New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-12-14

/ e tle same common country, is that it inevitably
5r;ycs 10 disafnion Of the States cmblttered with
nj the vcngefu hate OF civil war. As that union
Ii among the most precious Of our blessings, 50
lie argument ought to weigh which weighs it value
But this consideration is despised BY fanauclsm.
II contemns the Union, and now contemns us for
clinging to it as we do. 1t SCOTS the warning that
the Union is endangered Inc Union Itself IS de-
scorned as too timid to make the warning of dam
ger to it worthy to be needed. 1t arrogantly
assumes to break all the bonds of faith within it,
and defes the attempt to escape the oppression
without it. This rndely assails our honor, as well
as our interest, and demands of us what we will
do. We have but one thing to do, unless the nu-
merical majority will cease to violate confederate
faith on question Of such vital Importance to us,
and will cease, Immediately and absolutely cease,
to disturb peace, to destroy our lives and pro-
perry, and to deprive us of all protection ana re,
dress under the perverted forms anu distorted
workings of the Union, we must take up arms.
The issue is too essential to be compromises any
more We cannot stand such insults and outrages
as those of Harper's Ferry without suHerins worse
than the death of citizens: without suffering us
honor, the death of State
For quarter of century we nave peen 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 forborne,
and waited in vain We know that we nave 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 fanatcal are active
and the former are fast diminishing, whist the
latter are increasing in numbers and i'll force. But
where is the evidence that the conservative eie-
ments are most powerful! DO we look to the
schools and colleges? to the puipts and clergy,
and churches and congregations? to the press? to
the Journalist to the books? to the professions? to
the artisans? to associations which are ma led
characteristics of the age? to politics? to public
assemblies and speakers? to legislatures! to Con-
gressg to laws, either State or Federal3 to cleo
tons to the administration Of the laws? to Judicial
decisions? 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 it
self assaled for not assalng our constitutional de-
fences. And these last are assaiied in denying the
rights of protection itself. A new sovereignty and
a new law is set up over the old, and we are de-
MED protection under both Where the Federal
Government has power to Cypress, it is assumed
and where it has the power and it is its duty to
protect it is not allowed to intervene. And the
non-siayeholding States are in nearly solid array
opposed to us. We, united, may contend for a
while by the aid of plralities but for short time
only, and uncertainty at any time, and at best have
no majorities on which we can rely in at least SIN
teen States, having the power Of the Union. Inc
active has overcome the passive element; iafat-
csm has subdued conservatism IN all these states,
and these can now in present condition, prac;,-
tically WELD our destines for veal or woe. VIII
they come back to the Constitution and abide its
covenants or noty
But no words can elaborate the issues to which
We are now practically brought by the events at
Harpers Ferry.
It IS in vain to point to the paucity Of the num-
bers of the marauders. The daring OF Their at
tempt would prove not more their tool-hardlness
than their full assurance that they We're to be
Joined by force sufficient to be formidable. If
they had not mistaken the number and disposition
of the slaves, who they expected to seize the
spears which they brought to capture an arsenal
Of arms it Is not known, and never will be known.
how many other white fanatics would have sWelled
their numbers, nor how much blood and treasure
it would have cost to quell their rebellion. rev
thew were but they fatal to the lives Oh seye-
raj of our most worthy citizens; and insultmgly
dared the chances OF doing lmmeasurabie mischief
to our entire northern border. M
And it is mockery to call them monomanlacs.
Maniacs they were only as all great criminals are
and lnonomanacs they were only as the subject
of slavery makes men more insensuate than any
other one subject can. If these men were mono
maniacs, then are a large portion Of the people
of many of the States nonomaniacs.
Before these crimes, they were deemed sane sol
diers in notable crusade against slavery and
Shareholders. Many Of those who now plead their
insanity for them, put Shafpes rifles in their hands
and enlisted and trained and trusted their wits Tor
war in Kansas. Contributions were raised for them
in churches They had been pulled with the praise
of the professedly pious for being the very men OF
destiny for the mission against slave settlements
They had been furnished with money to make
sharp spears Of butchery for the throats and
breasts Of masters, and to supply munitions and
stores of regular campaigns They assembled
together from parts as far between as they them
selves were few, They We're provided, supplied
and means. And it is passing strange that they
madmen, should, few as they were, have been SO
many madmen, meeting from so far apart so well
supplied by others than themselves, at point SO
coJao md at thnyc
with SO much method as to be so successful against
such apparent Odds Were these parties, known
and unknown, so situated all mad? 1t is enough
to say that the leader himself spurned the false
hoods, hypocrisy and cowardlee % sillS nia"h,s!l
plea of monomania, and neither lie, nor one of his
men, nor their counsel, put it in upon their trials
He expected from his prompters and hackers and
5sympathsers better pretence and more potent de-
Tense than that. Before his failure and defeat in
what in their correspondence with him, they called
glorious cause,'' their sympathy was all with
his desperate daring and success; and now it is
with his insanity for plea against the legal penal
ties of his crimes which had their origin in this
very sympathy. sympathy which saw his insan-
ity too late to snatch from his hands the weapons
it had placed there too late to save the lives taken
by its own Indictment; and too late to save him
from felon's fate.
We omit the Governors reference to the judicial
and other proceedings, had in reference to the
Harper's Ferry affair, and pass on to matters oil
more absolying interest. After speaking of the
well-nigh universal clamor for the pardon of John
Brown and confederates, Governor Wise justly OBJ
serves
There was no middle ground of mitigation. To
pardon or reprieve at ALL was to proclaim a
licensed impunity to the thousand fanatics who are
mad only in the guilt and folly of setting their ind
yidual supremacy over law, life, property, and
civil liberty ITSELF This sympathy with the leaders
was worse than the invasion itself. The appeal
was: it is policy to make no martyrs, but disarn
murderers, traitors, robbers, insurrectioniss, by
free pardon for wanton, malicious, unproyoket
felons could but ask. will execution of the lega
sentence of human law make martyrs of suci
criminals? Do sectional and social masses halloM
these crimes? Do whole communities sympathize
with the outlaws, instead of sympathizng with the
outraged society of a sister sovereignty? II SO
then the sympathy is as felonious as the criminals
and is far more dangerous than was the invasion
The threat of martyrdom is a threat against oui
peace and demands execution to defy such sympa
thy and such saints of martyrdom. The issue was
forced upon us: Shall John Brown be pardoned
lest he might be canonzed by the execution O
felony for confessed murder, robbery and Treason
in melting serve insurrection in Virginia? Why {
martyr? Because thousands applaud his acts ant
opinions and glorify his crimes? Was to hesitate
after this? Sympathy was nsurreetion, and hat
to be subdued more sternly than was John Brown
John Brown had surely to die according to law
and Virginia had to meet the issue. 1t is made
We have friends or we have not in the State
whence these invaders come. They must now b'
not only conservative, but active to prevent inva
ders coming. We are in arms.
Information from all quarters, with responsible
names, and anonymous, dated the same time, from
places far distant from each other, came, of or