The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1859-11-11
VOLUME x. NO. AS.
The Lesson of the Harper's Ferry Riot,
sound COunseIs from n Vir-
uiminn Press--DaUgerOus In
crease of MuIattOes at the
Snmfu


journal of Western Virginia, has the following
indicious and striking remarks 10 It's issue OF
October 81
The Investigations which havo boon and
are being made into tho secret history of the
recent terrible and remarkable outbreak will
we hope and believe. 30 productive OF good
influence upon the popular mind in both
sections of the Union. 1t has two lessons,
which /. seems to us that it NAV worry appro.
priately teach. Tho first of thosu is tn O
lesson which it will convey to the North,
teaching them to look even with more than
their wide spread aversion upon the princi
pios and teachings of thnso visionary fanatics
among them who. like Garrison & Co. claim
that the constitution of our country lis
covenant with hell" aud that tho duty of
slaves is to rise iu tho night time aud free
themselves from thraldOm by cutting tho
throaLs of their masters and helping then.
selves to tho property accumulated by thoir
unrequittcd toll. 1t WILL we say, teach tho
northern people, when these fanaticul abo-
litionists 60 about through thoir cities and
towns, holding their periodical Saturnalia,
to look upon their principles IN the proper
light, and will inspire in their minds moro
OF doep seated hostility to their wicked
and disorganizing rawlings. In this way tho
results OF these Investigations will affect tho
Northcrn mind for good.
On tho South it ought likewise to mako
deep impression. Here. in thisl Harper's
Ferry riot, we have an illustration which
both precopt and example have before told
us, is altogether a possible contingency in u
country in whose dstlthcre exists ailargo
and degraded class of humanity. Wo can
not tako fire in our bosoms aud not be
burned, the Scripture and our own expert
L.. .,.l,
III our midst four millions of SORTS whose
color, whose intellect, whose habits, whose
everything is different from the ruling elo.
ment, without liabilities to the same dangers
that have always attended society in overy
country where such IA largo sorvile element
has existed. San Domingo has taught this
lesson to tho world. Southampton has
taught it to the roope of this country and
this Stutc. Scarcely moro insecure are
those people who work by day and sleep by
night underneath tho craters of Vesuvius
aud E ma, and who are liable to an erup.
ton ut any momont of burning lava. than
many communities of our southern Statcs
where the slaves number two or thrCo to one
of the whites. These slavos, by their con-
stant and rapid i!egitmato intermingling
with the whites. as well as by the very con.
diton of contact between superior and in
ton more intelligent. and consequently
moro the object Of dread. They arc slough
ing off gradually that torpor aud obtuscncss
of mind seemingly natural to them, ovon
faster than they are shedding their original
dark hue. Slowly, but certainly, thov are
acquiring more of tho characteristics of the
white races and losing those of the African.
Look at tho frightened complexion OF tho
race in all our southern cities and towns.
In Charleston, South Carolina, for instance
tho mixed element immeasuraby predomi-
mates over that of tho black, and is, we be-
lieve. equal to if not greater than the whto
population. Look at many othor of the
South Carolina communities. Look at Rich.
mond, Lynchburg, Petersburg. Norfolk and
either places in our State. We ought To
look these things all in the face now. They
have an important practical bearing on our
social condition. When wo hear mon and
papers eithor oponly advocating or covertly
winklng at revival of the odous slave trade
it is time that public attention was called to
these things Ii ia useless to rail ut wick cd
ard reckless uboltionists, like Brown, who
in their blind tanutcism thnk-it they
think or care at all-that they arc doing
God service when they toach and aid slaves
TO rise against thoir masters. There will
always be such men. They arc to bo OK
pected whom we think OF the vast amount OF
opinion religions and non religions. which
exists throughout great country like ours
on tho moral and political aspects of n
national question like that of slavery.
Likewise is it all useless and idlo to expect
that men having minds TO thnk-minds
which must think-and tongues which arc
free to speak, will ever stop having opinions
or express thcm upon either tho Justice or
cha nxnnlinnpn Of alnvnry in ,hefr Or
Our security lies in advancing, not in re.
treating. We must look to tho future OF
the two races. Wo must 60 back aud road
up tho opinions of tho fathers of tho repub-
Tic as 20 tho probable issue of slavery in
this country. We must know that tho best
men of that era busted themselves not only
with cODjoctures as 10 what wore to DO its
results, but also with WAYS and means by
which they might DO able to provide against
these very Instructions. Mr.. Jefferson, VIC
should remember up to his dying hour nevol
ceased to express his apprehensions and tt
suggest plans for exemption Tho possibl,
contingency OF great San Domingo rebel
lion, he declared, was to him continual,
"lko fro bell in tho night llo "trem
bled," ho said "to think of il" And it wa
because that he SO we'll know tho pccua
conditions which invested tho negro race
both naturally and artlficialy in this coun
try that ho dwoIt so earnestly on his plar
for Central American colonization of tn
race. Something of this sort has got to b.
done. For look at it; Wo have now nearl
four millions of these serfs among u.s. Tho
nre increasing in ratio wholly unknown t.
tho white race. Not only this, but, as w
said, they are imbibing tho energies anc
taking on the color of the superior race
They now range all tho way up tho scale
from tho jot black to tho offspring of quad
rooms. Docs anybody iatter himself tina
tho usually sullon and suky muIatto ha!
no moro ambition, no more energy of mind
than tho African proper Do not tho facts
show that they have? The fact that tn,
cross of two antagonistic bloods makes then
short lived. as a class, has demonstrated tC
psychologists that they are the worst clas
OF inhabitants country can have. NcarL
all tho poisoning cases that have created S.
much alarm in tho South havo occurred a
tho hands of muattOes. Mrs. Stowe di
we'll to make the desperate Casey, il
"Unclo Tom" mulatto. Sho was not al
exaggeratad type. And it is notorious tina
not only iIegrec. but that thousands of othe
mon III tho South rsadilv NM N Drn,oin, ,