The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-11-14
"LEE's SCHOOL HISTORY"

upon the Massachusetts, troops by the
Baltimore rowdies is described by the
author of "Lee's School History:
The first blood shed during the war was III
Baltimore on the 10Th of April. Troops from
Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania were hurry
ing to Washington in response to Mr.. Lin.
coins call. Citizens of Baltimore, indignant
at sight of soldiers in their streets on theil
way TO attack the Southern States, attempted
| to oppose their passage through the city. I'm
armed as they were, they could effect but
little, but the soldiers fired into the mob, and
several persons We're killed.
This is her description of the killing
| of Col. Ellsworth
On May "a detachment Of Federal sol
| diers crossed the Potomac at Washington,
and encamped on Virginia soil. Col. Els
worth, of the New York Fire Zouaves rushed
into hotel at Alexandria, and tore down a
Confederate flag which was floating from the
| roof For this outrage upon his house, Jack
son, the proprietor of the hotel, shot Ellis
New York soldiers.
After repeated denunclatlons of Presi-
dent Lincoln's arbitrary, unconstitu-
tional acts despotism," ETC., the
author saws:
A general spirit of intolerance towards
everything not in their favor characterized
the party in power in the North. In addi-
ton to the prescription, imprisonment, and
confiscation of property exercised upon all
those who were accused Of favoring the re-
bellion," as the North designated the South's
effort to defend her rights, the freedom of
the press" always the great boast of Ameri-
can citizens was attacked and curtailed. On
Aug. 16, Grand Jury in New York re-
quested power to indict and punish the New
York Journal Of Commerce. the Ne1ns, and
several other daily and weekly papers, be-
cause they spoke of the war as an unholy
war;" and encouraged the rebels to per-
severe in their resistance - to the Govern
ment. In accordance with these views the
Postmaster-Generald directed that the Offend
ing papers should not be carried in the mail
Similar acts of oppression and suppression
occurred during several years
Is not this absurd stuff to instl into
the youthful mind? What makes it still
worse is that the authors English is so
abominable. Her grammar is as bad as
her sentiments, and her rhetoric even
worse than her history. Then, she ought
to know that a Grand Jury can only
indict, and has no power to "punish."
That is the prerogative of the Courts.
There is something truly and femininely
artless in her plant that New York pa
pers which denounced the efforts to pre-
serve the Union as an "unholy war;" and
urged the rebels to persevere in their
rebellion, should have been denied the
use Of the mails. What would she have
done? IF any editors in jeff Dagis's
realm had been so outspoken they would
not have lived long enough to make their
wills. Does Mrs. Pendleton-Lee think
the Government should have offered the
Journal Of Commerce and the NeaUs
special mail facilities, and run extra trains
to carry their wickedly incendiary utter
ances to the people? She shows ludi-
crous survival of the spirit prevalent in
the South during the war, which claimed
for themselves every right and protection
granted peaceful, law-abiding citizens in
time of profound peace, and yet allowed
them to do every act of war against the
Government. This sort of thing reached
preposterous climax at New Orleans,
where the people wanted all the rights of
city in foreign nation at war with the
United States, and at the same time all
the rights and privileges they had en-
loved under the United States Govern
ment in the most peaceful years. Ben
Butler took that nonsense out Of them in
short order. If they were citizens of the
United States, they had to help the Gov
eminent assert its authority. If they
were citizens of city captured from a
foreign enemy, they were under martial
law. They couldn't be both at once.
We shall return to this remarkable
book next week.
THE SENATE.