Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-02-16
An Extra Judicial Oninicn.

~AOi' ASo'oS L . 4NSNhSAu, OhlCA OuoUlSO VI OhO
Supreme Court Of this State, by the help Of
the circulation of the Churchman'S Magazine,
and other Democratic periodicals, has beer CIV
ing the world in general the benefit of his lu
cubrations on the subject of John Brown raid
into Virginia. The Judge is lucid. lie says
6 the thing to be settled ia regard to such an
occurrence, undoubtedly, is its true character. -
Exactly SO. The Judge then announces tina
he has learned enough about this affair to
certainly justsfy the belief, that its rash and
demented abettors had conceived the purpose Of
superceding the authority of the State Of Vrr-
4 gnia, and Of the United States, and that they
purposed to do this by force of arms" The
Judge must have sources of information much
more abundant, and entirely different from
those enjoyed by the rest of mankind, to "jus-
tify the belief" that seventeen white men and
five negroes, attempted at Harper's Ferry to
'supercede the authority of the United
States;" but in this the Judge is doubtless
right, and the rest Of mankind are wrong
The Judge, modestly taking the liberty to
speak for all " considerate and thoughtful
men," also expresses the belief that Brown
wasn't much crazy He doesn' t think the at
tempt, by twenty-five men, to "supercede the
authority Of the United States i" any evidence
of insanity, or even of q "wel defined delu-
sion" The Judge sticks to definitions, and
will not in his Court hear a plea of =" delusion,
unless it is q " well-de6ned" one and accord
ingly the dclusion under which John Brown
acted, not being well-defned - one. the
Judge thinks John Brown was in all respects
put to death according to the most approved
form now in fashion in our courts of iurispru-
dence.
Having thus disposed of John Brown, the
Chief Justice pursucs his g reflections little
further. He is of the opinion that those who
know nothing about " the condition of slaves
In regard to physical comfort, come naturally
enough to the conclusion, that there is great
discomfort and great want of moral and re-
ligious culture among them as class" But
the Judge is too well informed to be misled by
any such erroneous ideas respecting the copdi-
ton of the slaves. lie has come to " the in
evitable conclusion" that as between the free
blacks and the slaves, " with reference to
physical comfort, and social advantages, it is
impossible not to give the preference to the
slaves" He doubtless reckons sound fogging
once week as a physical comfort, and the
privileges masters grant to particularly good
looking female slaves, as g social advantage"
The Judge must have enjoyed very extensive
as well as frequent opportunities of studying
the Institution, to enable him to speak with so
much certainty as it is we'll known that he
never gives an opinion till he has examined the
case.
The Judge has made another discovery. He
has learned that I" the blacks receive more than
an equivalent for his labor, in the wisdom, fore
cast, and calculation of his white owner -
proposition as abhorrent to our sense of justice,
as it is to our ideas of Grammar. But when
Vermont Chief Justice becomes an apologist
for Slavery, we ought not to insist on correct
use of his mother tongue
The Chief Justice is candid enough to admit
that those who " have imbibed the slang can't
of the day to any great extent, may entertain
a different opinion, and be SO prejudiced as to
suppose that Slavery is not absolutely right,
but Rodfeld j. never having " imbibed," sees
what benign and benifcent type of industry
African Slavery is. If the Judge had lived in
l776, we are afraid he would have felt it his
duty to denounce all those who imbibed the
slang cant " of the Declaration of indie
pendence, and would himself have imblbed -
to the King over the water. The Judge has
evidently been South himself, and knows how
contented and happy the :" servile blacks " are,
has seen with his own eyes the great blessedness
of the peculiar institution, and is Mortified at
the idea of a slaves becoming free. He de-
nounces John Brown, chiefly because he at
tempted to entce slaves away from their lovely
homes, where they enjoy the exquisite privilege
of being whipped, beaten, fed, sheltered, cloth.
ed, herded, and taught like cattle, and bring
them to territory protected by the flag of Eng
land, where every man, black or white, is SO
extremely unfortunate as to own himself For
this, as crime against the slave alone, the
Judge, after post naOrtem examination has
decided that John Brown was properly hung.
Elk. Gov. Wise will feel comforted when he hears
of it, no doubt.
l. f. r. next has reflections " upon the