Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1870-12-23
The Discussion on the lee Res0-
IutiNnS in the Senate.

The Discussion OH the Lee EeesO-
buttons i'm the Senate.
Washington, Dec. 13.-In the discussion
day on MIR. McCreery's resolutions in the
Senate, relative to General Lee, the follow
ing took place:
Mr.. McCreery Of Kentucky, asked leave
to introduce the resolution of which he gave
notice YESTERDAY, proposing an Investigation
with view of restoring the Arlington es-
tate to the widow of Gen. raj r. E. Lee,
the removal of the graveyard on the premi
SEES, and the general restitution for any in
cunbrances placed there, in the interest Of
the government He then occupied twenty
minutes upon the subject. He referred to
the circumstances attending the recent death
Of two of the foremost Generals on either
He spoke Of the friendly intimacy be-
tween these Generals up to the com mence-
ment of the rebellion, when Thomas follow
ed the starry emblem of the Union and Lee
resolved to stand or fall by the State that
had given him birth, and of the general
sorrow and respect that manifested itself in
either section succeeding the mournlul in
telligence Of their decease. He proceeded
to eulogizc the in6exib!e virtue, military
genius and valor of General Lee, remarking
that the American people would never re-
Iinquish tn, property which they held in the
name and fame of the great Virginian.
He then referred to the principal historic
features Of Lees campaigns to show that,
with the means at his command, possibly no
other man could have accomplished results
so vast. While possessing great ability he
was devoid Of estentation, and, froin the
testimony of his most intimate acquaintance,
he was singularly exempt from the lollies Of
other men His life was that Of hero,
christian, and gentleman. There might
be those in the Senate who would derive
comfort from casting aspersions upon Gen
| eral Lees character, but all sections of the
country would eventually accord to his mer-
its their just deserts.
The loved partner Of his bosom still lives,
and in her behalf justice was now implored.
She belonged to race fond of bestowing
charity, but poverty could not force her to
accept it, Would the Senate now remove
the barrier that excluded her from Airing,
ton. Dusing his remarks Mr.. McCreery
! reviewed in detail the salient features Of
General Lees civil ard military services,
particularly his recent efforts in connection
with Washington College. his Revolutionary
ancestry, and sincere devotion to duty -
Referring to the sword as the least capable
of all tribunals to decide a cause upon its
merits, the speaker went on to argue that
the judgments Of the sword had not Away S
comiMpded that universal respect which
would have been expected from court of
SO large jurisdiction, and that history had
enrolled the names of Hampden and Sidney
upon the list Of martyrs in the sacred cause
Of right
Mr.. Edmonds said, that instead of being
welded to the institutions Of Virginia, Gen.
Lee was a ward Of the nation, the nation
had fed, clothed and educated him; that he
lived at the capitol, but when tho capitol
called upon him to defend the flag under
which he had been born. protected and hon
ored, he turned his back upon it, and plan
ted his cannon in sight Of the capitol be had
sworn to protect and defend. But Mr..
Edmonds would not dignity such PROPOSE
ton by discussing it. General Lee was now
dead, and that the only regret that any
right-minded man, who believed in the war
would have, was that General Lee had not
died in his youth, OF in his patriotic man
hood, or even that he had not died earlier
than he did by the hand Of the law, which
would have atoned in some neasure for his
crime
Mr.. Tsumbull, while discaiming sympa =
| thy With the apparent object OF the resolution
which was to surrender multitude of the
last resting places of thousands of the Union
dead, held, that it would be, if not uupre
cedented, at least parliamentary to deny
to member a simple request for leave to
introduce any legislation not in itself psul-
ting to the Senate
MIR. Carpenter inquired whether Mr..
Trumbull could state a proposition more
hagrantly insulting to the Senate than that
to remove the slaughtered dead of the Union
army from Arlington, for the purpose Of re-
turning the farm to its rebel possessors
Mr.. Trumbull replied that while without
doubt the resolution was repuguant to the
sense of the nation, it was not in a personal
sense insulting to the Senate He was ad-
verse to the adoption of any precedent the
effect Of which would be to prevent the free
exercise Of right guaranteed to member
of the Senate
Messrs Edmonds and Sumper cited two
instances, the former the case of the propos.
ed annexation of Texas /; the latter the bill
for the repeal of the fugitive slave law, in
both Of which requests for leave to bring in
bills were refused.
The presiding officer Of the Senate cited
five additional Instances in which leave had
been refused.
Mr.. Morton protested against the consid
Grafton Of the reso ution He had heard
what he never expected to hear, eulogy
upon the character OF GcGeral Lee in the
Senate of the United States, and that, too
within sight of the graves Of the victims of
his rebellion. Hamden and Sidney died not
for human slavery, but for liberty. This
man General Lee was, Of all others, the
great sinner-le had sinned against light
and knowledge. His ancestry, his oath of
fea!ity as an officer of the United States. his
finished education and high abilities, all
forbade him thus to sin, and the enormitv
of his crime could not be concealed by deco.
rating his grave With flowers Of rhetoric
in word. it was now proposed that the
Senate should grayely consider proposition
to degrade the memories of the patriotic
dead, Of Arlington, to less hallowed ground,
in tender consideration of the rights of the
widow of the arch rebel Of the most wicked
rebellion in history.
Mr.. Scott said that coupling together the
names of Thomas and Lee recalled the ut
terance OF Stephen A. Douglas at the time
these two generals resolved to tread oppo-