Washington City
Dec 19. 1859.
Dear Sir,
I recd. yours of the 16th inst.
You say "the people of Vermont cannot
realize how 15 whites & 3 negroes can frighten
the nation, & Virginia in particular."
The people of Virginia & South are
not alarmed & excited by what was done
by John Brown & his associates. Indeed
the circumstances & results were essentially
calculated to give them confidence &
security. It showed that their slaves are
not inclined to revolt & that when taken
away by force they run back to their mas-
ters. In the next place it shows that
men who engage in such attempts, relying
on the cooperation of the slaves, meet
only disappointment & death.
The matter of their excitement and
and alarm is this. They found Brown
had there new Sharps Rifles & pistols to the
amount in value of eight or ten thousand
dollars & near 1000 pikes & money. Now all
this implies countenance; support, and
"immaterial aid," exclusive & effective, including
wealth & numbers. With this they are
alarmed, and they have become anxious
to know who has been & who is willing to con-
tribute to a civil & servile war. It seems
but just that instead of leaving the whole
law abiding people of the north to lay
under this imputation that those, if any,
who have really & intentionally promoted
such a transaction should be disclosed.
(I much doubt whether any who have given him contribution
understood he was to apply it in the way he did.)
This is what is professed to be affected &
you see the whole Republicans in the Senate
voted in favor of the investigation.
So long as it is pursued to this end we
shall not embarrass it. It may be
possible that another sinister purpose
may be entertained by some, that is,
to make of it political capitol for
the Presidential election. against that we
must, as far as practicable, guard; but
I must in candor & sincerity say to you
this was an untimely as well as criminal
affair & can do our party no good, unless
it appear that it was not promoted,
aided, advised or approved by the
Republican party. I shall use my best exer-
tions to this, because I believe it true.
I have heard no suggestion yet of sending
to Vermont for witnesses.
I am, respectfully,
Your Humble Servt
J. Collamer
C. H. Chapman, Esquire