Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1893-04-21
FROM JOHN S. WISE.

/
He EXPLAINS HIS SrsKou Brronn THE
New York KEpuplIcAN CLUB.
Editor Times:
This evening, April 13th,at p. m.,
L hnve seen two editorials in your is
sue of the 10Th, WITH statements from
General FitzhuSh Leo and from Gen.
cral EARLY, rs to IN episode that oc
cured at tho West Silo Republican
Club in New York, April 4th. Those
present did not mi,interpret what |
said. Nobody i'll New York did so,
and but for your express desire to
know what | said, / would not foel
like intrudiny it upon you. We diff
Ter so rndically.not only III our views,
but i'll tho way we look ut things,
havo loug since despnired either of
convincing you or those who thiuli az
you do, or of making you appreciate
that my views may bo other as ain,
ccro or MS Intelligent az your own.
To myself, to my Confederate com
rndes, to the nneuury OF my dear
father, To General Lee, who was
scarcely loss dear to me, and to lny
children, owe 1t to repsl tho sag
Gcslion first put forward here that
ever imputed 10 him anything like an
apology for or regret OF his course in
the Confederate war.
What said was elected by two
speeches Tint preceded mino. Their
tendency wns To emphasize mn idc,,
thnt support of the Union i'll the war
was II test ot n mans party nililiuiion
now; that those who were CUnieder-
atcs or Confederate symputbilrrs
thon arc Democrats now; aud that
those who upheld the Union are now
Republicans. There never wan IL
more absurd prutansion. IN my re-
pl.', i'll which confess that ns IN ex.
Confederate lolt netted ut such sup
gestions, said the timo had passed
wher the Rnpublicny party could live
upon rciliniscenccs; that the times
iiad chnnged, and we lad changed
with them: that | hal no quarrel
with any Republican, who, being I,
Jealous Union mnn during tho var,
found consolation in "reminiscences
concerning its bold fight nnd bril-
liunt victory; but that my nflilintion
with him must be explained mud bn.
ell upon events long subsequenl to
thu war; that ns n boy had believed
my first nlieGiancn was due To my
mother State; That those who thought
aa L did hnd stnked their lives and
fortunes on that issue, apd woru led
by ono whose noble life and splendid
career excluded the idra that hcw MS
less honest, less conscientious, less
sell sacrificing. less firm in his fuith,
than any American who had ever
lived or died; thut it Was idle now for
amy party to expect to be called ~
National party, unless it conceded to
all the participants in Tint fight equal
Sircerity OF purpose, unless il ON
braced nll sections, and unless il
found Issues IN the living present on
which TO claim support; that old is
sues were dend, and That Lee, him
self, had told bis soldiers TO nke,nnd
had himself .alien, IN oath of nlleg
iauce, declaring tllat ha wOuld thence.
forth bear trnc faith aud allegiance
to the government of tile United
States, and support, protect md de
fend it against. all enemies whntso-
ever, foreign or domestic" TINT when
my father, who never took the oath,
called on INN to ask him If he had
done so, he replied that he had, and
tint he considered that the surrender
ut Appom9ttox settled tile vexod
question ms to where primary ailcg
innce was due thereafter, aud remov.
ed all objection to taking tho oath.
There can be no question MS 10
Ganernl Lees views on ibis point.
They were published not only il, the
letter to my inther, but i'll many
forms
/ The cheering Of these sentiments
WAS repontcd. I then proceeded 10
say, thnt i'll these words OF General
Lee, ] found my warrant for being ~
Republican, without fear of dis!oyal.
ty to the dead Confedaracy; that
whileit was perhaps Tie only loyal
purity to the government in time Of
war, that fnct was no objection TO it
with inc, now that the Conicdcrncy
was dead, and my old chieltain had
sworn a nav allegiance from tho date
of surrender. and counsclled his fol
lowers to do the same; that when
William Lloyd Garyison's son was
voting the Democratic ticket, surely
there was some sort of eternal fitness
of things that tho son Of the man
who hung John Brown should be a
Republican, &., &c.
a moments reelection wonld have
taught yon conld not have said
General Lee advised anybody to be a
Republican. When he was alive |
could not have been and would not
lave been q Republican had be nd.