The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-10-24
Lee and the Hall OF Fame.

Wehaver received many letters Of approval
and Of disapproval OF remarks recently
made by us on the selection Of ROBERT
T.. LEE of Virginia as one of the American
heroes celebrated in the Hall Of Fame.
Al this time when our space i SO largely
absorbed by political matter Of immediate
relation TO the pending election We are
unable TO give them publication. One of
them, however. from Col. ALEXANDER K.
LAwTON Of Savannah, commands present
consideration. both because OF the distinc.
ton of that gentleman and because il alone
of the Southern letters we have received
undertakes to argue the question on its
merits.
Col. LAYTON quotes from the late JOIN
GOODMAN Ropes o. Boston a theory that any
officer who " believed " in the right Of Il
State 10 secede from the Union at its will
" was justified In regarding his obligation
TO remain in the service OF the United States
rs determinabIe by the decision Of his
own State to remain in or withdraw from
the Union" We shall not now combat
that theory, except so far as to say that
under II no officers oath 10 support the
United States would be of any worth. No
man holding any such theory Of obliga-
ton to a State superior to obligation
20 the Union could honestly take such an
oath. lie would take il with a reservation
Inconsistent with an oath to bear true
faith and allegiance to the United States
of America " and " obey the orders Of the
President Of the United States"
NI.o-,.l,o. 90 I uu ma taob nt,a1l,- IA gnr+or
as unduestionably he was. He took COM
mand against the United States without
waiting for the acceptance of his rcsIGna-
ton and therefore while he was still in the
military service Of the United States.
There was no sectional bitterness " or
" intolerance " in what we said. for IL was
the mere statement Of an ~indisputable
fact. Outside Of the States which went
into the secession movement there IL no
such feeling. Up here We look at the Civil
War dispassionately. We have no " lost
cause" TO mourn or keep alive in the
thoughts Of the children under our training.
The war ia past and its issue Is decided.
The methods Of South American republics
wore tried in the secession movement and
they did not work. If eleven Southern
states had any justification in seeding
or any right to seCede because LINCOLN
was elected in spite Of their opposition.
they can go of now in n like hun when
MCKISLEy IA elected against their solid
opposition. OF course. no nation can
submit to such n theory. II struck at the
very existence Of the Republic and its
complete destruction was as necessary
for the South as for the North. That is
not " bitterness" " intolerance" it is sim
ply common sense.
Now. the personal character of LER ia
not involved. The question is. shall the
effort TO destroy the American Republic
be celebrated 20 American youth in an
American Hall Of Fame by the exaltation
of the name OF its foremost military repre-
sentative in companionship with the heroes
who founded it and who saved il? Why
not glorify JEFFERSON DAVIS also? As an
enemy in arms against the United States
RoRERT F.. LEE Is out Of place in that hall.
He was n destroyer. not a builder.
Col. LAwToN asks II it il possible that
we " do not desire Southern men TO vote
the Republican ticket" Southern men
who are 1T to be intrusted with the ballot
will vote according to their conscientious