The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1859-12-29
December 29th, 1859.

Well, sir, he marched upon Harper L eT
*. he c3aspired against a great syereIgl
Safe, 10 overthrow It's institutions; and | say
to the Senate-though | shall get no nor,
for i than my fellow Senators who have pre-
ceded me. have = that l do not sympatniz,
with nor approve the act. Old John Brown
resided for a long time not a great way iron
that portion Of The country from which
cone. He was always reputed among ia,
mos. honest aud upright men in that com
munity. There WAS nothing against his char
aeter. He was anown to be brave, geaer-
Gus, disinterested man. the admiration OF al
who knew him, even before he passed thro
those scenes in Kansas. He proceeded upon
this .ewiess mission and | suppose the liea
entered his head while lie was in Kansas; IN
Iced saw it stated in the papers tina, there
/ "a, that he found his associates; there Il
sas that he conceived the idea OF invading
lie southern States and emanclpatlng thelI
slaves. From there, he went to Canada. and
u Canada he made that famous conslltutlpu
n form OF government, which, in his crazy
.nia4, he conceived was TO sUper>ede all OH
ers. Bur, Mr.. President, Mr.. Mason in the
chair, You must bear me witness that he bore
himself. among the disastrous scenes OF this
understandable enterprise. with the same calm
ness, with that same sublime herolsm and IN
difference to fate that had characterized the
man all other occasions. | have heard
even those whose territory he invaded. speak
OF him as Il man who challenged their admi
ration for lis personal qualities, tho they had
Of course no sympathy with the act that he
}.ad p4rpelIa.ed. The Governor OF your
Safe, sir who met him face to face in m IN
terylew. was compelled 10 say, he is brave,
be is honest he i, sincere" 1t is rarely that
man brave honest AMI sincere is led 10 the
g.llows or the stake, but, nevertheless. It
these qualities misguisle him into a lawless
rad upon the rights OF others, he must sa!ter
the penalties OF the law, and no stluds
up here to justify him.
| ask YOU, in the generosity OF your hearts
10 separate aad distinguish between approval
OF a lawless invasion. and sympathy for
sublime hero taking his life IN his hand and
III rchng up to the altar TO oter 1t there
sacrifice 10 his highest convictions of right
Sir, his course was disinterested. He Is iFc-
quantly spoken OF as q common maietactor
"a val gar murder. robber. SIR, he proposed
nothing 10 himself His conduc; Wa, dis
Interested as man 5 conduct can ever be; but
he was mis- guided he was demeuted he was
iu-.a4; still the North do not forget the great
services th45 he rendered to their cause, 10
their relations aud their friends who We're III
tbs Territory OF Kansas. nor can the humaa
heart dive-t itself of sense of that heTolem
which have characterized him from the time
that he was oyertaken until the grave closed
him.
mn; b1It | beg OF you not to be m!sied by
his. Do not Jump TO the conclusion that the
people who held meetings IN admiration OF
he personal qualities OF john Brown, one
,nsle man oil them, stand forth 80 lstify his
nelarious and unwarrantabie act. do not
lnow that a single application to save has
lie made from that quarter. If 1t was,
dii not hear i. They Supposed that, &c
cordlag 10 the law existing III Tie STATE. a
gainat which he IA! offended, he properly sui
tered the extreme penalty of The law. And
here will say before | pass from this bFanch
II the subject, that In my intercourse with
The people who knew old john Brown; in my
intercourse with all the men who have sym
pathized with him in his last trial, | have
ne Ser vet heard Of a man. woman, or cliid,
tlat stood forth a Us Tier OF hls raid up
on Virginia Ii the people sy mPHthlzsi with
teloH upon the gailows, anybody would
know without inquiry that 1t was no ordina
Y case. Our people do not sympathlz- witt
fine: but they do feel those emotions whici
re elected bv those traits of heroisn thai
characterized this leader during the whole
.ourse OF his life. and shoue most consPicu
,usly ia his death.
Bet enough of that, Mr.. President. 1t i
exceedingly absurd 10 e0deavor to lmp,icat'
the Republican party in the acts Of old join
B.onn or anybody else. They have thei
principles which are well known by all th'
community il which they prevail. Our doc
trines are well understood. The limitation
! upon our doctrines are well known by all win
choose Il know them, and those who do no
choose would never understand them, al ho
/ they were written upon the face Tie sun
The Senator from Tennessee Mr.Johnson
the other day, and the Senator from Alaba
/ ma Ir C4y.) yesterday. if l unders:oot
tliau. undertook to read Us lecture on on
I uadefs anIin. of the Declaration OF Inde
/ penteace. aud the doctrines growing out o
/ that instrument and | have thought tha
probably here Is the great departure betweel
them and myself, between those " ho beilev
in slavery and those who do not. The Re
nubIican party, SO far as l know. believe i
tie Declaration of Independence. The
do not believe that it is tissue OF glitterln
reneralitIes They DO not believe that it is
mere Jingle Of words having no meaning
They do believe that every man bearing ta
human form las received from the Almight
Maker a right 70 his life. % his liberty, AZ
the pursuit of happiness They do no; be
lieve thas ,Als ri.at is confined 10 man Of al
psrt;cIiar name nation or color, but they b.
iieva that wherever there is humanity, tLeI
is this great principle.
TIE Senator from Tennessee said that II
Declaration OF Independence applied only
white rneu; that white men have right
lie. liberty. and the pursuit Of happ ues
and he said it did not apply to all; tnat
was never intended to apply to any 9th
class al persons than the white race. Do
understand that Senator, then, il the CO
verse Of the proposition. to hold that 4
black man has 10 right to hi. life? Let
narrow 1t down . ;l.st; viii the Senator s.
IA, a negro has 10 right td ifel Ii he h
be has Just great and inalienable rig
L. 10y nj % he LIS Iii of hanr-iae.