The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1860-01-04

tInesS reS0unued. because seventeen
men have proved by their assault that q
Slave State is despotisn.
Twenty men flung themselves against
the State of Virginia for an idea. What
was it! According to the laws of Vir-
gina, they committed felony, What are
we met to svmpathize with them fvrl-
What have they done that crowds this
hall with men who's. hearts make a RAM
part ror thcse bereaved children-those
almost homeless orphans: What brings
us hercl There must be something about
that death that divides it from common
death. What is it? Was he a murder
er! Every act since Virginia laid her
han upon him has lifted a million Of
men to higher level Of life. Mark it
Virginia utters nos ono word against him
not one. Her Governor says no was
truthful. firm, brave, d;sinterestcd-the
Jravest man 10 ever saw. Virginia has
nothing to reproach him with, but the
single &C. ut Harper's Ferry. 1t is Viz
gina Subjects in other states that are o
bhnod to run back tonr or five years and
hunt up an old forgotten lie in Kansas in
order even to get the means to breathe
tho shadow ofsuspcion over the spotless
escntrlaon Of the Hero Of liarpcr's Fer
ryl Here is p State frightened, nlig-
naut, yea, scroly tried Commonwealth
ANA vct she has rot one word to aliege
against him, except the simp'e incident
that lie pointed his rifle agains. her citi-
zens; all that excepted, he il n model
p!an. Virginia being the witness. 1T is
left for slaves with souIs that would be
dearly bought at the price Of a COULTER
felt sixpance t. rake up forgotten lio in
Kansas in order to 4 >honor the fame OF
the oil m;n
Let Is look at it. b;:nk no RESPONSE
+ Iity, standing rs the m ,uth-piece Of
John B:own. ] say, from the time he
act foot il Kansas ap to the time he made
the oibbet sacred to all coniag ages,
Tho : IS no act, no. ONE that Will not bear
the closest scrutiny aad the keenest ana-
Iysis ofany man who stands gu the basis
Of acknowledged American principles =
Mr., than that: I ahi IN that the Geep 7
Won prol.e his life, the brighter it shines.
7 went to his home in Nor b Elba, where
wheat freezes, and where nothing can be
cultivated but few potatoes, where the
mountain looks down on home that IS al
most q skantv and roofless dwell NJ,
sufficient for the pla;nness and mcrest
necessities Of !;fe-the soil whence grow
heroes. | said to ons Of his chl1ren.-
Wha. brought your tather to such place
what could he love here; he c"uld find
mountains c!sewtere-w attached him
tn these barrea acres! Said she, ''When
Gerrit Smith gave to the colored men OF
New York 100000 acres of land he
thought they might need a friend to ad
wise. instruct, encourage, and aid them,
and he flung aw. Y life to- come up and
freeze on The mountains in order that he
might be Oy aud hold them up with bis
strong right arm, and heart that never
failed And however you prove thai
life. YOU find nothing but dlsinterested
ness. Now, what made him fling himsel
against Virginia? Mark you, he was not
alone; he was only the center of group
around him W r, his 80 ls-the old mar
with his household; and such was the
magnetism of his enthusiasm, that he gath
cred the neighboring households to hi'
arms. and thew surrounded him as h
went down to Maryland to assail the in
stitutions Of Virginia. He is only thu
center of group. Those children IL
their teens, those young men of twenty
when we read their history, their letters
their words, they seem to have grown u
for martyrdom. Other men brough
their sons up for business, one for agricul
ture, and another for commerce, one TO
college, and one again for ambition; Blu
this man brought his children up TO
martyrs. VIII n he made them-no h
did not make thom-for when they wsr
born they imbibed it in their bleed, anC
knew they were createl to die for tn
slaves. With older heroism we hav
seen great names in eur day throw them
selves away for their own rights--w