The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1910-04-29
THE LEE MEMORIAL
Views Of a Northern Veteran.

NAAN ANAN anu WI n NA ArfNIffINN NAOitrE T..
Lee. some persons. through newspaper
mediums. have considered IL their duty
to express unfavorabl6 criticism Most
OF this criticism comes from persons
who fought on the Union side or who
have made very thorough and. m
their opinion. reasonable study of the
American Civil War During the past
two months. several letters of this
character have appeared n phiiadei-
pima papers, and the writer. from "A
sense of Justice and love of historic
| truth. recently made a reply to them.
Subsequently while visiting friends in
Virginia. he was asked To- write an opin-
ION as Northern man for a local
Virginia paper. In doing SO mo- partic-
ular records have been consulted. other
than the ordinary information which
every American is supposed 20 know
/ An inquiry into the sources would un-
cover am almost ineXhaustible mass Of
material. most of which Is easy Of ac-
cess a generalization, however, is all
that need bee made.
IL seems that the State of Virginia
/ has uccidcd to exercise her presumed
right in thus houoring one Of her dis
| tingpished sons While this action may
be dlsapproved by individuals. for rea-
sons best known Ia themselves. the
general trend of the times has shown
an increasing tendency "a identify Rob
ert H. Ice not with Virginia alone. nor
/ with the southern States Of the Union
alone, but with the history of the
American nation. and military authori-
ties have placed him among the world is
| greatest generals. A half century lies
between the opening of the great ma
uona conflict ina which lee took part
and the present; surely sufficient time
To throw proper historical light upon
the events surrounding that period 1t
was formerly the custom To write his
| tory from one viewpoint only. thus
passing ON TO succeeding generations
the party preiudices which lived and
died I'm the past Fortunately history
was being written on both sides, though
for long time neither would conde-
scend 60 consider the rights Of the
other What Is known as the "histori-
cal method of research is of compara-
lively recent growth. and that consists
m seeking out the original sources from
all viewpoints. and thus obtaining an
unpreludieed understanding Of causes
and effects as they actually existed.
| The application of the historical
method upon the life Of Lee and the
South generally reveals much that was
formerly obscured. IL has revealed
that he who fought for the South as
as much an American as he who fought
FOR the North. American independence
and patriotism were asserted by each.
but in different way. The North de
Tended the Union under the Constitu-
ton as they understood il and the
principle of liberty as opposed to slav-
cry. The South defended what they
held to be their rights under the same
Constitution and the freedom Of their
native soil from coercion. The mis-
fortune in the cause Of the Southern
States was the institution of slavery.
yet this question and that of State
rights has never been definitely set
tied by the Federal Constitution. THE
powers not delegated 20 the United
States by the Constitution. nor prohib-
tied by it 10 the States, were "reserv-
ed 10 the States respectively or to the
people. GAM. ~ and "The enumera-
ton in the Constitution of certain
| rights was not TO be construed as deny
ing or desparaging others retained by
! the people, IAN. IX) These princi-
pies We're recognized by Lincoln and
put forward by him while a member of
the Illinois Legislature. They were
most certainly recognized by Lee, a
native of the Old Dominion. The ris-
ing of Virginia in defence of the State
/ rights was a call TO arms which no true
son of the soil could have resisted
tainly no one possessing the character
borne by Robert +. Lee. If for any
reason the Keystone State of Pennsyl-
vania had seeded. had that canse been
slavery itself. her citizens would have
gone with him.
That Lee was a great general and
heroically faithful 70 his cause is gen
orally conceded. That he is deserving
of memorial in the Hall of Fame
should likewise be conceded. Cromwell
and Napoleon both have their places.
though for time they successfully op-
posed and even overcame the existing
administration. Yet their work prov
ed Of ultimate benefit to their respec-
tive nations. The work of Robert +.
Lee was 10 show to all, North and
South, the weakness of the Constitu-
| tion upon the question of States
rights as applied to slavery. In de-
/ Tending the institution of slavery, he
did so not because il was morally right.
| but because it had become part and
parcel of the economic system of the
South and was practically inseparable
with its interests. Today the Ameri-
can nation ranks in the first class of the
world powers. The "Great Republic
is still the model to democratic govern
ments. In its combination of area. re-
sources and organization it has no
rivals. Its industries are the most di-
verse; so likewise are its needs. and
the market both for imports and ex-
ports is likely to continue increasing as
the lands resources are further ex-
plotted by the efforts of an enterprising
people
In 1861 nationalism had not attained
the degree of growth it now holds The
natural location of the United States
separated them from the local internal
strife of Europe, but il also separated
them from reforms Hence, remnants
of the life of the 18th and 18th cen
turtles still remained as heritage to
the western continent, and among these
was slavery. The coIonists were too
small in numbers TO secure for them
selves unaided the great natural wealth
with which the land ab0uBded. The
only resort they knew was the employ
ment Of slave labor. The system com
menced under these circumstances soon
! became necessity, yet one which at
the core had been OutgroWn with the
general uplift and regeneration Of ma
tons. So while England and France
were overthrowing the institution in
| their colonies, sometimes at great ex-
pense, but always because it was ulti-
mately more profitable, America and
particularly the Southern States WAS
! building up an artificial economic sys-
| TEN. Like a baneful habit it continued
\ to eat the heart out Of the nation, sap
I ping the individuality of the people,
, degrading labor and delcgating TO the
chain of slavery the honest toll by
which the freeman grasps the fullest
fruits of liberty. IL was an evil which