Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1860-02-17

! thing. Ii is chiefly political. and hruiied
about to increase the capital for president
making and oflice-seeking in general. There
may be n few simple men who brlicve in
this ridiculous clamor. itiS barely posi-.
lle Brown and his party may he Of this
number. But shall they therefore be held
insane, and irresponsible for treason and
murder I All sob-r and conscientious men
cannot fail to perceive at once the absurdi-
ty of such conclusion. Brown himself
was too sincere, and too proud to ask for
any such construction IN his favor. This
might possibly be regarded rs one Of his
decisions, if any well-defned d,lu>ions
were shown to exist in his mind. But this
is clearly not the fact.
| AT the North, too, all who regret the ex-
istence Of slavery in the eouniry-.and il is
not to be disguised that the number proba-
bly, exceeds moiety of the Northern, or
Free State population-al such persons.
with few exceptions of such as may have
been at the South long enough to observe
something of the condition of slascs there
in regard to physical comfort, come natu-
rally enough to the conclusion, that there is
great discomfort, and great want of moral
and religious culture among them as a class.
And there is naturally enough associated
with this idea the belief and expectation
that their social condition would probably
be very much improved, at once by b, com
Ing free. And after having arrived at
this conclusion, it is natural enough to
adopt what seems but necessary corrolIa-
ry, that the slaves will hail with delight the
first of'-r of freedom.
But Brown confessed TO sad disappolnt-
ment In this particular. and we think any
one who had fairly instituted comparison
between the black population in the Free
States and the slaves, with reference to
physical comfort and social advantages
would come TO the inevitable conclusion
that it was impossible not to give the pref.
erence to the slaves. The advantages of
the blacks in the cities and towns of the
South may, no doubt. be very considerable
over those upon the plantations, and in the
more rural districts. And the comparison
is more naturally made between the slaves
in the towns and cities, and the free blacks
at the North, than between the whole slave
population, and the free blacks at the North I;
because those who make this comparison at
the North more commonly obtain their
knowledge of the condition of slaves from
staying for longer or shorter pei iods in the
Southern towns and cities.
But after making all proper allowance
upon this score, it will be impossible for
any fair-minded man, who has examined
the subject fairly, to convince himself that
the slaves could for many generations, if
ever, be so well provided for, or so happy
in a state of freedom, as they now are
This results necessarily from the superior
capacity of the whites, and the fact that, in
the present relations of society at the South,
the black receives more than an equivalent
for his labor, in the wisdom, forecast, and
calculation of his white owner. 1t may
not seem so to a Northern man. and espec-
tally if he have imbibed the slang cant of
the day to any great extent. But it is, in
fact, just as certain, and just as obvious, as
it is that children obtain more than an
| equivalent for their labor in the protection
of their parents, or that the operative in
cotton mill, or woolen mill, are really more
benefited than injured by being employed
at such prices only as give them a comfort
able subsistence, and at the same time make
their employers wealthy. just as if man
must be better off than his emnlover in or
der to be benefited by his emn,oyment mr.
as if the slaves had no benefit from the re-
lation because the legal title of the house
or The plantation. was in The master or a.
If il would beneat the slave 10 own tho
master
No man who visits the Soutb and sees
sucb upeon;voc,I ev;dences of ,he oon,e,rt
and ;nt.lI;cence oc Tho sorv;Ie hl..ts and
marks how infinitely thew exceI their el-
lows In n state Of fre.dom tbrouobo,, tha
country ho,h IN v;aor oc hod,, and -
and in contented on;et and unatFec,.d corn
fort could for a moment lo,L unon s,cb
mur,Ierou. a,,amnt as ,ba ono ;nst ,r.ns-
TRANSCRIBED bu, with 6.el;n,s of he n,n,os,
abborrence and the s;ncerest n;tv
we wonld all regret ,h.t any oro mans,
meet a f,lo,,s fate and esnoc;alI,, ,,tan
there is some reason to believe that he act
ed from misguided zeal after what in his
madness. 8. emed a desirable end. But will
that excuse the dcerest dive of crime and
iniouity /? If so. then the murderer is al
ways innocent. for he never acts. for the
time. but in obedience to what he esteems
the more desirable end
,r-, a