The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-10-21


small lot Of cotton was engaged for the former port
I N a-S2d.
The YIcrpcx's Ferry Abolition Outbreak
and the Republican Party.
The newspaper organs of the republican par
ty. somewhat embarrassed and discordant in
their treatment of the late abolition outbreak
at Harper's Ferry. agcee at least upon
one point the plea OF insanity in behalf of
"Old Brown" and his deluded confederates
But it will be seen from the newspaper ex
tracts from some of our anli-slayery cotcmpo-
raries, which we publish in another part of this
paper that that pious Peter the Hermit Of the
| Kansas Enigrant Aid Societies, the Rev. Henry
| Ward Beecher, Of the Indep while adopt
! ing this general plea of insanity, puts it in
| SON ewhat broader light than usual, to wit:
that sunless his (Browns) movement WAS part
OF a widespread scheme of instruction, now
frustrated by premature outbreak, it was in
every point of view the height Of madness;
and even if it stood related to such scheme,
il would seem to have been both foolish and
criminal"
This nice distinction "would seem to be-" to
most people, condemnation Of the affair only
as premature outbreak and az involving
mental reservation in support OF the movement
had it really been part ola widespread scheme
of Instruction" This conclusion is supported
by the general tone of the article in question,
including the specific declarations that blood
will have blood and that the crimes of
Southern Shareholders will yet work
out fearful retribution upon their
heads" Such explanations as this of
Mr.. Stewards .arirrepressible conflict can be
universally understood. The dullest compre-
hension will thus perceive that this "confict'
means "a widespread instruction" among the
slaves of the South, and general state Of
anarchy and civil war.
Our republican journals, which have been
taught some lessons ofprudence and caution in
regard to the agitation of slavery, are disposed
to evade the discussion of this affair at Harpers
Ferry, or ut least TO whistle it down the wind
as nothing more than an insane scheme of ven
geance against I" the slave power" by an old
man '.goaded to insanity by the wrongs in
aicted upon him by pro-slavery rumans In Kan
sas, and wildly rushing upon certain selfdes-
truction in quest of revenge" 1t will be well
for the peace Of the country, and certainly q
godsend for the republican party, if this shall
turn out to be the sum and substance of this
fearful and mysterious conspiracy.
We apprehend, however, from the disclosures
and discoveries already made that full inves
tigation of this matter will result in some
damaging revelations to the republican church
We think that this scheme of insurrection and
its terrible results may be justly charged te
the bloody instructions of w. II. Seward and
other ant-slavery agitators of the North These
agitating leaders have furnished the ideas upon
which the minds of such inflammable aud reck-
| ess fanatics as Brown and his associates take
fire. Seward, and all such slavery agitating de-
magogues therefore, are the guilty instigators of
and their bloody consequences; and these
guilty men should be held to prompt respon-
sibility at the bar of public opinion.
It appears, from the discovered private
papers of Brown, that Gerrit Smith (white
many and Frederick Douglass (black many, both
plans of Brown, and that Smith, in all proba-
bility, was liberal contributor of the sinews
of war for this Harper's Ferry enterprise. But
Smith could not have furnished all the fifteen
or twenty thousand dollars which Brown must
have expended; nor can we suppose that
Brown came away from his rough and expen-
sive campaign in Kansas with funds sufficient
to enable him to change quiet country farm
house in Maryland into the military magazine
which he made of it. The legal investigation
into this business will probably disclose con.
siderable list Of contributors to the military
chest of Brown, and some very extensive and
astonishing rami6cations of his exploded pro-
gramme of a general revolutionary conspiracy
Enough, it seems, has been ascertained to
| justify a requisition from Governor Wise, Of
Virginia upon Governor Morgan, of New York
for the delivery over to the hands Of justice Of
Gerrt Smith and Fred. Douglass, as parties
| implicated in the crime of murder, and as &C
cessories b, sere the fact. That Governor Wise
| will make these acquisitions is highly probable
| for it is evident that he intends to probe this
| whole matter to the very bottom; and that in
| doing SO he will put the good faith Of New
York and other Northern States to the test
there can be~ery little reason to doubt We
trust that the experiment, should the facts war
rant it, will be tried with Gov. Morgan, and
to the extent of not only two, bat of twenty
acquisitions, should SO many be required.
In the meantime, we are on the eve
Of State election, which, upon the heeh
Of this reasonable foray at Harper's Ferry
will be, as it may be justly, regarded
by the people of the South as decisive
OF the question, whether we are or are not t.
have Northern President in 1860 elected
upon the sectional platform of hostility to thu
slave oiigarchy'' and the ''slave power" Upor
his test, let our November election estahi;s,