committed their affairs his hands and he
and his cOadjutOrs nOu-rcssnnts. For about twcn
" years while the shareholders kept up their alarms and
cautions suspccting inccndiarism material and moral
every turn, the slaves rcbcllcd more or less Th
good service done by the aboluonists and ano
ther that the slaves better treated in propor
tion the attention of the world was directed toWart
their case BY degrees there slackcning Of th,
alarms which prevail wherever slavery exists aud IN 1886
rash practices adveutured which are bitterly repent
ed Of now In their horror Of having antsavcry Ircs
dent in the person Of Fremont the Southern politician
made speeches all the country proving that hi
election would doom slavery and Southern institutions
altogether These speeches uttered in the hcarni
Of the negroes who hang round al crowds and Of cours
every one oi them became worshippcr OF Fremont au,
spread s praise up and down all the rivers Of the int
rOr. This Is universally admitted 10 have been the c,ust
Of the socacd conspiracy Of 1856, whiel scared who
communities out Of their wits. There was certainly
widespread communication and sympathy. Whcthc
there was actual conspiracy rise, before the white
drove the negroes 70 h remains matter Of dispute
What h certain s that along the course Of the grea
rivers The negroes believed that their day Of dcycranc
bad come, and acted accordingly and that many die,
under the lash and on the gbbe martyrs The strong
est admouons 10 prudence have since been promulga
ted among the whites aud the speeches that have beer
listened TO by nquisitve negroes have been u Of assn
RANGES that slavery would endure forever The eoasfqn
discssi0n of hs topic h0rsrrr m connection iM poli
ties, i' sign fedHf fact vAieh the nsgro is able 10 MOI
and reason Hp0H In former times slavery went on itself
like marriage and public worship and magistracy an,
t talked about IN the way Of assertion an,
defence than they The modern discussions show that
"a called n he 4