Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-04-06
AN UNUSUAL THING.
STALWART REPUBLICANS WIDELY
CHEER THE NAME OF GEN. LEE.
Result Of . Speech Made by John s. Wise.
Who Explains His Position as
Regards Politics.
lBy telegraph to the pIspatcn.l

NEw YORK. April 5.-The unusual spec
tacle of $50 stslwart Republicans rising IN
their seats and wildly cheering the name
of General Robert f. Lee was on incident
at the dinner Of the West-Side Republic
can Club held at the Hotel Endicott last
night which will not soon be forgotten by
those who were present. Captain John ).
Wise, one of the speakers, created SEN
sation by the courage and eloquence
displayed by him in defining his
position and the reasons that I'M
PEELED him to be in the Republican
perty. John l.. n. Hunt, eI-president OF
the Board of Education, presided; At his
right hand was seated the venerable Gen
eral Stewart l.. WoodfoId. On his lett sat
Captain John s. Wise. of Virginia: With
references to the past ringing IN his ears
Captain Wise arose and not only made
brilliant speech, but in less than five min
utes had his Republican audience wildly
cheering for his old commander. General
Robert Z. Lee.
REPUBLICAN 'BoURBoNIsM DEPRECATED.
Captain Wise. at the outset mildly
deprecated the tendency of Republicans
to live IN the glOries of the past rather
than face the issues of the present and set
their minds upon the glorious promise
which the future held ont to the Repub-
lican party. He said that until the mat
ter was settled by the great struggle be-
tween the opposing armies IN the late war
the question whether a citizens primary
allegiance was due to the Federal Govern
ment or his State was al open one. Even
so learned man aud so great al apostle
OF the Federal system rs Alexander Hamil-
ton was unable TO answer this momentous
question.
1t was never definitely settled 10 whom
that allegiance was due until IT was de-
cided by the God of Battles.
TRIBUTE TO LEE.
Captain Wise paid high tribute to the
integrity and lofty principles OF General
Lee, under whom he served, and declared
that no man ever went INTO struggle with
more honest convictions OF what he
thought to be his duty. The speaker.
who was at the time q cadet in the
Virginia Military Institute, the West
Point of the Confederacy, was called
with q class of 300 young boys
to take his place in the field. He went
and fought tor his State. TO which he
honestly believed his allegiance was due.
When the war ended he accepted the
issue, and. influenced by the words OF
General Lee, became member OF the
party whose principles had triumphed.
Captain Wise repeated General Lees words
in which he told his former comrades IN
arms that the first duty of en- American
citizen was thelllegiance he owed to the
old flag and thefederal Government.
ENTHUSIASTIC CHKER1HG.
At this moment those present broke out
into wild cheering. That speech, Captain
Wise said, made him a reconstructed clti-
zen and Republican. Continuing, Cap
tam Wise made an appeal TO the Republi-
can party to avoid sectionallsm and not to
attempt limiting the lines TO territorial
boundaries. The sectionalism of the South
drove him into the Republican party, In
which he proposed TO remain during his
life. and he had five sons who were fol-
lowing in his footsteps. He ADVISED Re
publicans to look forward and not back
ward.