The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1860-01-26
TIPTON, CEDAR COUNTY, IOWA, JANUARY 26, 1860.

dppio'cu ~ iiat y III tHc itl III, tHas IL
cur people should find, upon our borders,
or within reasonable reach Of US, a weak
and helpless nation, who could he attack.
ed with comparative safety, and whose
form Of government did not attain to our
standard of perfection, it vas nCt only
the privilege. but the mission OF such OF
our people as desired to engage in the
laudablc undertaking, to invade her ter
ritory with fire aud sword, to bring upon
her pea efnl inhabitants, men, women
and children, all the horrors Of war; and
having thus carried through and perfect
ed a process Of Regeneration" to estab.
lish on the ruins of her government, our
own free institutions, prominent among
which, according to the advocates of this
deetsiae stands human slavery.
1t is strange that the bare promul-a
tiou of these doctrines, acting upon the
the minds Of men maddencd by the re.
collection Of wrongs inflicted upon them
in Kansas because of their love Of free
dom should lead them to the conclusion
that they should do and dare as much at
home for liberty, as those who have op.
pressed them were doing abroad for sla
very! 1t seems to me most natural, and
while l deeply deplorc and most unqual-
iticd!y condemn, | cannot wonder at, the
recent unfortunate and bloody occurrence
at Iiarper's Ferry. But while we may
wonder at, we must not condemn it. 1t
was an act of war-of war against breth-
rem, and in that greater crime than the
invaders Of Cuba and Nicaragua were
guilty of, relieved to some extent Of it's
guilt, in the minds of many, by the fact
that the blow was struck for freedom, and
not for slavery. Still it was a wrong,
and as such the deliberate public senti,
ment of the North, condemns IT, In
my opinion, much misapprehension cx-
lists on this subject among our southern
brethren, and this misapprehension rem
ders proper the present a!lusion to it
The mass Of them relying upon the
statements of the leading men Of the
south, who should know better, and of
prominent men in the north, who do
know better, but falsify for purpose,
believe that the sympathy expressed by
many Of our northern people for the lead
er of that invasion, covers and contains
an approval Of this act. This is great,
and it may become dangerous error
WHILE the great mass Of our northern
people utterly condemn the act Of John
Brown, they feel and they express admi-
ration and sympathy for the disintcrcst-
eincss Of purpose by which they believe
he was governed, and for the unAinching
courage aud calm chcerfulncss with
which he met the consequences Of his
failure. Many. very many, of our north
ern people felt deep sympathy for the
ga'nn. Crittenden, who died 50 bravely
in Huba, for an act they strongly con
deuncl, and the tears Of many OF the
best and braycst Of our revolutionary
sircs bedewed the grave Of Andre, who,
by their own judgment. died the death
OF spy, his sentence ap' roved BY Wash
iugton. When passion has passed away,
and calm reason has resumed its place in
the minds of our southern brethren, they
will fully appreciate our feelings, and
then, if | do not mistake them, while
with us they condemn yet pity John
Brown, misguided but not q base mind.
ed man, they will also with US dete>t and
scorn these men in our midst who now
seek by distortlng our language and fal-
sifyIn@ our sentiments, to use the pms.
sions aud prejudices Of our southern
brethren as means to pave their own base
way to power and place.
| cannot concur in the opin ion cx-
pressed by some persons; that the con-
sti;uted authorities Of the States of this
Union have discharged their entire du-
ty, when they have to and care for their
own internal affairs, and that they travel
out Of their legitimate sphere when they
in any manner concern themselves with
the affairs of our General Government
The several States, as such, are the con
stitueuts Of one branch OF the National
Congress, and If it be true that the con.
stiiuent may and should concern himself
with what is done by his representative,
it must be true that each State may and
should concern herself with the actions
of that General Government Of which
her representatives are part; if it be
true that the States Of our confeIcracy
are interested in the administration and
Of that compact but for
which they would be wholly independ-
cnt and rival, perhaps hostile sovereign
ties, instead Of one great united nation,
it must be true that they may and should
themselves with the manner in
which those to whose hands that admin
istration and preservation are commit
ted, discharge their trust.
The passage by congress Of the meas
ure commonly known as the Homestead
Bill, would, in my opinion, be product
i've of much good, preventing in a great
degree the acquisition, by spectators,
of large bodies of the public lands, to the
injury of the actual settlers, and by Ell
abliny many honest and industrious poor
men who cannot now do so, to enrol
themselves in the class of Independent
farmers who are the support aud strength
of our country. The government price
Of a quarter of section of land may APP
pear to many small and insignificant
sum, but the many thousands of the far
mers of the west who have opened farms
either Sin the woods or sou the prair-
les can more justly appreciate the
great benefits derivable from that small
in their work Of toll and priya-
ton. | respectfully recommend that
you memoriaiize Congress for the pas