Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1859-11-23


they have been made 10 believe that Brown and b men
were their enemies, will cease to be believed The
oil doom ior slavery s beginning to break upon the
horizon The people Of this country have sighted re
proof and despsed warning for generations Their sin.
have been laid bare their consciences wear after
"a vain God has sent them prophets and wise men in
abundance for quarter Of century They have tran,
Piled the Gospel Of humanity under their feet and def
anty persisted in their crimes against the poor ay.
under constantly accumulatng blaze of light and re
proof Their cup OF wrath is filed to the brim and the
drops which have recently overowed are but prelude
to the food to The day Of repentance wanes 10
Its Close the long shadows OF the coming NIGHT ot
button, already begin to creep goomiy over the land
scape of the future. weighed In balance and found
wanting Is written upon altars Of religion on the
walls of our legislative halls the doors of our tenn
Piles of justice, and in the chambers OF Executive Ca
binet No people have snned against greater ph,
or been more fully warned, madly disregarded
the warning than the people OF this country And un-
less the teachings of history fable and the laws Of
the divine government ropes Of sa1d the rctributon will
be commensurate with the sin and the sighted warning
We have no pleasure in contemplating such n pietpre
mo taste for blood and horror We would he
glad to cling to the hope that there is still remaining in
the hearts Of the American people much natural JUS
ticc aud humane instinct will lead TO repentance and
reform But that hope has to ashes and our moor
human vision uerke IN the future except {" A
fearful looking for Of judgment"
BROWN NOT INSANE
One of the painful incidents connected with tho
name of this old hero is the attempt to nrove him in
sane Many journals have contributed 10 tins effort from
friendly desire shield the prisoner from yirpini,
coNardly vengeance. This j. "a mistaken friend.bin
which seeks rob him of his true character and dim
glory of his deeds in order to his life Was the G
the ianest hope of securing his release by this means
We would choke down indignation and be silent
But Virginia would hang a crazy man without
moments hesitation his insanity took the form of hatred
OF oppreSsou and this plea only blasts the reputation
OF this glorious martyr Of liberty without the flin,es
hope OF improving his chance of escape
1t Is an appalling fact in the history of the American
people that they have far forgotten their own heroic age
TO readily accept the charge ofinsanity against ma,
who has initiated the heroes OF Lexington Concord and
Bunker Hill.
IL is eeminate and cowardlv age which calls ma,
lunatc because he rises such sefforretul heroism
as TO count his life worth nothing in comparison
with the freedom OF millions OF his fellows Such an age
would have sent Gideon to madhOuse and put Ieonidas
IN strait jacket Such people would have treated the
defenders of Themopyle demcuted and shut u Caus
Marcus In bedlam Such marrowcss population as
ours has become under the deauchcrics slavery would
have struck the patriots from the brown of Wal
and recommended bsers and bleeding TO the heroic
Tell Wallace was often and again desperately forget
iu OF his life in defence of Scoilands freedom AS
was Brown in striking for the American slave; and Tells
defiance of the Austrian tyrant far above the an
probation of coWardly sehshness Browns dct
ance OF the Virginia pirates. Was Arnold Winkelried
insane when he rushed his death upon an army of
spears crying Make way for Liberty :" Are heroism
and insanity synonyms in American dictionary =
Heaven help us when loftest types of patriotism
our submes historic ideals of philanthropy come TO be
treated evidence Of moon-struck madness Posterty
will owe everlasting thanks - John Brown for lifting up
once more To the gaze of nation grown fat a.d labbv
the garbage Of lust and oppression true standard Of
heroic philanthrophy and each coming generation will
pay its insallment of the debt No wonder that the
aiders and abetors of the huge, oyershadowing and
many-armed tyranny, which he grappled within its own
internal den, should call him a madman but for those
who profess regard for him. and for hgmaa freedom to
join IN the cruel SANDER 's the uukndest cut Of ALL
Nor is it necessary attribute Browns deeds TO the
spirit Of vengeance invoked by the murder of his brave
bows That the barblrous cruelty from which lie has
suffered had its effects in tensfyng his hatred OF slave
is doubtless But his statement that he had
been contemplating bold strike for the freedom of the
slaves for ten years. proves that he had resolved upon
his present long before he his sons ever set foot
IN Kansas His entire procedure in this matter dsproves
the charge that he prompted bT impulse OF mad
revenge, and shows that be was moved b. the highest
principles of philanthropy His carefuness of the lives
of uuarmed Persons-his humane and courteous treat
ment Of his prisonershis cool selEposseson all through
his triaani especially his calm drnifed speech on re-
ceivng his sentence, all conspre show that he was moi
ther insane actuated by vengefu passion and we hone
that the country has heard the last John Browns mad
ness The explanation of his conduct i perfectly nar
al and simple its face. lie believes the Declaration
OF Independence TO be true and the Bible to be guide
TO human conduct and acting upon the doctrines ofboh
he threw himself against the seTTed ranks of American
oppression and translated into heroic deeds the love of
liberty and hatred Of tyTants with which he was inspired
from both these forces acting upon his phalihgap and
heroic soul This age Is too gross and sensual to appre
cate his deeds and so calls him mad but the future will
write biz epaph upon the hearts of people freed from
slavery, because ho struck the first eifectual blow
Not only Is II true that Browns whole movement
proves him perfectly sane and free from merely revenge
fu passion but he has struck the bottom line OF the phi
losophy which underlies the abolition movement He
has attacked slavery with the weapons precisely adapted
to bring to the death Moral considerations have long
since been exhausted upon shareholders Il is in vain to
reason with them. One might well hunt bears with
ethics and political economy for weapons as to seek to
pluck the spoiled out Of the hand Of the oppressor bv
the mere force OF moraaw. Slavery q system brute
force. IL shields itself behind might rather than right
IL must DO met with its own weapons Capt Brown has
instgated new mode Of carrying the crusade of free
DOM and his blow has dread and terror throughout
the entire ranks of the pratiCal army Of slaverr U
daring deeds may cost bin bis life, but priceless a. il the
value Of that e the blow he has struck will in the end
prove TO be worth Its mighty Like imson he has
pie of cruelty aud blood and when he falls that temple
will speedily crumble to its final DOOM buryng its den
zens in its ruins.