Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1860-02-17
IIDGE REnFIELp,s ARTICLE.


on the Bench of the Supreme Court Of this
State for nearly quarter Of a century, hav-
ing been annually elected to his place by the
Joint Assembly with very little opposition.
For several years past he has been Chief
Justice Under such conditions, sentiments
from him viii have a weight with many in
this State, and produce an effect on the minds
Of people in the remo-er parts Of the nation,
which would not follow their utterance by
any private man Of the people For that
reason, more than from any intrinsic impor-
lance Of the article, we give it a notice. We
give the article entire as we find it, appenling
thereto notes on some Of It's more noticeable
points 4 good deal of j, i, too loosely said
to need any remark whatever The article
as a whole we think. Will not add to the
Judges reputation as a logician, whatever it
may DO for his political equation OF ad-
vanccmcnt. The date Of the article is about
a week after the execution Of John Brown.
REFLECTIONS Upon THE FATE
OF JOHN BROWN
AND THE PRoPRrErY AND JUSTICE OF his sxUcU-
TIoN, AND THE CrVARAL WANT OF Cannon
~ TIE NORTHERN PRESS ~ REGARD 10
am
The Northern Press. as a general thine
have certainly snoken with great want OF can
dor. in rorari 20 rbe atf,ir at Harper's Fer
rv (a) The thing 10 o., settled i'm ravard N
such an occurrence. uudaubta5lv is IFS +rua
character However s-lanre9nd unoce,rn+-
able If may ...,rp II Is NEVERTHELESS ,,r3,,io
bic. as il seems to us. that il was a sariops
artomrt. on the mart of q few deIuded men
instirated and encouraged by GOOD many
more. to excite lnsrrrecti5n amonr the
slaves. ia the southern States The de-.
monStratians made at Wlrrs~'s Far-v +bo
deliberate preparation. the c.rre-ranlenca
the arms. hIth f.r the .a-,iie and fro, ,,ba
should Cooperate. and above All IA. i~.rin,
of formal commissions. n1rp9~tino r., a,oa-
nate from INDEPENDENT authority. certainly
Justify the belief. that irs ra.l and 1.,ran-
ted abattar- had conceived -ha n,Irr,s, If
-uuercadin- the authority of the state Of
Virginia. and of tine United States. and that
they rurpo-,d 10 do this bv force of arms .-
This tron WAS technical treason. I'm the m s--
uneQuivocal form. both as To- the Governments
of Virginia and the United States
Row then could it have been traataI in
any other manner. than il has Ioan hv the
authoriti-s of the State Of VIRGINIA . Are
men. found in arms AGAINST the State. and
who declare the pu pose. and persist IN the
right and the duty. of sabv,rri1., the GOVERN
ment. and who have committed numerous
murders in their mad aff,~+s towards IN. ac.
comuli,hmcnts Of their Eorril rurrl.as. -h,
proper objects ar f,-baaraoca or cI.ooncr .
Men who. but for helm, r,-a~r.ac-4r,,l Inv MIL
itarv force. would nov Lo .r-sa limo fire.
brands and death r,ronsbout the lanrri and
breadth of the land lo
There can surely be brr one oniri,, ,,,,,, /
this subject. anon can.,ler,ro and tl,r,nt. /
ml men The only 9,uh- while. a.y ma
can possibly entertain Is IN rso,rj f., .
the perfect sanity of sucb mon Their. +.
doubtless >pa.-a, Of re.r9roaui3 al.u+ #
bat 81, III defined. and S., much i,n7s~ The
control Of the viii and ia3riaao-. rs 90 If
ford no rrarar excuse for crime. There was
mo- such loss of rrao-viU. or t7y ,1cb 6a1u-
sion. qr jllr-i-.-- -- ....--- -r Rra,gu even
as 20 justify ana 3cqUt-i p murder. H.
was cool. 1"ilharate- amt collected in al That
Pie oid- 'H' tram was all with wonderful
o'nss and compoSnra the correspondence
was conducted with unquestionahle re-
serve aud secrecy, and with cansummate
skill the 0'o'07a' ot war was accumulated
with precautlon ona c'rcums"oc-ion the at-
tair was conducted. under. his S"p"r.nten-
denee, not only with such wisdom as t.
einae I'll suspicion IT his LEADING purpose oi
design. among those not IN III" plot. bat
also WITH such consistent ability, and per-
riNt'nt design as to excite M suspicion, in
the mind OF any one OF ms followers, OF his
? 'r,.ct sanity.
The t7ng which has struck the public
m WIKI most convincing force. rs proof OF
tne want OF sanity m those who planned So
PROJECT. is ITS utter and deplora-
Die hopeleSSnesS, with the proposed means of
its ACCOMPLISHMENT . But thi, even Is now
somewhat EXPLAINED by Browns last inter
view with Cook. The old man, even on his
way to the sratlold. complained Of being de-
selyed and duped by his c1-c'nSpirators. in
-e-ard to aid which they might expect from