The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-10-19

would not prosecute war of brutal attri-
ton. He preferred strategy to strength
and diplomacy to bloodshed. To save life,
not to lose it, was his plan. 1t is almost
inexplicable that man so merciful, so
charitable and so humane should be so com
plete, so thorough q warrior, for bis blows
were as terrible as his caresses were ten
der, and yet he was terrible only to the
enemy in front of him, and to them only
when the preservation of his own soil from
invasion made it necessary for him to be
so. 1t is true that he assumed the aggres
sive at times, as in the drawn battles of
Antietam and Gettysburg, and the fright
full holocaust of Fredericksburg, where
the federal forces under BURNSIDE were all
but annihilated; but these aggressive move
ments were in their nature finally defen-
sive, for the reason that they were intended
not only to avert invasion, but drive the
enemy so far from the coveted land that he
would forego all hope of ever entering it.
The slaughter at the last named place was
due to the incompetency of the man sent to
meet LEE, and who would not surrender,
WIN lOpC VI COuISC IlldI buS COH1COSl-
ates would at last be worn out and surren-
der to him.
The fact that finally, fighting an enemy
which outnumbered him ten to one and
with other advantages to correspond, he
was compelled to hand his sword to a man
who was in every sense his inferior, only
serves to show what an ignoble and brazen
siren the strumpet Fortune is. Here was
man who was never known to descend to
an unworthy act; whose whole life was the
complete realization of all that is moral,
just and upright among our species; who
never placed soul in peril that he did not
share; who was all that was gentle in peace
and the very embodiment of JovE armed
with thunderbolts when the battle came
on; who loved his country more than him
self and who at any time would gladly
have died if by so doing he could have
saved their lives and the honor of the
south at the same time-bowed TO the dust
at last, but not by any act of his own. The
ignoble character of some of his assailants
who kept out of reach of his batteries
when the opportunity to do otherwise was
before them, was fully illustrated in their
proposition to have him tried for treason;
and never did the manhood of man stand
manhood in better stead than when
General GRANT placed his foot firmly upon
the scheme and shamed the cowardly con-
spirators into silence. The union com
mander was not the equal of his
fallen foe in military skill and
those qualities which make a man intrin-
sically great; it is no discredit TO him to
say this, since no man was his equal in
those respects; but he showed himself to
be brave and true by that one action, and
let US sincerely hope that those who have
built the LEE monument will now proceed
to complete the one in New York, which
the more sordid and selfish portion of the
country has neglected. to ULYSSES S.
GRANT. 1t would be a graceful and fitting
thing for them to do, and would be rebuke
to their slanderers and prosecutors such as
has never been recorded in profane history.
We hope WoLsELY will come, not be-
cause it is necessary to send abroad to OBJ
tain men OF distinction to honor the chief
tain's memory, but because the honor of
being present by invitation is due
to so distinguished foreigner
who was so just in his iudg
ment Nor will the gathering at the
ceremonies be composed entirely of south
erners and foreigners; there are plenty of
people at the north who will be present in
person or in spirit-people who, now that
the storm of sectionalism has almost en-
tlrely abated and the clouds are lifted from
the minds of men, no longer entertain feel
ings of hostility or prejudice toward their
fellows beyond theline and who remember
with feelings of admiration and speak with
words of praise of ROBERT EDMUND LEE,
as grand, gallant and gifted knight as
ever poised lance in defense of honor, in
tegrity and country.