New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-10-19
MN. mAsON,s LETTER.


Mr.. mAsON'S LETTER.
That mine Of rich things, Mr.. JEFF. Davis's Ii
brary, has turned up probably, It's richest mug
get. Mr.. Franklin Pierce and other Northern
gentlemen have contributed their mites to his
tory in little epistles Of sympathy in the cause
Of their Southern friends, but 1t was reserved to
Mr.. James NJ. Mason, L. :. Senator from VIZ
riuia. 10 state in precise and unequivocal terms
what tha, cause was. IL am candidate Tor
The first halter" said Mr.. Mason. lie knew that
he and bis friends were plotting treason.
The letter Of Mr.. Mason will be found among
our tclegraphic dispatches. The fact II dis
closc4 l. one long known-,hat The leading men
Of the South proposed 10 inanguraie rebellion
and ,ccedc from the Union in the event Of The
election of Gen Fremont la The Presidency IN
1866. II va. known. but. Ike many other iacts
IN the history Of treason. was one not casii!
proved outside Of the circle Of the traitors them
selves. Mr.. Mason's letter supplies tins evil
dencc. Ths South was then preparing for revo-
luton. The election Of a President on the dis
,inc,iy, principle that Slavery was not TO he
| perpc,ua,ed by the Federal Government by
its extension into Federal territory. in which
the Ere: Labor of tie North had equal
,,rh,. and equal interests, was to be the
signal o. the overthrow Of the Con''i'u''oh
J I'd The dc.,ruc,,ou q the Union. The les
son long ,augh. by Mr. calhop and b.,
Iiollowers-,ha, the moment the slave power
ceased 10 be the Supreme ia~-giver OF the
Union, ,ha, momen, the Unloo must be de-
s,roycd and q new Confcderacy. Used upon
Slavery. be established, was now 10 be rrac'
tically enforced. Gen. Fremon,s election was
io lie accepted a. the sign that the times were
ripe ior Disunon and civil war. The slave.
holder had determined TO consent 10 no Union
In which they were no, the governing class.
Their idea Of government was an oligarchy, and
80 long a. that was secure TO them they con
sented To receive H. though under the name Of
Democracy. But when The people were
enlightened enough and strong enough
10 assert their own nights and the rights
Of Free Labor In opposition 10 the privileges of
the owner of slaves, then the olgarchy was to
| De 'TliOllru'n ''hil hbh "if'iH''s u '"'"i
and 10 the utter destruction of Republican
form Of Government. The letters of Pierce.
Buchanan and Others have shown already how
strongly Northern Democratic leaders sympa.
thizcd with their Southern associates, and these,
il il well known, placed great reliance upon the
promises of aid direct and indirect, extended
To them by their Northern friends among men
and journals.
when Mr. Masons letter was written, Frank
lin Pierce was President and jeff. Davis was
Secretary OF War. Mr.. Floyds grand larceny
Of the armament of the United States---the one
sole act Of that mans life by which he is distin-
guished-was not, IL seems, a brilliant idea of
his own, but owes its paternity to the ingenious
mind Of Mr.. Henry A. Wise. When four years
later the rebellion actually broke out, at Mr..
Lincon's election, Mr.. Davis probably remem-
bcred the hint Of liberal construction" that
Mason had given him, and set Floyd to work TO
carry out the great scheme public theft which
Mason had suggested. Congress had authorized
the department to change the Old-fashoncd
1int-lock into percussion, and under the pre-
text Of carrying this out, the old flint-lock mus
kcts were to be sent for from the South, and the
new arms substituted to be put into the hands
Of Rebels against the Government. Yet these
men sat four years longer in their places in the
Senate Of the United States, because they and
their party were still in tho asccndancy, but
pcriecting, meanwhile, tho plot to be put into
operation should the occasion still arise in their
defeat in popular election. For fear it would
not occur in 1860 they made it by dividing the
Democratic party at Charleston. lost the grow
ing strength of the party of Freedom at tho
North should ronder rebellion forever impossi-
Bile.
My MasoR's letter thus supplies apothe