The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-08-10
LEE STATUE TO REMAIN.
President Taft Approves Attorney
General Understands Opinion.

President Taft has approved,
without comment, an opinion by At
torney-General Wickersham to the
effect that there Is no provision of
law by which the statue Of Gen. Rob
ert E. Lee, in Confederate uniform.
can be removed from Statuary Hall.
in the Capitol at Washington.
In addition to deciding the oues-
ton on a purely legal basis Mr.. Wick
ersham argues the matter from an
ethical point of view, declaring that
Lee has come to be regarded as typi-
flying all that was best in the cause
to which he gave his services and the
most loyal and unmurmuring accept
ance Of the complete overthrow of
that cause. That the State of Vir-
ginia should designate him for a
place in Statuary Hall as one illus
trious for distinguished military SER
vice, the Attorney-General says, is
but natural and warranted under the
| reading Of the law.
Mr.. Wickersham's opinion was call
ed forth by protest to the President
from the Department of New York,
| Grand Army of the Republic. In
his opinion, addressed to and ap-
proved by the President, the Attor-
ney- General says:
In n1,,fi
ed by the Department of New York,
Grand Army Of the Republic, at
| Syracuse on June %, and the COM
| munications Of Hon. James Tanner
| with respect to them. The act Of
July 2, 1864, referred to, provides for
the creation of suitable structures
and railings in the old hall of the
| House of Representatives for the re-
ception and protection of statuary
| which is to be under the supervis-
| ion and direction of the chief Of en-
gineers in charge Of public buildings
and grounds, and the statute authori-
des the President to invite each and
| all the States to provide and furnish
statues in marble or bronze, not ex-
ceeding two in number for each
State, of deceased persons who have
been citizens thereof, and illustrious
| for their historic renown or from
distinguished civic or military SER
wees, such as each State shall deem
to be worthy Of this national COM
| memoration; and when so furnished
the same shall be placed in the old
hall Of the House of Representatives
in the Capitol of the United States.
which is set apart, or so much there
of as may be necessary, as national
statuary hall for the purpose herein
indicated"
No Limitation in the Act.
ut is probably true," continued the
Attorney-General, that when this
act was passed Congress did not con-
template that any State would des-
| ignate one or more of it's citizens who
were then engaged in warlike rebel
lion against the Government of the
! United States as persons illustrious
for their historic renown or for dis.
tinguished civic or military servces
whose statues should be placed In
this hall. Nevertheless, perhaps In
the hope that what Mr.. Lincoln 80
| fittingly described as this scourge of
war might soon pass away and that q
| reunited country might be realized,
Congress placed no limitation In the
act upon the exercise of the discreet
ion of any State in selecting those
| persons whom it may deem to be
worthy of this national commemor-
alton 1t is now As years since the
Civil War closed. Robert e. Lee has
come to be generally regarded as
| typifying not only all that was best
in the cause to which, at the behest
Of his native State, he gave his SER
vices, but also the most loyal and
unmurmuring acceptance of the COM
plete overthrow Of that cause. That
the State of Virginia should desig-
nate him as one illustrious for dis
tinguished military service is there
fore natural; that his statue should
be clothed in the Confederate uni
form, thus eloquently testifying to
the fact that a magnanimous country
has completely forgiven an unsuccess-
full effort to destroy the Union, and
that that statue should be accepted
in the national Statuary Hall as the
symbol Of the acceptance without
misgiving, Of a complete surrender
| and that a renewed LOYALTY. should