The New York herald., 1865-01-02

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London is larger city than New York Il has
not haf 20 many iires- We ask the attention ,cf
practical municipal philosophers 70 these facts.
e General Lss's Lettcss--ssate Rights.
General Lee is not one Of those whose history
commits them 70 the opinisn that the pen is
nightier than the sword. His success In the
world, such as 1t Is, has been achieved by the
heavier weapon; but though hs has used the,
sword principally, he has also lSed the. pen,
and has now and thsn, II seems, written letter.
Two Of his letters have been lately made public
from his side the military iines Ons Of these
is letter to General Scott written to accom-
psny another letter BY which he resigned his
position a. an officer In the army OF the Uaited
States The second Is letter to his sister, who
apparently adhered to her country in this quar-
rel, and Of whom we may say-without impro-
per reference TO a lady who, to ell appearance,
is most honorable one-that she apparently
possesses all the noble stamina Of her grand old
family, that stamina which her weaker brother
was 90 entirely without General Lee, in these 4
two letters, has one idea-the State Of Virginia.
He loves the Union--sees no cause Of war
against it; but he cannot fight against his
native State. and therefore relinquishes the
position that mighI require him to do SO.
He writes like one saturated, soaked
through and through with the notion Of
the State. He has no country and can see no
nation. he sees nothing but the State and
State rights 80 rs
4 The dogma Of State rights b ono Of the per
nicious dogmas Of our history, = II has been Of
other histories before ours. u was the dogma
that made It apparent to Sths American peo-
pie" that better constitution wAs necessary
than the ono they lived under, before the
adoption Of the constitution for which we
are now 6ghting Our present federal con-
stitution was adopted to correct the
troubles caused by State rights 1t was
adopted over all the State rights oppo-
siHon, and was the deliberate verdict of the
American people against State rights. Its
adoption proved that State rights was the dog
ma Of the minority, but did not kill it. The
constitution was the voice Of the majority, but
the factious few despised that voice. State
rights has been the dogma Of the minority
ever since, as 1t was then-the pretext Of noisy
politicians, who have used 1t only for their per-
sonal purposes Where do we find this dogma
most conspicuously in our historyf In the at
'tempts Of Thomas Jefferson to rally party
against the dominant one Of the nation, he en-
bodied the theory Of State rights in his Ken
lucky resolutions. It was used there as
party cry-the cry Of an opposition that was
ifactious and not real, and the people so de-
ciied, for no success followed that bid
for popular favor. The people were against 1t,
and jefferson was elected to the Presidency on
q totally different issue. State rights next
appear in the Hartford Convention, another
sectional assault against the government;
another opposition simply and solely factious.
State rights went from Connecticut TO South
Carolina, ailaa Calhoun, at the head Of another
faction, raised the same cry. That is the history
Of the dogma Of State rights since the adoption
Of the constitution. Every where it is the cry Of
the factions against the people. In every in
stance Il is the appeal Of politicians TO the mar
row and miserable prejudices Of the people
to the prejudices Of neighborhood and section;
and the politicians appeal to these miserable
prejudices to excite the people against their
better ideas, and against the noblest and
greatest Of all human ideas, the idea Of country.
y General Lee is one more man of distinguished
position who commits his whole life to this de-
lusion. Had there been forty shorthand re-
porters present when Dogberry uttered his cele-
brated wish, he could not have been more
efectually "written down an ass" than
General Lee has thus, by his own pen,
been written down man Of marrow and
mean mind. The idea Of country is
great and noble one, and goes hand in hand
with intellectual development and greatness.
II does not exist at all among the native Aus
tralians, Africans or New Zealanders. The
further It is possible to go to The other exEem-
ity tho higher you win rise In the scale of popu
lar development and culture, and the more dis
tinctly marked do you fnd this idea. France
Il 4 sufficient instance. Between those two ex-
tremes the idea Is developed with all shades Of
difference, and Of course least In the narrowest
minds. GenersllLee declares that he possesses
IL to q limited extent He acknowledges "de-
votion TO the Union;'' the "feeling Of loyslty
and duty as an. American citizen;" but he owns
that, though he possesses these ideas, they are
I not strong enough in his mind 70 prevent him
from fighting against that Union that he ID
"devoted, TO, and that country towards which
he has "fecling Of loyalty and duty" Is this
very great manf Nay, more, he win fight
against that country although he recognizes
no necessity for the war in which he fights.
He will do oil this rather than take part against
"his relatives, his children and his home" How
honestly may any noble exile who has aban-
doned home, kindred and family for geod
cause, curl his lip in scorn at the infinite little
ness Of the man who gives his own measure In
words like these.
RrvoyuTIoNARY PATRroTs.-Out Of the twelve