The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-20
COMPLETE TEXT OF
ADAMS'S ADDRESS
Remarkable Tribute to Southern
chieftain From Lips Of Man
Who Fought Against Him.

Who Fought Against Him.
The address OF Mr.. Charles Franci,
Adams, delivered at Lexington yesterda,
at noon, and undusstionably the mos
remarkable message yet brought by &
Northern man to Southern audience
IL here given IN full:
Having occasion once to refer In dis.
ctisson to certain Of the founders OF oui
Massachusetts Commonwealth, l made
the abortion that their force 'ay ir
charaotsr'': and added that In saying
this paid, and meant to pay, the
highest tribute which. In my Judgment
could be paid 70 d community or to It's
typical men. Quite a number OF years
HAYS passed since 10 expressed myself
aud IN tt,oss years have grown older
materially older-but now repeat. even
more confidently than I then uttered
them. these other words: Tho older
have grown. and the moro I have stu
died and seen, The sroater. In my
estSehn, ns an element Of strength In a
peopls, has character become. and the
less, IN the conduct OF human afrnirs.
have ] thought Of nisrs capacity or even
genius. With character a race will be-
come great. sven though as stupid and
unassfmilating hs tho Romans; without
character. my race will. In the long run.
prove failure, though 1t may, number
in 1t Individuals having all thu brilliancy
l OF tho Jews. crowned with the GENTS of
Napoleon We are here to-day to conn
memorials tho birth OF Robert Edward
Lee-essentially q man OF character.
That America has been rich In men
OF character IL matter Of history. It has
also been our making as a community.
Such In New England WAS John VIM
throp, whore lofty example still influ-
| enees the community whose infancy he
fGthered. Such In New York was John
Jay. Such. further South. was John
Caldwell Calhoun. essentially man OF
| exalted character and Representative OF
his community, quite irrespective OF his
teachings and their outcome. Such I'M
questionably in Virginia were George
Washington and John Marshall; and.
! more recently, Robert Edward Lee. a
stock OF which those thres were the
! oonsun,mate flower, by Its fruits Is
known.
Hero to commemorate the centennial
OF the birth OF Lee. do not propose to
snter into any eulogium OF the man, to
recount tho weli-known events Of his
career. or to estimate the final place
to be assigned him among great mill
tary characters. All this has been suiil-
SscaaJ uOho ny UkUeEb kAT UetIcf QudllUan
for tho task. Eschewing superlauves
also. I shall Institute no comparison.
One OF a community which then looked
upon Lee as q renegade from tho dag
he had sworn TO serve. and traitor
to the nation which had nurtured him.
in my subordinate place directly con-
fronted Lea throughout the larger por.
ton OF the War OF secession. During
all those years there was not day
In which my heart would not have been
gladdened Ind hoard that his also had
been the fate which at Chancelioraville
befeli his great lieutenant; and yet more
glad had IL been the fortune OF the COM
mand In which 1 served to visit that fato
upon him. Forty more years have since
gone. Their close fnds me here to-day
certainly Il much older, and. in my own
belief at least. a wiser man. Nay, morei
distinguished representative OF Massa-
chusetu. speaking In the Senate OF tho
United States. shortly after Lees death.
upon tho question Of return to Lees
family Of the ancestral estate OF Airing
ton. used these words:
ELOQUENT Senators have already char.
acterixsd the proposition and the traitor
1t seeks to commemorate. am not
disposed to speak OF General Lee. II -
enough to say he stands high In the
catalogue OF those who have imbrued
their hands In their oountry's blood.
hand him over to the ayenging pen OF
History" 1t so chances that not only
am also from the state OF Massa-
chusetts, but, for more than dozen
years. have been the chosen head OF
Its typical historical society-t1e society
the Common wealth considerably more
than century ago-the parent OF all
similar societies. BY no means would
on that account seem to ascribe to my
self any representative character as re-
spects the employment OF Historys pen.
whether avenging or otherwise; nor o.
l appear here rs representative OF tho
Massachusetts Historical Society: but.
whele generation having passed away
since Charles Sumner uttered the words
I have quoted, do, on your invitation
chance to stand hero to-day. as ha.a
said. both Massachusetts man and tn.
head OF the Massachusetts, Historical So |
ciety, to pass Judgment upon Gene-pi |
Lee Tho situation is thus to a degre,
dramatic.
Novel Situation in
American History.
Though. In what am about to say, I |
shall con1ne myself I'd q few points only, |
to them have given no little study,
and on them have much reflected. Let |
me. however. once for all. and with |
emphasis, in advance say I am not |
hero to instruct virginians either In the
history OF their state or the principles |
of constitutional law: nor do make any
pretense to profundty whether OF |
thought or insight
On the contrary. shall attempt nothing
more than the elaboration OF what has
already been said by others as we'll az
by me. such value or novelty as may be-
long to my share In the occasion being
attributable solely to the point Of view
OF the speaker. In that respect, sub
mit the situation is not without novelty:
for. SO far as am aware. never until
now has one born and nurtured in Massa-
chusetts-a typical bred-n-the- Yam
kee. II you please-addressed at its in
a Virgininn AUDIENCE on topics
relating to the War OF Secession and 1t.
foremost Confederate military character.
The charge still most commonly made
against Lee in that section Of the COM
mon country to which I lelong and wen
which synpathize. Is that in pluin
Ir~ H. a. A.