Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1860-02-07
Democracy and Slavery.

NICHE d CO., Props yindicator.
Staunton, Sept. 9, 1859.
Democracy and Slavery.
John Brown embarked in bis insane enter
prise against Virginia under the mistaken notion
that be would find sympathpsers In the State,
who would gather around his standard at the
first sound of the bugle. He did not anticipate
accessions to his small band of desperate and de-
termined men from the negro population alone,
but confidently believed many of the free white
citizens of the Commonwealth, who heimagined
to be anti-slavery in sentiment, were ready and
anxious to rally under the banner of bold lea
der and strike for the liberty of the slaves. 1t
is an admitted fact that such was the impress
sion of the deluded man in regard to the state
of sentiment in Virginia, and although the de-
fusion may seem strange at the first blush, we
are constrained TO admit when looking back ups
on the political struggles of the past in this
State, that John Brown was Ia some degree JUS
titled in the belief that Virginia ripe for the
'tsrrepressible conflict" The leader of the erny
of invasion was old John Brown,-a man well
mp in years-who had watched with the keen
eye of fanaticism the progress of political events
in this country for the last twenty years, and
marked their bearings upon tie great idea of
his life-the one grand object of his aspirations
and efforts-the liberation of the slaves from
their bondage. 1t is not reasonable to suppose
that he was an indifferent spectator to the fierce
conflicts of parties in Virginia. On the contra
~, the last steps of his career upon the soil of
our State, as the avowed leader of crusade a.
gainst slavery and shareholders, even to blood
shed and DEATH is of itself sufficient to establish
the fact that he had been watching the course of
affairs in the State of Virginia with special and
peculiar interest And what had he learned from
the conflicts of the last twenty yesrs, and heard
with exultation from the lips of politicians and
papers of the Democratic party? To those who
are familiar with the political history of the
State it is scarcely necessary to say that from
them he heard, probably for the first time, of a
difference of sentiment among the people of Vir-
them he learned, not that few of the people,
but that large and imposing party, led on by
men of acknowledged talents and ability, were
regarded with distrust by their felow-cifizens
and denounced as unsound and unworthy to be
trusted by the South with the power of either
the Federal or State government He heard it
as far back as 1886 when the "great Commoner"
of Kentucky, "a Southern man and slave owner,
was denounced as unworthy of Southern conf
dence and support and those who sustained him
were charged with dsloyalty to their section and
its 1speculiar institution" He heard of it again
in 1910, and l84S, and 1852, when the same
groundless and unjust charges were preferred
against Harrison and Taylor and Scott, together
with all who sustained those true and loyal sons
of the South in those memorable contests. He
heard it in still louder tones in the guberna-
torial election of 1851, when Geo. W Summers,
the gallant standard bearer of the Wings, was
held up for his inspection and admiration as an
abolitionist ''to the manor born" and the thou
sands who gathered around the banner which
he bore so calamity, were denounced and de
famed as affiliating with and lending aid and
comfort to the enemies of the South.
But not only during the political campaigns
had John Brown heard this cheering intelligence
of the progress of anti-slavery opinions in the
State of Virginia. Pending the discussion of ev-
cry measure bearing upon the question of slave
~, he had heard the same charge ringing from
the hastings and the press against many of the
greatest and the best of Virginia's SONS. The
sound had been listened to so long that it grew
familiar, and it is not surprising that it received
credit When so many concurred in the state
+bo&o IF tho af
ginia, were "doughfaces" and s'submissionists,"
and thousands of others sympath;sers with the
anti-slavery sentiment of the North, is it to be
wondered at that John Brown believed the thing
to be true and addressed himself to the consum-
nation of his grand project with the confident
expectation of finding all things ready for the cri
sis2 Like many others who have put faith in
the Democracy, however, he was most eyre
giously deceived.
Without holding the Democratic party direct
ly responsible for the bloody scenes at Harper's
Ferry, we are fully persuaded that it is respon-
sible to a certain extent for that delusion in re-
gard to the sentiments of Virginia, which
lured old Brown to his doom. We had hoped
that the men of that party would have seen the
evil consequences of such mode of warfare,
counterbalancing in our opinion all the advantages
to be derived from a mere party success, and
that the scenes of the bloody drama on our bor
ders, to which men of all parties rushed for the
defence of common soil, would have put an
end to all aspersons upon the soundness of
Virginia on this question of slavery. But we
have been disappointed. We find the Dem
ooratic papers still virulent in their abuse of
all who do not square up to their ideas of what
Southern man should be. We find them set
ting up an "armory bill" in the Legislature of
the State as a test of soundness on the slavery
question, and holding up those who resist it as an
unnecessary and extravagant measure, as re-
creant to the State that gave them birth
and especially are they violent against those
who are most likely to be in their way in the
effort to perpetuate the power of the Democrat
ic party. Thus do they endeavor to perpetuate
ssreign of terror" under which so many desti-
tute of shack bone" have been dragooned into
their ranks. We are mistaken, however, if such
sraatrnent will do any good either TO the Demo-