New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-07-04
!. Jonn Brown and Ills rricndsv

| Sohn brown ana His Friends
Is the title of a valuable paper in the 4tlonfi.
Tor July, and the facts it gives are of local as
well as general interest. The article tells us
who of the suspected anti-slayery men of the
North shared with John Brown the secret Of
the struggle which began and ended at Har-
| per's Ferry. These men were Theodore
Parker, DIR. S. &. Howe, T. W. Higginson
r. b. Sanborn, Geo. III. Stearns, Edwid Nor.
/ ton, Frederick Douglass, and few others
less distinguished, aud they were informed of
the project after it was well determined upon
In February, 1853, Brown, whose where
abouts were not suspected by his Kansas
friends, whom he had suddenly disappeared
from, was at the house of Frederick Doug
lass, IN this city, whence he wrote several
letters to Parker, HigginSon, Stcarns, and
Sanbon, appealing to them for money to
carry out an important measure in which the
world had deep interest. lie invited them
to council" at Rochester, Il which none
OF them could go, but they invited him to Dos
ton, an invitation he declined, because it was
impossible for him to travel through the east
ern states unrecognised, and he desired to
keep his movements secret. Finally, in re-
sponse tn second earnest invitation from
Brown, MIR. Sanborn came to Rochester, ar
irving on the odd of February, and found
there few friends of Brown.
In the long winter evening which followed,
the whole outline of Browns campaipn i'm
Virginia was laid before the little council, to
the astOnlshment and almost the dismay of
all present. The constitution which he had
drawn up for the government of his men, and
such territory as they might occupy, and
which was found among his papers at the
Kennedy farm, was exhibited by Brown, its
provisions recited and explained, the pro-
posed movements of the men indicated, and
the middle of May was named as the time of
the attack. To begin this hazardous adven-
ture he asked for but $500, and would think
himself rich with 81 900. Being questioned
and opposed by his friends, he laid before
them in detail his methods Of organization
and fertilization of settlement in the South,
1t that were possible, and of retreat through
the North, if necessary; and his theory of
the way in which such an invasion would be
received in the country at large. He desired
from his Massachusetts friends patient
hearing of his statements, candid opinion
concerning them, and if that were favorable,
then that they should cooperate with him
and persuade others to do so. This was the
important business which he had to commu-
nicate on the anniversary of Washncton's
birthday. Those who listened to Captain
Brown had been familiar with the bold plots
and counter plots of the Kansas border. and
had aided the escape of slaves in various
parts OF the South. But to strike at once at
the existence of slavery, by an organized
force, acting for years, if need be, on the
dubious principles of guerilla warfare, and
exposed, perhaps, to the whole power of the
country, was something they had never con-
tcmplated. That was the long-meditated
plan OF pure, obscure, old man, uncertain
at best OF another ten years lease of life, and
yet calmly proposing an enterprise which, if
successful, might require whole generation
to accomplish. His friends listened until late
at night, proposing objections and raising
difficulties nothing shook the purpose of the
old Puritan. TO every objection he had an
answer; every difficulty had been foreseen
and provided tOr the great difficulty of all,
the apparent hopelessness of undertaking
anything so vast with such slender means.
he met with the words of Scripture, eff God
be for us, who can be against us p" and
Except the Lord keep the city, the watch
man waketh but in vain." To all sueees-
tons of delay until more favorable time, he
would reply: " am nearly sixty years old;
l have desired to do this work for many
years if do not begin soon it will be too
late for me-" He had made nearly all his
arrangements; he had so many hundred
weapons, so many men enlisted; all that he
that he would open his campaign with the
spring, and he did not doubt that his enter
prise would pay. But those who heard him,
while they looked upon the success of Browns
undertaking as a great blessing and relief to
the country, felt also that to fail, contendng
against such odds, might hazard for MANY
years the cause of freedom and union. They
had not yet fully attained the sublime faith
OF Brown when he said: A few men in
the right, and knowing they are right, can
overtnrn king. Twenty men In the Allie
ghanies could break slavery to pieces in two
years.
The conference was renewed on the next
day and, 'as usual when he had time
enough Brown so far overcame the scruple
OF Sanbon and another of equal age with
Brown and for many years a devoted Adolf
tiOnlst," that they, seeing opposition was
useless, resolved to stand by their friend and
help him to success. Sanborn went home
and revealed the project to the others men
toned. Brown was induced to go to Boston
secretly in March and remained at room in
the American House four days, where the
whole scheme was canvassed, and when
Browne went away Messrs. Parker, Howe,
Sanborn, Stearns, and IIigginson organized
as secret committee to raise the funds re-
CURED. All things were in Il proper state of
forwardness by the ensuing May, and it was
Intended that the blow should be immediately
struck, but an occurrence fully explained in
the narrative made postpOnemont for a year
necessary, and Brown returned to Kansas.
AT their own suggestion the mon instrument
al in providing the funds were left in ignor-
ance of the details of the leaders plans. In
concluding the account the writer says
1t is not known that any of these friends
regret or blush for the aid they were able to
render to hero as undaunted, as patient,
and as completely under divine guidance as
any whom history or romance describes,
Those who are dead did not; those who
are living need not. But if an imagined
regard for the reputation of the living
or the dead should tempt kinsmen or friends
to forget or disown the share Of any man in
this mysterious affair, let them remember
what Sir Kenelm Digby says of his fathers
connection with the gunpowder plot Of Guy
Fawkes. "All men know" pleads the fair
Stelliana in Sir Kenolm's private memoirs,
THAT it was no malicious intent or ambitious
desire that brought Sir Everard Digby into
that conspiracy, but his too inviolable faith
to his friend that had trusted him with so
dangerous a secret, and his zeal to his cOun-
try's ancient liberties. "-Rochester Democrat.
An Undecided Democrat
Hon. ID. w. Voorhees,, of Indiana speaks
the sentiments of thousand tens of thousands
of Democrats in the following letter from
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