Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-04-29
SATURDAYS DISPATCHES.

= A Conversation with GEN. Lee
Whnt he Thinks OF the situatiOIi
..HIe Condemns The Assassination
..JeA. Davis mo Worse than other
u 6Outhermers.
New York, April 29.--The IIerald's
Richmond correspondent recounts an inter-
view he has had with Gen. Lee. He called
on him to obtain his political views and lay
them before the public. On informing Gen.
Lee of his object the latter said, VI am pa
rolled prisoner" and added. VI have never
been politician, and know but little OF po-
ilitical leaders. am soldier" lie further
said ne was ready to make any sacrifice or
perform any honorable act that would tend
Ito the restoration OF peace and tranquility
to the country. He said that, as believer
lin State rights, he had considered his alle-
glance due primarily to his native State.
IHe had opposed secession, but when his
State went out he considered 1t his duty TO
lgo with 1t. When he accepted command
under the rebel Government he con-
.sidered he was serving his State. He
regarded his surrender of military,
mot political significance; that 1t was
mot a surrender of the doctrine of State
rights. When theSouth was wholly sub
|dued only would the doctrine Of State
rights be surrendered. The surrender of
Ia single army was only military necessi-
|ty. When the South surrenders all Its
forces and returns to the Union, then only
Twill she surrender her favorite doctrine of
secession That principle will have to be
settled by military power. On the ques-
|tion of State sovereignty he contends there
exists a legitimate cdsus beH. The question
Twas unsettled in the convention forming
the organic law. The war is destined to
settle it. Therefore the war raised on this
Issue cannot be called treason. II the South
lis forced to submit 1t of course can only be
Hooked upon as the triumph Of Federal
power over State rights, and the forced an
|nihilation of the latter. The South have
not bt en- and are not yet prepared to beg for
terms, but are ready to accept fair and hon.
orabe terms, their own political views be-
ling considered. AS to slavery, they con-
slider it dead, and the best men have long
been anxious to do away with it. He re-
peatedly expressed the opinion that should
arbitrary or vindictive or rreveDgeful policies
be accepted the end was not yet. b.
He remarked that the assassination of
President Lincoln was crime beyond exc
Grafton. 1t could not be approved by any
good man from auy conceivable motive. !
AS to the terms of peace, to the sugges-
tion that the political leaders only be held
TO trictaccountabillty, he asked: "Would
that be just? What has Mr.. Davis done
more than any other Southerner, that he
should be punished? 1t is true he has oc-
cupied prominent position as the agent of
the whole people, but that has made him
no more or less a rebel than the rest. His
acts were the acts of the whole people, and
the acts of the whole people were his acts.
he is not accountable for the commence
ment of the struggle. On the contrary, he
was one ofthe last to give in his adherence
to the secession movement having strenuous
ly opposed it from the, outset, pointing out
its ruinous consequences by speeches and
bywritings.r stH i- I-,h0'T