Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1898-03-03
Old John Brown,
Severely Denounced by President
HawIey Of Willamette.
Who Compar es Him to John Wilkes
Booth and Guiteau.

The Eugene Daily Register gives
an editorial report of President w. G,
Hawley's lecture on John Brown at
that city Saturday evening last, that
contains some remarkable criticisms
of the immortal hero of the abolition
movement, and says it "has probably
set more men, women and children to
thinking and reading than has any
lecture given here in many a day."
Before quoting what the Register
says, we must note that for Repub-
lican paper it does not incline to a
favorable estimate of Browns char
acter and mission.
But not even the Register, edited by
an educated native son of Oregon,
can put up with President Hawley's
reflections on John Brown. 1t says:
There were, however, one or two
points in the treatment which the
speaker gave John Brown, which seems
rather strange, in view of the fact
that President Hawley placed such an
amount of emphasis in voice and
word upon them, which left the IN
preston rpon his large and attentive
audience that the mission of the
lecture was.to give John Brown a
place in history coupled with
Wilkes Booth, Charles j. Guiteau,
Benedict Arnold, ,orJ udas lscariot, and
at the same time to BLAME L HE
NORTH for sympathizing with the
Hero of Kansas border warfare"
tnrtf h lInk lou 10
denunciation OF John Brown, as a cut
whu died with lie on his lips, and
whose soul went marching on because
it had no place to stop, SEEMED A
TRIFLE SEVERE as applied to a
man whose deeds never deserved eX-
tolling and never were extolled by
level-headed American, but who, on
the other hand, has been set down as
a religious fanatic, who, imagined
that he saw his duty revealed TO him
as plainly as did Saul of Tarsus, Crom-
well of England, or Queen Isabella of
Spain. And here arises a second point,
viz: that history does not need TO be
corrected TO give John Brown his
dues, in the hearts of the citizens Of
these United States"
The capitals above are ours. The
people of the south considered Booth
insane, as did the people of our whole
country consider Cutie au insane.
For teacher of history to class John
Brown with these two insane muir
derers is certainly wrOAg.
If President Hawley used the words
above quoted he will be severely con-
demned by many people who revere
the name of John Brown of Ossawa-
tamie. The editor of the Register is
none too respectful, but Hawley's SEN
timents are unworthy of a broad.
minded educator. They border on
the infamous.
We should not be surprised if Prest.
Hawley had been misquoted. 1t is
to be hoped he has been,
John Brown has place in his
tory that cannot be disputed. His
career as an agitator, ending in viO-
lent assault on the government that
he believed was the buiwark and de.
fense of the slave power, is devoid OF
insanity, but it was full of the stern
and terrible dynamite that shocks
nations and overturns institution.
Only the other day at Pasadena, CAL,
was erected monument to "Owen
Brown, son of the libcrator John
Brown" and the whole city did him
honor.
1t is too late in the day for a college
president in Oregon to re-classify the
man from Kansas, called the liberator,
among the vicious and demented
murderers, animated by no noble i'm
pulse for humanity. 1t is to be hoped
a correct report of President Hawley's
lecture will not bear out the Regis
tarjS commands