The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1910-02-10

the overthrow of the Southern Con-
federacy to undertake reconstruction
of the Union by force of arms. That
the country has survived mistakes Of
such magnitude is proof of amazing
vitality, of a vitality that draws sus-
ternante from popular character equal
to all emergencies. The war ended
fortyfour years ago and the best think
ers in the country have arrived at the
belief that if the South wanted justifi-
cation it might find it in long line of
plausible arguments in favor of the
right of state to withdraw at its own
will from the Union. The trainers of the
constitution found themselve unable
clearly to determine this point, so they
left it opell-after years of contention,
complicated by the irrepressible ques-
tion of slavery, the weK-lntended omis-
sions of the trainers of the constitution
to fix the exact relations of the states
to the federal Government, precipitat-
ed the Union into war, and although
we did not see it at the time we
emerged better equipped nation than
we had ever been before.
Although more than forty years
have passed since the war ended, victory
does not seem to have satisfied Mr..
Wilder, for he says he does not pretend
either to forget or forgive" and he
gives General Lee credit for no admir-
able motives whatever but there are
few today so ungenerous as to deny
that Lee acted according to his own
sense of right in this matter. 1t is of
r parallel with a formal resolution,
that appeared in the Congress of the
! United States forbidding the great
: state of Mississippi to place the effigy
!, | of Jefferson Davis, its greatest citizen,
!, upon the customary presentation serv-
q Il ice of silver for the United States
battleship Mississippi. 1t is of piece
]. with the aspersions recently cast upon
r the fame of Alexander Hamilton by q
q Senator who insists that a statue or
: dained in his honor shall not be erected
9 in the natinal Capital.
ell On April 18, 1861, at the suggestion Of
Il President Lincoln, Francis P. Blair
Lt] came to offer Lee the command of th'
r National Army. After listening t.
d his remarks Lee declined the offer t.
n take comand of the army that was t
h be brought into the field, stating tina
a tho opposed to secession and deprecat
r ing war he could take no part in an in
10 vasion Of the Southern states. Lee the
Is went directly from the interview wit
MIR. Blair to the Office of General Scot
N told him of the proposition that ha
L been made and his decision, and upo
to reflection after returning home col
IS cluded that he ought no longer to II
lie tam any commission held in the Unite
er States Army, and on the second mOrl
~ ing thereafter forwarded his resign;
l tion to General Scott.
or Lee in describing the interview state
he that at the time he hoped that peat
he would have been preserved, that son
IS: way would be found to save the cou
all try from the calamities of war.
IL Two days later, on the invitation
or the Governor of Virginia, Lee went
re, Richmond, found that the convtntit
be there in session had passed the orc
to nance Withdrawing the sta e from Il
lu- Union, and the commission of col
on mander of its forces having BET
om rendered him, he accep'e1.
nd John Fisk, in his Mississippi Vall'
nd of the Civil War, says that the accessi,
be of Virginia to the Southern cause W
on an event of first importance and tn
lis when once her hand had found tt
ed, thing to do, she did it with all
ind might and for lavish expenditure
on blood and treasure, Virginia was fo1
most in the war of secessiOn-VirglI
TO was then as in the Revolutions
the period, q country fertile In leaders
ife. l>men and but for her secession it wor
MIA. doubtless have been Robert e. L
hen who would have led the Union soldi'
E. to speedy victory.
ont1 In Less letter wherein he rent
, tol official resignation to General Scott
sint lsta es as follows: cit would havebt
'uid Iipresentedat once but for the struggi
his has cost me to separate myself fror
he service to which l have devoted
best years of my life and all the abli
fter u possessed. During the whole Of {