Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-06-17

THE LESSONS OF THE WAR.

The closing exercises OF washington anu
Lee University took place at Lexington yes.
terday, in the presence of large and dis
tinguished assembage. After The delivery
of the diplomas, certificates and prizes, Hon.
John Randolph Tucker introduced Col. a
X. Mcclure, of Philadelphia, who delivered
the address before the literary societies oil
the university on the lessons of the war. 1t
was thoughtful, mastery effort, ana in it
he emphasized three points-that the war
was not the creation Of extremists i'll both
sections, OF Northern abolitonists or South
ern fire. eaters that slavery was not the
source of the war, but thatthe sovereignty of
the State endeavored to end the pretense of
nationality; that civil war was inevitable,
because peaccable disunion would have
brought anarchy TO the whole country; and
lastly. that the idea of abolition of slavery
was not the ultimate end of the war in the
ewes of Lincoln. On the latter point Mr..
Mcclure said:
There was not dag, from the dale of the
final proclamation of emancipation until the
Sd of February, 1865, when Stephens, Hun
ter and Campbell, the Confederate commits.
sioners, met Lincoln at Fortress Monroe,
that Lincoln would not have gladly accepted
peace under restored Union, with compen-
stated emancipation. we'll remember hear
ing him discuss it, late in the autumn OF
1864, when the question of military success
on great battlefelds was no longer profile.
NAUTICAL; and, could the people of the South
have heard him as | did, and trusted him as
all trusted who knew him, | believe that
there would have been early peace, with
COMPENSATED emancipation, and reconstruc
ton without the desolating tread of the thief
and adventurer. ] saw his plan, written
out by his own hand, based on the payment
| of four hundred millions to tho owners OF
slaves. l shall never forget the sorrow with
| which he contemplated the probability OF
future battles and sacrifices Of life and the
earnestncss with which he sought peace
when mere ambition would have pressed for
the laurels Of the conqucrer. He said ::
-Four hundred miIlons 1t seems large
sum to add to our already heavy debt; but
one hundred days of war will cost as much.
| IF we are to he reunited, the loss North and
South is equally the loss of the nation and,
when the sacrifice of life and the added sor-
row TO the homes of both sections are con-
sidered, there is no argument against COM
pensated emancipation. Itwould not only
give us peace. but it would temper the sad sec
tional estrangemcnt, and enable the South
to resume her industries and contribute her
share to the payment of our national
debt" I give the exact substance of his
remarks and nearly his exact words.
Mr. Mcclure gave instances of the early wars of
this country to show that long and bloody civil
| war might have been expected. Yet the North
! believed the South to 10 bombastic without cour-
age" he said, 'and the South believed tho North
To lie shriyccd into money getting and cowardlrc.
| remember. as If it were but yesterday, lcsis.
| lativc caucus of the dominant party in my own
State. held when Sumter was fired upOn III which
declared that if war came the South would he ~
heroic rs the North in battle; and the response
vas a flood of Kisses from majority of my ASSOC
ciatcs How sadly that prophecy was fulfilled
the countless graves of our battlefclds fearfnlly
attest"
| In conclusion Mr.. Mcclure cloqucntly depicted
the bencficcnt results Of tho to both North
and South, and uttered a warning against central
ization which, no said, was peril to free govern
| mont to-day. 1t was the pendulum swinging to
the other extreme from that which precipitated
| tlr