Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-11-20
MAsoN-sLIpELL-ewIS.
Pen AID lax sketch Of three arrested
cOnsPiTaISTs against abe Republic.

~ tka y J. lilL4af
For naAy years RE seat Of he conspiracy
for the overthrow Of the Federal Govern
lieni, Has ,se senate OF the united States.
Among tue chief CauliHes 10 The ue4soa-
abie plot, none Eere more active, i'eaehet-
Gus, and yirulepi, THAI james N Mason
aud John SIdeli. Davis vas more psAu'i-
Ole, Toomb. more defiant, Brown more
reckless, and Benjamin uofr aei.c, bat for
sour iuaugl.Iy, DO gnp rqua.led Nasoni ios
willy hypocrisy none surpassed shie!---
Any tine 10 the last leo years, u Sn INTEL
ligeut observer bad been asked To desig-
uatg the two most unpopular aud repulsye
men 10 the Senate, be would have Instantly
pointed to the seats occupied by TIE haugh-
~, oysFbeariug, ins1lsut member from
Virginia, whose face was d chronic irown,
aud the member from Louisiana, whose
fartye glaaces and sihistcr ylsage. as he
catered the Chamber, alwlps gave token
that he bad just come from a eouGeiI Of
Benedict Arnoljs, who were plotting tue
overthrow Of their eounIry. Mason, who
teligiously believed that every Vitgiuau
was demi.god, and every Yankee craven
p.ebeian, never tried to CONCEAL bis contempt
for his Northern colleagues, With a brain
composed Of the mgdiest materials ever
Injected into mortal skuli, aud with AZ Ut.
ter,nee to the last degree prosy and COM
monplacr nevertheless, such was bis over
Weeuing seli.eonCeit that, while boring
the Senate to the very verge OF human en-.
DURANGO, be never doubted that be was
clothing the pouderpas logic Of Daniel
Webster With tue brilliant dieiion Of Pat
rick Heury. On the other hand Slidell
never cssayrd to lecture the Senate as
was the wont Of Mason, With a rare tai.
enl for Intrigue an assidlty that never
tired. and a patience that worked through
ali obstacles that interviewed between him
and his object, he was content 10 be sly,
cautious, dark, unscrupulous traitor, leay-
log pompOas Mason to make himself ri.
dirulous before the scenes, while he par.
sued his devious designs behind the
curtain There was one point beside
their common desire for the dissolution of
the Union, Ia which these holry traitors
cordially agreed They hated Douglas
with the Intensity of hends. They took
every pains to thwart him--to humble
him they embraced every opportunity TO
sneer at him-to deprecatc him; aud they
toiled night aud day to dePosc him from
the leadership Of the Democratic party.
They were deep in the plot which prevent
cd bis nomination to tue Presidency last
wear, aud were the chief instgatOrs Of the
cnbal which broke up the Charleston Con.
yentlou, put two Democratic candidates in
the field, and thus secured the election Of
Lincoln. And they did all this for the
purpose Of making his success u pretcxt
tor destroying the Union, IN this raid up.
on Douglas, the different natures of these
arch -tpostaics were made conspicuous
Mason, naughty self.important, and inso.
lent, treated Douglas with contempt nm
npstnrt who was to be put down with
scowls and sneers. But Slidcll Ind Il
higher and clearer appreciation Of the in
dumitable character aud vast resources oil
the Illinois Senator. So, he, throughout
the Winter Of $4,000, with his eye upor
the ultimate dsmcmbcrnent Of the Re.
public, taxed all the willy arts Of his ven,
omouS nature to prevent Douglas obtain
ing, what but for this be was sure to have
the regular and harmonious nomination o
the party with superior chances Of sue
cess in the campaign Slidel and MaSor
were selected by the COniederates to repre-
sent their desperate cause in Europe, be-
cause Of iheir intimacy with our iOrrigt
relations, the latter having long beer
Chairman Of the Senate Committee OF
that subject, Of which the former was also
a prominent member
Gwin Is an offender Of q less markcC
type. Throughout the several stages .
this scheme for destroying the Constitu.
ton there has been an inner and outel
circle of conspirators. While Davis, Sill
dell, aud Mason belonged to the inner cir,
d Gle, Hunter, breckenridge, and Gwiu, NOR,
cautious, aud perhaps more CowArdly, how
cred around the outer edges Of the plot
Gwn formerly represented Mississippi il
the House of Representatives Msfor.
tunes overlook him. He emigrated to Cal
ilornia, taking with him his unscrupulOui
nature, and bis strong prejudces aud aiEin
tiles for the South and Southern institu
tons. Failing to obscure the golden en-
pire Of the Pacific with the black cloud o
negro slavery, Gwin fell with the popular
current, aud was soon borne into the United
States Senate. An admirer, and, so far al
was prudent for the representative Of {
Free State, the follower Of his OLE
friend jeff Davis, Gwin managed by
his seemingly hearty advocacy of I
Pacific Railroad, to keep himself Aaoa
ia his new Western home. But al
this time his heart was among the cot
ton plantations Of bis old abode. Will,
in the Senate, he was not SO much the
counselor aud conidant Of Davis as his con
federate aud tool He helped forward the
disunion scheme by indireCtion. Holding
Il position as Senator from noh-slave.
holding State, he was the better able Il
betray to his Southern masters the Opini
ons aud purposes Of his Northern RssOCi
ntes. But dark and damniug as are bis
crimes, as the dupe and instrument o
worse traitors than himself, he is wide
known and more deeply detestcd MS tn,
cruel prosecutor Of the brave and homes
ljroderck, whom he pursued with iendist
fury from the moment Of bis rise in Cali
fornia until he fell welteting in his owl
blood. Unable to bend the inhexible spir
it of Broderck to his base purposes, Gwir
determined that he should be sacrificed
and doubtless be, more than any othel
person, organized and energized the muir
1erous plot that finally comprised thu
, death OF one Of the noblest men on the Pa
cifc coast.