The age-herald., 1897-10-03

nlJt now O-termirl3b1e, butt tine nsXt We l1uOw of him he Is in clos @ exctang'e of confidence with Maj Gen. W.lk ton, commanding our arny in he southwest --pems.oner of The king of S<1. Win dhem are two United S.a 'tss seIIa tors a. Id few clJh1ar notabfas. Failing to create a northern cosnfe deracy, the plot TOW is to create "a southwestern com ederacy to consist os LCulsiana, Tennessee, KFn- lucky, Clhao, and poss Ibry absorbing Mexico. The dpg,ann wais a msgnfice'rf one. IO would have taken the hliart of tfle continent out, and held as it's great cfr1rme icaal oar Fsit the Mississippi, Ono ard thetr tributaries. It is easy ito look back at this day and suggest the compl.- osttion5 ld1lat sweuiAd haye arisen; it is certain that we barely escaped a telal diSruE ton of the unaon. and the esitaIb- Eshment of two ce'fede efas, to ba ai- lowed by a seconld division. T9av1ng New Eng'land to her Separ-it ita destiny. Jeffer- son had ~repesfte'd hints of wlhiat wi4s go- Eng on. He kBstw hat Burr had vsi ed Gen. Jacfyson al. Nashville, and that Jackson hlad ordel-ad troops to be really for action But tihe whole admfnEis .ra- tion Of Jefferson wlss msrvef'ous for ite aldrolt patience. What would have been ,al's re5la, of preeipftai.e acIt on amesting eX- V'ce-PretT dent Burr, with Seiustor Daytlon anti Senior Mai. Gen. Wilkinson, 1t Is not eIssy to determine As 1t was when treat5om wia5 ripe, aal1 Wilkinson once more was failae to his friends, 1T was with grsat difficulty That a ;rlai was secured with some show of jus'tice Tt is nJore than probable that Burr untofded his designs to different persons in quite different degrees Jackson kneW apparently only of a design to at- JACK Spain in tfss southwest. Willzfaf- son Knew on the contrary, only of a scheme to crate a Mississippi Valley confederacy. TO attack Span would be to cut off his pension. The English minister to the United States, and even the British cabinet, was fully involved Tn the conspiracy. Burr relied on Eng land for ships and mon4y But at the last moment, when the arch plotter was ready to embark for New Orleans, Where the conspirators were to offer him the government, Wilkinson turned ing him to Jefferson, while he himself put New Orleans in a state of defense, proclaimed martial law, and then boasted of being the savior of his coun- try. Burr was arrested, and aftar a sham triaJ was set free.
 The manipulation of the plot from the outset would have been impossible but. for Wilkinson. He it was who was full of suggestions He brought Burr all the men of note whom ha believed could be swayed by blandishment or by bribes. They were themselves together for sev- eral days at Fort Massac. Wilkinson sent h'm from there in fine style to New Orleans with letter to win over men of influence. The southwest was full of malcontents and irtriguers. Again, the two were tog=ther in St. Louis But this second conference found Wilkinson timorous. He told Burr that the people were bigots in their devotion to Jefferson. This was the be- ginning of the end, for he was never long true to any mortal or any cause. Pickle as he was false, his natural elet ment was perjury.
 At RiChrnOnd wlhe1,a RIIrr waG on trial, Wilkinson was present as witness. Coming with virtuous bravado, he was posted as a liar, coward and a villain. He was challenged ito fight Jackson, full of red-hot choler, tore about the green, pfa,sing Burr and damning Will kinson. Shedding about, he was terri fled beyond all power of conc ealment, for John Randolph was determined he, too should be indicted for high treason Jefferson preferred, by all means, that he should not be indicted-for scoundrel that he was, he had aided materially in breaking up the plot. Chief Justice Marshall in his ferocious hatred for Jefferson, ruled out all testimony that could convict Burr. Wilkinson posed as we'll as he could, won the confidence of few who did not know him, and even received the thanks of the legisla- ture of Georgia for betraying Burr Slipping back to New Orleans. he was allowed to retain his command until IolU Inen ne was TeCdIlPu to NdSn DS5- ton, and the next year was put on trial for his complicity with Burr and for receiving a stipend from Spain as a traitor to the United States. Th@ trial was not unlike that of Burr himself; for, while no one believed him innocent, the court did not pronounce him guilty. Once more resuming his command at New Orleans, he bravsd the contempt of all decent men for two more years.
 But when war with England was de- clared the governors of the Southwest- ern states protested against leaving Nsw Orleans in charge of a man whom they held to be a traitor and incompetent The senators of Louisiana, Kentucky and Tennessee united Tn a dsmand on President Madison ito remove him. The secretary of war thereupon ordered him to Sacketts Harbor, on the north=fn frontier. The order was issued in March, but, true to his instincts, he managed to waste five months before reaching Washington. It was more than sus- pected that he had no d=s're to face British guns. Besides he could not have forgotten that he and Burr were only four years previously deep in a conspiracy with the British minister to disrupt the union. By d4ath he was now left. by seniority, in command of the Ninth military district. His lack of zeal and his inefficiency were shown at every step. Two more weeks were wasted bsfore reaching Sackett's Har- bor. Here he cslled a council of war. It is notable that another member of the council was one of the Burr con spirators. The council unanimously adopted a plan that would use up sev- eral more weeks before there could be a. show Of action. Instead of getting atr the enemy he began a quarrel with Con, Hampton. Hampton was a proud-spir-t ;ted but capable general from South Carolina. He abhorred Wilkinson and swore ha would have as little to do with him as possible. The quarrel was un-t timely, but no one can blame the South Carolinian. It ssentsd to be a fixed plan of the commanding general to waste time. The. secretary of war came to headquarters to stop the quarreling and secure action. No sooner, however, was one plan settled on than Wilk,n- son changed his mind. Late in October, at last, an expedition was started. Wil-s kinson was chased up the river by half the nurIuer of British, and ran away as fast as he could to American soil.
 But for Armstrongs friendship, WiLe kinson would never have been given,