The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1861-11-28

Col. George Mason, Member OF the
English Parliament in the reign of Charles
|. He was afterwards an officer in the
army of Charles II, and when the royalist
army was defeated at Worcester, lie es-
capped from England in the disguise of
peasant, and came to Norfolk, Va. His
great grandson, George, married daugh-
ter of Sir William Temple, and has eldest
son, who died in 1892, was the celebrated
George Mason of the Revolution. II was
he who drew up the non-importatlon reso-
lutions of 1863, presented by Washington
to the Assembly of Virginia, where they
were unanimously adopted. One Of them
was resolution not to import or purchase
any imported slaves after the lst of No
vember Of that year. He was member
Of the Convention that framed the Consti-
tuition OF the United States. James Muir
ray Mason, the only distinguished act of
whose life was the authorship Of the
| Fugitive Slave act of 1860, nutil he took
a prominent part in the destruction Of the
! Federal Union and Constitution which
! George Mason did so much TO create, is
| the grandson of George. Of the grand
father, Jefferson said: "He was man
Of the first order of wisdom, Of expansive
mind, profound Judgment, cogent in argu-
ment. learned in the lore OF our former
| Constitution, and earnest for the rcpubil-
can change on democratic principles. -
The conscientious biographer OF the grand
son must say that he was a man without
common sense, of a narrow mind, pro-
found only in prejudices, of small culture,
earnest in nothing but to secure the su-
! q nd hoS N
| ill-spent and useless life by an attempt
to overthrow the liberties Of his country.
J. NJ Mason's early education was such
as is given to the youth OF that part OF
Virginia whose boast is that common
schools are scarce and newspapers almost
unknown. In 1918, however, he gradu-
ated at the University of Pennsylvania,
in Philadelphia, and after studying law
two years at the College of William and
Mary in Virginia, and in the office of
Benjamin Watkins Leigh, received IL
cense to practice. He soon entered upon
political life, and in 1926 was sent to the
House of Delegs ties, to which he was
twice reelected. In 1887 he was chosen
Member Of Congress, where he served
single term, without distinction. In 1917
he became a member Of the United States
Senate, where he continued till last Win
ter, and would have remained till 1868,
should he have lived so long, and been
loyal to the Constitution.
AS member of the Senate Mr.. Mason
has been notorious, but never useful >or
respected Under Mr. Buchanan he was
Chairman of the Committee on Foreign
Relations, but never brought forward any
act honorable to himself or beneficial to
the country, On the Fugitive Slave, the
| Kansas ebraska bill, and all other meas
ures involving the question and the inter
ests of Slavery, he has always been fore
most in debate, making himself conspic-
uous by his loud -mouthed advocacy Of the
/ EXTREMIST Pro-Slavery doctrine, the most
| insolent abuse of the North, and especially
/ Northern workingmen, by that offensive
manner toward all who came in contact
with him which he brought from the
plantation To these distinctions he has
! added, for a year or two past, that OF wear
ing coarse suit of gray clothing, claimed
to be home-spun in Virginia, as Indicative
of his extreme Southern views, bu5 which
was covered all over with Connecticut
Luttons-a sham and bravado character
istic of the man. From the beginning he
has been Secessionist. As long ago as
! 1855 he said in a letter written for some
public occasion in South Carolina, that
sbut one course remains for the South
immediate, absolute, and eternal separa-
ton" In March last he said. in the Sen
ate. that he recognized "no allegiance to
this Government" He nevertheless re-
manned to occupy his seat and draw bis
pay as long as it was safe for him to do SO
"a spy and marplot in the counsels OF
the nation, aud a fraudulent dependent
upon her Treasury His social position
alone has probably continued him under
jeff Davis's Government, as 1t has Tor Sc
many years under ours, In post meant
to be one of honor and trust, but he Is, al
last thanks to the good sense and energy
of Capt Wilkes, put where he can do nC
further mischief
JOHN SLIDELL.
John Shdell, unlike his companion, il
at least man of parts. He is Il native o.
this city, where he was born in 1898 =
Early in life he went to the South, having
been detected in an Infamous crime, from
the immediate consequences of which h'
escaped by sliding down water-pipe iron
chamber window. A duel afterwards
followed, and having nearly added murder
to adultery he fled,