Digital
History>eXplorations>John
Brown: Hero or Terrorist?>The
Public Response>Senator Henry Wilson
Senator Henry Wilson, Republican of Massachusetts,
December 6, 1859
Source:
Congressional Globe (1860), 11
Now,
sir, the Senator from Virginia [Mr. Hunter] has alluded to the
public sentiment of the country. I believe I utter but the sentiment
of all Senators around me from the free States when I say, that
when the intelligence of this movement was first received, it
was regarded by the public press and by the people as a strike
of the workmen at the armory. When the intelligence came of
its real character, it was received by the press and the people
with emotions of sincere and profound regret. But, sir, an election
was pending in the States of New Jersey and New York, and, for
mere partisan purposes, one or two papers in the city of New
York opened the most violent assault and made the most false
and infamous charges against public men and the masses of the
people in the free States. This course excited universal indignation.
That such charges were made against men who never dreamed of
a thing of that kind, excited and aroused the people. I venture
to say that not one in ten thousand of the people of the free
States ever dreamed that such a movement was on foot or knew
anything about it or had any connection with it, and they felt
outraged by the cruel and unjust accusations made against the
people of the free States.
It
was my fortune to spend two or three weeks in the States of
New York and New Jersey pending that election. I never saw a
man in either of these States, during that canvass, who did
not regret it. The leader of that movement at Harper's Ferry,
by his
bearing, his courage, his words, his acts, has excited the deepest
sympathy of many men, and extorted the admiration of all, during
his trial and during all the scenes that have since taken place.
I believe that to be the sentiment of the country generally.
Men believed that he was sincere, that he had violated the law,
but that he had followed out his deepest and sincerest convictions,
and was willing to take the consequences of his acts. Then to
add to the rest, the present Governor of Virginia, by his mode
of dealing with this question, by his evident attempt to make
political capital out of it, by his effort to get up a panic
and to make a parade, has excited a feeling of derision and
contempt among the masses of the people. In my judgement, the
sympathy and the popular feeling manifested towards John Brown
are owing more to the conduct of Governor Wise than to any other
source whatever . . . .
|