The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-08-24
ROBERT EDWARD LEE
BY THOMAS B. 6RE6ORY.

Lee stands along with those of other
ilustrious Americans under the great
dome of the Capitol at Washington.
Discerning ones were convinced
right along hat sooner of later it
would come.
The Old Dominion clearly a
the right to say which two out Of the
many thousands of sons hat have
been born unto her shall be selected
to fill the space belonging to her in
Statuary Hall. and every one who was
at all acquainted with her history and
spirit, knew that the names of the
pair would be Washington and Lee.
Washington and Lee!
In the long bead-roll Of fame-in
the mighty list of the great and good
who from the dawn of history have
come down to us, where shall we look
for two fairer names?
Washington and Lee.-bOth patri-
OTIS, both in~corruptible, both fearless
in the defense Of the principle which
was dearer to them than life itself,
both grandly Indifferent to all the
things hat the world considers valu-
able when it comes to following the
commands ot duty!
Washington, from the beginning,
has been honored by all the people.
From the day on which he was laid
to rest at Mt. Vernon, right up to the
present moment, he has been, in the
words of Light Horse Harry Lee,
the father of Robert E. Lee, First
in war, first in peace, and first in the
hearts of his countrymen," while the
other Virginian has, for nearly half
a century. been branded as a Rebel
and Traitor" by a large majority of
the American people!
Perhaps Lee was a Rebel But
so was Washington. 1t may be that
Lee was a Traitor" So. too. was
Washington. Did Lee fight against
his country" So did Washington.
In these respects Washington was
all that Lee was. All that Lee did.
Washington did-and for precisely
the same reasons.
Lee fought for the right of Local
Self Government: and it was for the
fought.
Lee fought against the Lincoln Gov
because thai government
was preparing to Cypress the people
Of his section: and it was for the same
sort Of reason that Washington
King George.
If Lee was a "Rebel." then most
unq~uestionably was Washington a
Rebel If Lee was a Traitor it
must follow as the night the day that
Washington was a Traitor II Lee
49, ~ ot1oI1 u LkSL IL
then for the same cause, Washington
is deserving of such eXecratiOn.
But why thrash away at this old
Man of Straw" Nobody today who
lis even half free from the fanaticism
that is born Of ignorance believes that
Robert Edward Lee was in any cor
rect sense of the word either a
'kebel' or a ORATOR. A knowledge
Of our American constitutional his
tory will serve TO show how utterly
impossible it is for Sovereign States
of their duly accredited agents 20
rebel against each other; and as for
the traitor part of the argument it is
instantly dispelled by an acquaintance
with Lees character as a man.
= All! if there was yer a patriot Lee
was hat man. IF there was ever a
man who was absolutely incapable
Of treason that man was Robert z.
Lee
The only difference between Wash
ington and Lee is, Washington sue
ceeded While Lee failed. A little more
adverse fate IN the case of Washing
ton, and a little less of such fate in
the case of Lee, and history would be
the opposite Of what it is, and we
would be reading of Washington the
Rebel and Lee the Father of his
Country
But such things really amount to
uOlIlnS. washington vas none the
nObler for the success that crowned
his efforts, nor dill the failure that
came to Lee at Appomattox abate one
jot or title of his moral grandeur.
With determining the righteousness
of a man or cause mere success has
nothing whatever to 10.
Jesus was a failure. Socrates was a
failure. The heavier battalions" have
many a time beaten down the cause
that was right.
Not long before his death General
Lee, in to the question, put
to him by an ex-Union soldier, Gen
eral, why did you keep on fighting
so long after Gettysburg, when it must
have been plain to you that victory
for the South was impossible 2" said:
t .nTha men MhO hQnQrad me-