New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-05-24
HENRY A. WISE.

OF Old PrObab1lltleS himself 1Or pOllI!-
cal weather. There is evidently cyclone
ahead which may box the political COM
pass and knock party combinations into
| splinters. So our neighbor has for some
time past prudently banked its fires and
laid head to wind for the emergency. It
is. We judge. rather in the rerenue service,
since she fires shot across the bows OF
every political privateer that comes within
hail. This time it is Governor Henry 4.
Wise. OF Virginia. who has put to sea
with letters Of marque and reprisal. The
Times can not make out these papers and
so lets the vessel pass. meditating on the
possibility THAT Henry a. Wise. OF Viz
| GINA, is to run as administration Repub-
lican candidate for Governor OF that
State"
The Tines says 70 Itself:
Such political alliance would once have
| seemed perfectly incredible. But this 'ls
| the day for the fusion of antitheses, fOl
enacted paradoxes and personitiei sncredi
| biiitie..
The speculations Of the Times show
that it does not comprehend such per
| sonifed incredibilities' as Carlyle would
have said. 1t attributes the position O.
Mr.. Wise to disposition to make many
more "such martyrs as John Brown, land
in its perplexity to account for the sup
posed co-of Grafton Of General Grant. asks:
Where is the point of sympathy between
| the two men! What sentiment do they
| hold in common! We can conceive OF
| none unless it be common adherence
for such treason and revolution AS John
Brown represented and tried to accomplish.
We can offer better solution Of mo-
tive. 1t is based on the nature OF men,
and especially Of man so remarkable for
his power over men as Henry A. Wise.
There are two men in the South who never
asked permission of a party to act. There
are two men in the South who have from
their power of genius and integrity taken
their positions in despite of party and in
contempt Of party, and have never been
beaten before the people. Right Or wrong
in the abstract, wise or otherwise in the
event. it mattered not. Henry A. Wise
and Robert Toombs always had the conf
dence of people enough TO make them re-
spected and obeyed. They were natural
Tribunes Of the people. and the small trap
settlers Of party. after q futile effort to re-
sist, followed tamely at their heels.
Henry A. Wise and Robert Toombs
were both friends Of Jackson. They
both opposed jackson. They were both
Wings. and when they believed tina: the
Wing party was rather for measures than
doctrine. they both renowned and de-
nounced the Wing party, were accepted
into, led and controlled the Democratic
party. Both these men were Union and
compromise men Of 1850: both fought
and whipped the fre-ea,ers Of tina. period;
both regarded the election of Republican
President or the invasion Of the South an
overt act, a cGsus JeN!, and each fell into
and fought through the war Of secession.
Henry A. Wise is not common man.
ard therefore not readily comprehended.
The leading feature Of his character is
unimpeachable integrity. This would be
4 quality Of no value with a politician.
but with the people it is a moral tower.
l: is tower which the politicians can no
more pull down than they could erec:.
Henry A. Wise once made a canvass
against the KnowNothings. He opposed
secrecy; he opposed oath-bonnd crgan;za-
tons; he denounced the inhosp;.ali:y and
the folly Of bounding of white people
with money in their pockets. muscle il
their arms and love Of freedom in their
hearts. The clans shrunk and withered
under his philippics. His administration
as Governor was as pure as ice. Il was
an active and honorable advocacy Of
popular education, internal Improvement
and social morality. It was during that
period that the sentence OF the law was
executed upon John Brown. The Times
is not historically accurate in saying:
l. is to be remembered that the despera:e
Old fanatic. III capturing Harpers Ferry,
made war upon the United States and defed
its military power, in addition to invading
Virginia.
John Brown did not make war upon
the United States He invaded Virginia.
and upon re9uisition. the federal execu-
tive suppressed this invasion. as he was
bound TO do. Brown was arrested, tried,
defended. adjudged to death. and hanged.
Governor Wise refused to pardon, but he
did not "harg John Brown, the jus: mar
tyr" etc. That was done by the law.
which John Brown had knowingly and
resolately violated. He took his life in
his hand. and never tinched from the
penalty. No doubt old Wise. # attacked
Oh this point in the canvass, will say, Il
could not vote for Horace Greeley. He
was the innocen. embodiment: Of all the
evil doctrines which eliminated in the
war. He was the adviser and advocate Of
! John Brown. When this resolute fanatic
applied to his abolition friends in Boston
and New York, as has been recently pub
!ished. for means TO invade Virginia, he
received the aid desired, but postponed
movement Cor one year. Then it iell ike
All aerolite upon the astonished people,
Horace Greeley was tie friend. the
adviser. tie :rumpeter Of that fanatic and
his purposes. Why did not TIE T;t4ne
utter note Of warning! Horace Greeley
was accessory to the invasion. and by the
Eternal, 1 had rather have seen the skuih-
ing incendiary swing than the brave.