East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1907-02-19
SOME ESTIMATES
OF ROBERT Il. LEE.

The tribute of the north. both in
the press and in the declarations of
its public men, is but little less In
volume and in evident sincerity than
that which the south itself bears to
the memory of Robert Il. Lee. On
the occasion of the celebration of the
centenary of his birth, on January 10,
there was no sectional line discovera-
BILE in the eulogistic reviews of his
ability and character. The universal
recognition of his prominence in the
hearts of the south and in the esteem
of the north is widely noted editorial
ly as evidence of the healing OF that
wound in the causing OF which he
played such an important part.
Naturally the southern press ac-
cords his memory unlimited praise.
Says the Atlanta Journal; THE south
gives him something a little warmer
and stronger than reverence, II would
scarcely be too much to call 1t wor-
ship. He summed up in his own
person the ideas and ideals of the
southern civilization, he was its
realization. of a striven-for type"
And the Georgian of the same city
congratulates the south in that to her
1t was given "to produce the first
| American, the ideal character
| life of the republics life"
The address of Charles Francis
Adams, a yankee of the Yankees"
as he calls himself, at the ceremonies
at Washington and Lee university, is
taken as representing much of the
latter-day northern sentiment He
said that while from the Massachu-
setts point of view, with which he
sympathized. Lee was "false. to his
flag" yet, he added, after much pa
tient study and most mature reflec-
ton, confess that under similar con-
ditfons l would myself have done ex-
actly what Lee did" Further, he
said. in discussing this matter of re-
belTion:
HE stands awaiting sentence al
the bar of history in very respectable
company. Associated with him are
for instance, William of Orange
known as The Silent: John Hampden
the original Pater Patriae; Oliver
Cromwell, the Protector of the. Eng
lish Commonwealth: Sir Harry Vane
once a governor of Massachusetts; anC
George Washington, a Virginian o.
note-all rebels"
Another northern tribute to Lee Il
this of the New York Times
"In the crisis of the wartime |
was often fiercely said, and 1t is nov
sometimes half-heartedly repeated
that his life was not exemplary, TO
that he was a traitor having sworl
to support the government of tn
United States, and then taking arm
against them. Even if the charg
were technically well founded, w
lshould all be interested in repelling II
for the character of such man a
Robert Lee is the common heritag
Of a reunited country. We might still
say with Lork Coke that things whicl
are of the highest criminality may b
of the least disgrace But in fact tn
right of secession. which Lee was bre
to believe in, though he deplored an
. opposed the exercise of it by his state
was an open question until It wa
closed by the result of the civil wal
1t was, there is reason to believe
purposely left open by the trainers
the constitution for the good reaso
that if they had undertaken to clos
1t in either sense they would hay
imperiled the adoption of the instrt
ment they had framed
| OF his military genius there are r
denials. Discussion of this matter
confined to analysis of the quality
: his skill, the abundance of whic
= causes him to be placed by nearly a
among the three or four of the grea
est English-speaking generals. The
q are not lacking, even, those who, Ill
: the Houston Post, agree with Pres
h dent Roosevelt in holding him wit
out any exception the very create
> of all the great captains that Il
y English speaking peoples ha
n brought forth"