The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-10-20

NVtcmUci Ci0SuVA'
~MAD Browns INsURRncrroN."- ID the
term by which the late bloody affair at Har-
per's Ferry is designated by the republican
organs, now that 1t has been proved sad
failure; but it cannot be forgotten that this man
Brown was representative in Kansas OF the
Massachusetts, Emigrant Aid Society during all
the trouble there, and that all the outrages In
which he and others then participated were
sustained and applauded by the republican
papers at the time. Brown was the recipient
and keeper of the arms and munitions of war
contributed by the abolition Aid Society to
plunge Kansas into bloodshed and anarchy, as
proved by the fact that he used these same
arms in bis late desperate attempt in Virginia.
It is pretended that the insurrection at Har-
pers Ferry was an isolated affair, c1hcocted by
Brown himself, without the knowledge of the
republican abolition leaders, and that it hadno
ramifcations anywhere else. 1t is true that
a few of the conservative portion of the repub-
lican party thought that the Kansas disturbers
were going too far, and that the same class
look with adherence upon this late SAN
culinary attempt at Harper's Ferry; but we
think it is quite probable that the va
rious Garrisonian and Seward cliques were
well aware that it was pre-arranged; in fact,
that such an opening Of the "irrepressible con-
fict' was desired, though their organs now
talk Of it as Browns crazy Instruction" and
"Mad Browns Instruction" and describe its
leader as Old Ossawattomie Brown, and call
him a misguided fanatic, and so forth; but
at the same time they go as far to justify his
act as they dare and when his trial comes on,
then we shall probably see by whose authority
"Mad Brown" acted.
That the instruction was the work Of mad
impulse rather than of preconceived plan, is
disproved by the admission of Brown himself /;
that 1t was designed as far back as June, 1856,
and by the other fact, that in August last the
Secretary Of War was informed of the whole
plan, exactly as it has been carried out, in a
letter which appeared in the HERALD of yes
terday.
We have no doubt that it was Browns deli
berate intention to use the arms which he had
brought from Kansas for this reasonable pur-
pose that he calculated upon selling the
United States arsenal and thus supply the
slaves of Virginia and Maryland with weapons
and ammunition, in the hope that they would
flock to his standard in thousands, by which he
would be enabled either to run them off into
the free States, or to incite general servile
instruction, and possibly hold Maryland and
Virginia until he proclaimed a provisional
government, or some nonsense of that sort.
There is no doubt that the scheme was very
''mad" one, and could not have succeeded in
any event; but there is just as little doubt, we
think, that Old Ossawattomie neither conceived
nor attempted it without aid and counsel from
other quarters.
In short. had Brown succeeded in his afro
cious purpose, instead of failing miserably, as
he fortunately did, his friends and abettors, in
stead of stigmatizing him as mailman, would
have enshrined his name as hero; he would,
possibly, have found place in their estimation
equal to that Of Washington. The truth is that it
is not the act Of Brown and his followers which
the republican papers now condemn, but the
mistake which he made in selecting the wrong
time for the attempt. Even as it is, they make
q very poor attempt to disguise the fact that it
Is not the spirit which animated this misguided
traitor they find fault with so much as the In
opportune moment at which the attempt was
made and the i'll success which attended it.
Our LEGISLATORS AND THE INFLUENCES
BROUGHT TO BEAR ON THEM.-National and State
and municipal legislators in this country have,
unfortunately, got into bad odor with the com
munity. A Congressman, particularly from
the Northern and Western States is usually a
parsonage whose integrity does not rank very
high in the public estimation; and as for an
Alderman, the title is about as reproachful a
one as that of rowdy. In fact, of late years,
the terms have been growing to be synony-
nous But of all the legislative bodies in the
land, federal, State or municipal none stand in
worse repute than the Legislature of this State.
And deservedly so. For the last three or four
years they have not only been trampling on the
rights of the people, have not only been barter
ing away the municipal privileges Of this city,
have not only been foisting on us hordes of de-
cayed politicians "a Police Commissioners Har-