, 1860-03-07

day when Congress assembled While the two
great political parties ara peacefully, lawfully,
and dconsttutionlIy, though zealously conducting
the great national issue between free labor aud
capital labor for tue Territories TO its proper
solution, through the trials Of the ballot, opera
ting directly OF Indirectly on the various de-
partmeats Of the Government, a band Of cSccp-
tional men, contemptuous equally ct that great
question and Of the parties to the controversy,
and impatient Of the constitutional srstcln
which confines the citizens Of every State to po-
lilicai action by suffrage in. organized parties
within their own borders, Inspired by IN en-
tbusiasm peculiar to themselves, End czaspera-
ted by grievances aud wrongs that some OF them
had suffered bv iuroads ef armed propogan3ists
Of Slavery IN Kansas, unlawful as their own re-
{aliation was, attempted to subEert Slavery in
Virginia by conspiracy, ambush, invasion, and
pcalipg to the reason and judgment Of tho peo-
pie, to be pro.uunced by suffrage, is The only
one by which free government can be main
tanned any where, and the only one IS get de-
yised which is in harmony with the spirit Of
Christian religion. While generous and chazi-
table natures will probably concede that John
Brown and his associates acted on earnest
though fatally erroneous convictions, get all
good citizens will nevertheless agree that this
attempt to execute an unlawful purpose in Viz
einia By invasion, involving sersile war, was
an act Of sedition :ud treason. and criminal
to jus. the extent that it affected the public
peace, and was destructive Of human happi-
ness ind human life. 1t ia painful reflection
tat. after so long an experience Of the benc6-
cent working Of our system as We have enjoy
cd, We hare had these new illustrations in knn-
sas and Yirg mia Of the existence among US Of q
class Of men so misguided aul 80 desperate as
to seek to enforce their peculiar principles by
The sword, drawing after it q need for the fur
ther illustration By their punishment of that
great moral truth, especially applicable in a re-
public, that they who take up the sword as
weapon Of controversy shall perish By the
sword. In the latter case, the Iamented deaths
OF SO many clti1cns slain from an ambush ind
b sarrrise-all the more lamentab!e because
they were innocent victims Of frenzy kindled
without their agency, IN fur distant frcs-the
deaths even Of the offenders themselves, pi1ia-
Bile, although necessary and just, because they
acted under delirium, which blinded their iudg-
lnents to the real motive Of their criminal enter
PRISE the a'arrn and eonste1uation naturally
awakened throughout the country, exciting for
the moment the fear that our whole 81 ystem, with
all its securities for life and liberty, was coming
to an end-a fear none the more epturable be.
cause continually aggravated By new chimeras
to which the great leading event lent IN air Of
probability; surely all these constituted sum
Of public misery which ought to hare satisfied
the most morbid appetite for social horrors.
Hut, as in the case Of the gunpowder plot, and
the Salem wischczaft, and the New York coloni-
al negro plot, 50 now the original actors we're
swiftly followed By another and kindred class,
Mho sought to prolong and widen tire public
distress b. attempting to direct the indignation
which 1t bad excited against parties gniltless
equally Of completely and Of sympathy With the
ottendera-
iostcrity must decide in all the recent cases
where political responsibility for public disas-
heed to our Instructions It was moi until the
gloomy reign Of Uou1itian had ended md lib.