Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-02-18
REFLECTIONS IRON THE FATE or J0HN
BROWN

AND THE PROPERTY AND JUSTICE OF HIS En-
BCUTIoN, AND THE GENERAL WANT OF CAN
DOR IN TIE NORTHERN PRESS 1N REGARD TO
THE AFFAIR.
The Northern Press, as a general thing has
certainly spoken with great want of candor, in
regard to the affair at Harpers Ferry. The
thing to be settled in regard to such an occur
renee, undoubtedly, is its true character. How
ever strange and unacountablc it may seem,
it is nevertheless undeniable, as it seems to us,
that it was serious attempt, on the part of a
few delVded men, instigated anil encouraged By
good many mare, to ercitc resurrection among
the Sldres, IN The Southern States! The dem
onstrations made at Iarpers Ferry, the delib-
crate preparation, the correspondence the arms,
both for the servile and free, who should coop
crate, and above all the issuing of formal com
missions, purporting to emanatc from indepen-
dent authority, certainly Justify the belief, that
its rash and demonted abcttors, had conceived
| the purpose of supcrceding the authority Of the
State of Virginia, and of the United States, and
that they proposed to do this by force of arms.
This then was technical treason, in the most
| uncquivoca form, both as to the government Of
Virginia and the United States
How then could it have been treated in any
other manner, than it has been, by the author
tiles of the State of Virginia? Are men, found
| in arms against the State anil rho dcclare Me
| purpose, and persist IN the right and the d,diy, Of
subrering the government, and who have COM
mttcd numerous murders in their mad efforts
towards the accomplishment Of their horrid
| purposes, the proper objects of forbcarance, or
clcmcncy? Men who but for being ovepower-
ed by military force, would now be spreading
frebrands and death throughout the length and
breadth of the land?
There can surely be but one opinion upon
this subject, among considerate and Thoughtful
men. The only doubt which any one could
| possibly entertain, is in regard to the perfect
sanity of such men. There is doubtless a spe-
cies of monomania about it, but SO ill-doiined,
and much under the control Of the will and
the judgment, as to afford no proper excuse for
crime. There was no such loss OF free will, or
any such deluson or illusion, in the case Of
| Brown even, as TO justify an acquttal for muir
der. lie was cool, deliberate, and collected in
| all that he did. The train was laid with won
! derful GOODNESS and cOmposure; the corrcspon-
deuce was conducted with unquestionable re-
serve and secresy, and with consummate skill ;
| the mdteridt of war was accumulated with pre-
! caution and circumspection the affair was con-
Quoted, under his superintendent, not only
with such wisdom as to eude all suspicion of
! his leading purpose and design, among those
not in the plot but also with such consistent
ability, and persistent design, as to excite no
suspicion. in the mind Of any one of his follow
ers, Of his perfect sanity.
The thing which has struck the public mind
! with most convincing force, as proof of the
want Of sanity in those who planned so chime
rical project, is its utter and deplorable hope
| lessness, with the proposed means of its accom-
| plishment! But this even is now somewhat
! explained by Browns last interview with Cook.
! The old man, even on his way to the scaiiold,
complained of being deceived and duped by his
! IN uarI MI ,rbi Oh
might expect from the slaves. and also, it would
SEEM from sympathizors not slaves This af-
iords, undoubtedly, the clue to much Of the in
herent absurdity of the enterprise. They cr-
1 pccfrd more cIteaSire operation, from he pr0-
tessed friends ~ free laJoi and diati-slarciy ia
the North, and to find also willing mind in the
slaves. In both of these expectations they were
fatally disappointed.
Herein, as it seems to us, may be found the
key to expose much of the delusion which evil
IDENTIFY exists both at the North and the South.
We know next to nothing of the real state of
things, in either section, except as we reside
and move in one or the other, and in some few
rare exceptions, in both. The general rule with
US all is, to know nothing of what exists in the
other section Of the country.
| The South, IN all sincerity, Jeliere that the
entire North is drifiiRg NTH boyoRcts, and pre-
! pouei iciM reroirerS and Sabfcs and spears, 10
| rush do,cn npol them and hbrate their Slares.
! And this is not wonderful, as it seems to us,
| judging from the tonc Of the public press.
| More than moiefy Of the Northern press is
! occupied IN Tie mast elaborate and studied abuse
| ct The entire mass IF shareholders IN The South.
! There is nothing too bold, or too bald, to utter
| III the way of imprecation against them. Even
| old Brown took these Northern writer's at their
word. and in his last moments charged his fool
hardy enterprise, and his destruction, to the folly
| of trusting to such reckless clamor. Is it
wonderful then, that the South should believe
1t; We think not. They judge our literature,
! and our daily and weekly press. by a fair rule
OF Judgment, when they suppose that the de-
mand and supply regulate each other. They
can scarcely be made to believe, upon the strong
est assurance, that this is not so.-But old
| Brown found that it was not.-And so will every
one who canvasscs closely. There is not one
man IN a hUHdrtd If there be one in a thousand.
at the North, ,cho TW gre any serious coup,tel,-
ance 10 tie toray at HaIpe,'S Fe,ry.-And there
IS not one in Il hundred of the destructive abo-
htionistS who will pay one cent TO carry forward
any such enterprise. There is most undenia-
| bic want of heart in the whole thing 1t is
chiefly political, and bruited about to increase
the capital for president making, and office
seeking in general. There may be few SIM
pie men who believe in this ridiculous clamor.
II is barely possible Brown and his party NAV
be of this number! But shall they therefore
be held insane, and irresponsible for treason
and murder9 All sober and conscientious men
cannot fail to perceive at once the absurdlty of
such conclusion. Brown himself was too SIN
cere, and too proud, to ask for any such con-
struction in his favor. This might possibly be
regarded as one of his decisions, ii any we'll
defined delusions were shown to exist in his
mind. But this is clearly not the fact
AT the North, too all who regret the ex-
istenoe of slavery in the country-and it is not
to he disguised tina. the number probably ex-
ceeds moety of NE Northern. or Free State
population-all such persons, with few excep-
tons of such as may have been at the South
long enough to observe something of the con-
dition of slaves there in regard to physical com
fort, come naturally 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 associ-
ated with this idea the relief and expectation
that their social condition would probably be
very much improved, at once, by becoming free.
And after having arrived at this conclusion,
1t is natural enough to adopt what seems but a
ll,r, hot h, I. 81