The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1898-04-16
A Blot on Our National Honor.
New York Sun.

"A x61OC on OuE NoVAOuxsA AAOAAOA .
New York Sun.
The House of Representatives
Tuesday served notice on Southern
men and women that the civil war
is not yet over, and that while 1t is
quite willing to allow Southern citi-
zens to shed their blood in defence
of the country, it is not willing to
do them the barest justice when they
or their relatives come before Con-
gress with well-founded pecuniary
claims against the government.
The case that justifies this reflection
was the action of the House on the
claim presented by the heirs of the
widow of Gen. Robert E. Lee for
$217,236. MI. Evans, Republican,
of Kentucky, moved to strike the
claim out of the general bill for pay
ment of stores and supplies fur
nished to the Union by loyal citi-
zens of the South The claim was
for 1903, 900 cords of timber taken
from an estate in Fairfax county,
Va, in which Mrs. Fitzhugh, the
widow of w. H. Fitzhugh, had a
life estate. Mrs. Fltzhugh was no.
toriously loyal, said Mr.. Evans.
No one claimed loyalty for Mrs. Lee,
and as legal proposition, he said,
it was absurd to claim that the resid-
uary legatee, who was disloyal,
should have an interest under the
Bowman act. Mr.. Swanson (Dem-
ocrat, of Virginia., who chamPioned
the payment of the claim, said that
Mrs. Lee was the heir of Mrs. Fitz-
hugh, and he thought in this en-
l,ghtened age it was outrageous to
set up the contention that the blood
of Robert E. Lee could not inherit
property given them by loyal citi-
zen of the United States.
The House of Representatives,
however, agreed with Mr.. Evans,
and by vote of 132 to 81 declared
that the blood of the Virginia Lees
IS too tainted with treason to per
nit it, in the language of Mr.. Swan
son, to inherit property from a loyal
citizen of the United States. Just
before making this declaration it
had passed without objection, a bill
to pension the widow of Gen. John
L. Stevenson at the rate Of $50 per
month. We have no doubt that
Mrs. Stevenson's case was entirely
meritorious, but there is always
room in the Congressional sympa-
thies for one more pension claimant,
and while the country annually ex-
p:nds about one hundred and forty
millions for pension claims, many
of which are FRAUDULENT, it has not a
cent for justice, when justice hap
pens to be represented by Southern
heirs. While the house was thus
putting itself on record, member
of the Lee family was brave1y and
periodically discharging a dan
gerous and delicate duty at Ha-
vana- a duty which he discharges,
possibly, at the risk of his life. For
months he has stood at his post
there without finching in the face
of difficulties and personal respon-
sibilities which would have shaken
the nerve and judgment of men Of
less heroic mold, and has performed
the onerous task which fell to him
with such calmness, courage and
discretion as to excite the admira-
ton and applause of the whole
country. Yet his blood, too, &C
cording to the logic of the, decision
of the House of Representatives,
while good enough to be shed in
Havana in the service of the coun-
try, is not good enough to tinherit
property given by a loyal citizen Of
the United States"
Nor does Gen. Lee stand alone
among Southern men in enthusiastic
sunp0rt IF the government Thew