The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-02-20

serves us right, the personal and loyal
friends of Mrs. Lee in Washington, made
tender of the amount due for unpaid taxes,
cost of levy, sale, interest, &C., before the
expiration Of the equity of redemption,
which the government refused to receive.
So newspaper statement and rumor alleged
at the time, if we do not greatly mistake.
Now, if these be the facts, the question with
us is, not whether Mrs. Lee ought to have
the property or its equivalent, but whether
great and powerful nation, like the United
States, can afford to stand in such dwarfed
and diminutive attitude, before the civilized
world, as that Of denying The right Of equity
to her? That is the question with us and
no three hundred thousand dollars should
stand for one moment in the way Of getting
US out of such humiliating attitude as
that, if it was in our power to help it.
And this virtually answers the second
inquiry put by our correspondent. The
question is not, "are we rich enough to DO
generous" but are 1--WE just, fearless and
great enough to do right?'' Shall the
government, against which no statute of
limitation is allowed to run, take advan-
tage of such statute against woman
who is helplessly in its power? This is
the question to which the civilized world
looks for an answer; and, while we occupy
such position, we cannot afford to stop
and higgle with woman about the price of
piece of land we have thus taken from
her.
Whether the property belonged to Mrs.
Lee or to her husband by the laws of Vir-
ginia, we know nothing more than what
general newspaper statement and rumor
allege, except that it originally came by
, descent from Washington to Mrs. Lee.
| Our correspondent entirely mistakes the
case of the Arlington property when he
, asks whether "Davis' Mississippi planta-
ton" should be returned to him on the
, same principle of restitution. The govern
ment has unquestionably the right to hold
the property Of Mr.. Davis as confiscated
during the term of his natural life, but not
!. intercept the succession. That is as fixed
as adamant in the constitution. General
Lee is dead. Let only his virtues live after
him. Inter all else in his grave. Great.
ness and magnanimity to a fallen foe car
do this. Enmity to the dead need not show
/ itself in malignity to the living.
n Our correspondent mistakes, too, in the
9 case of the 'loyalists of the Valley
n Were the government to undertake to pay
e all losses occasioned by the destruction o
e e property by the army, it would swell tn
y national Indebtedness beyond the capacit.
q of any government in the world to liqui
. date. 1t would do this were the losses
3 limited to those only who are willing ant
!. ready to purge themselves of all disloyalty
y The cases are not parallel. Mrs. Lee doe
not ask payment for property destroyed BY
n the Federal army, but for property takel
# by the government for its own use during
l. the war, and aoithheld from her since.
n But let us say right here, that we do no
r care to discuss this Improbable subjec
one inch further. We have expressed on
Al opinion. We yield to others the right t
le express theirs. But, once for all, let u
=, . say this /: That it is not Mrs. Lee we ar
II anxious for, nor do we care, so far as thi
e. case is concerned, whether she sympathize
~ for or against the rebellion. All that
10 mere "lcather and prunella" as compare
'n with the humiliating attitude of our gov
ernment before the civilized world, occa
st stoned by Withholding the equity of re
=, demption from Mrs. Lee in property d.
10 scended to her from the "Father Of hi
d, Country" That is all.
or a ----------------- -----------
- A BILL was up yesterday in the Main
up Legislature, providing for the right of tt
on women of that State to vote in the comm
list Presidential election. 1t is not probab
tie tie that the bill will pass, but a strenuor