The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-06-04

;ben. Lee WAS really the only man who
:added to great skill a. . successful scien-
,tifc soldier the weight of personal char
:scter. the dignity, the purity and the dis
:interesiedness that arc necessary TO states
,n1anship. On Lees bayonets rested all the
..hope Of the Confederacy. Nobody be-
lieved in the wisdom of Davis. He had
aii his life been q constitutional marpIot:
the only hope Of the Confederacy was
that Lees wisdom. valor and discretion
would enable the Coniederacy to make the
North weary Of the war.
Every Confederate Of sense inquired
safter the health Of Gen. Lee; no Confed-
;erafe Of sense was soiicitous concerning
;the health OF JET Davis; the public dread
was tina; Davis would mar by his interior
;ence the military success that Lee Was
striving to maintain. The proceedings at
Richmond connected with the laying of
the corner stone Of the monument to Lee
were treated with entire respect by the
North. while the proceedings at Richmond
last week connected with the refinement
;of jeff Davis were received with q COM
passion that is next Of kin to contempt.
Lee was West Point graduate; 30 was
Davis; Lee was man Of personal integ<
..rity and pure private morals; 20 was Davis;
Lee Joined the Confsderacy: % did Davis.
/; Why then do the defenders Of the Union
treat the memory Of Lee with more re-
aspect than they do that Of Davis? First.
;bccause Davis WAS an original secessionist
and conspirator against the fag;. Lee,
like LonRstreet and Joe Johnston. was
never a secessionist, never q conspirator,
and cast his influence increasingly to keep
Virginia from voting in convention for Sc
cession. Davis was q selfish politician
who. though bred . soldier and familiar
with the horrors Of war through his>ser-
/. vice in Mexico, was recklessly willing to
force fratricidal war between North and
|. South to satisfy his egot;s:ical ambition,
or because of his extremely narrow and
( intensely passionate partisanship.
/ I Lee was no conspirator; he had no part
in the plot to force war upon the Union;
/ he used his influence to prevent ii.
Neither Lee, nor Joe Johnston, nor Long
street ever resigned from the army until
/ Virginia was driven into secession by the
/ craze which followed the shot at Sumter,
. sho: deliberately fred for the purpose OF
firing the Southern heart of Virginia and
+ North Carolina.
/ This act. approved by Davis and his
fellow conspirators. forced Virginia out of
/ the Union, and Lee. with many other gal.
I liant Southern officers, reluctantly, sor-
+ rowfully and with gloomy forebodings of
the result, cast their fortunes with . revo.
lutionary experiment they had never
/ fomented. never approved. never even ex-
|. cused.
|: Lee wrote Scott that he hoped never to
draw his sword save in defense of his
native state: he wrote his sister that he
/ recognized nothing in the situation that
/ justified the resort to SO desperate and
revolutionary a remedy for .'real or fancied
. grievances" Although not secessionist
his political education. his ties Of blood,
family and landed property were such that
the secession of Virginia. precipitated by
|: the shot ut Sumter, swept Lee away from
rough open Yea OF rebellion. After Gettys-
|. burg and Vickshurg Lincoln offered,
/ through confidential agents. the Confet-
eracy peace on honorable and generous
terms: complete amnesty with payment
for their slaves. Longstrcet and other
|. able captains Of Lees army assured these
|; agents tina, Lee would be glad to accent
| these terms. as he felt that from military
| point of view the Confederacy was doomed
i and that further bloodshed was inhuman.
I Davis spurncd the offer and named ALSO
|. lutte independence as the ultimate Of peace.
The defenders of the Union have no.
+ forgotten the fac; tina; when his captains
+ selt!shiy bent on desperate war; they re-
/ member tia, Lee did not plot rebellion :
( that he reluctantly Joined il; that he was
{ ready for peace when Davis insisted on
: useless war; that after the war he threw
I. his influence quietly for healing the
! wounds of war by saying in words OF
{ grave rehuAc ~ a passionate woman,
] Madam. let rne urge yoa not 10 educate
! your children ,o hate the government o.
: the United States" Lies early death in
!: $50. ~ the age Of ~. sas great political
! misfortune. lis influence was very grea.
! with his people. lie Was q gave, di.ni-
/ ted man !; MOULD have been impossible
/. for him 20 have devoted the reranan. o:
!: his life 10 the Ieol,sis work Of Davis; lie
f; would never have consented 10 De the cen
! trail figure Of any pGo.ie meetings tina,
4: were devoted 20 the spotheosis % secession
4! and state supremacy; scenes that Davis
!. narrow. eeotisilcal, vain spirit della GIFTED
I IN coniEis wang and sasiag = rar: in a; ever
! opportunity.
/ The best criticism on the unworthy Att.
4 tude maintained bY Davis Tor twenty-five
i years after his release from prison IN lssY-
! IS the reflection iAs; If al the ex.Conisa,
i crate captains bad initiated Davis rather
i than Lees course the sosth to-day would
i be either N = slate o. political anarchy ~
civic and industrial rsra!y.ls These ara
i some Of the Sbssoas reasons why Union
men withheld their respect from The nc.
shas: Of the Los; Cause. while they irea .e>;
j Lees memory with courtesy and rcspec;
\ and his motives wsta charity.
IL IL a matter for resrr. sAst large sum
1 Of money va, contributes. 10 baild ;nonu.
/ meat 60 Lee ct Lexington. Va. by r.eh
i cid banker Of Washington clsy who coined
meney under the protection of the ass
| sh.se hs cared il and prayed for the sue