The National tribune., 1910-04-28
THE LEE STATUE.
The Present Status Of the Matter.
StrenuoussOpp0sit From All Over
tie Country, ..

Strenuous Opposition From All Over
tie Country. -
Despite all that has been said con-
cerning the Lee statue having been
placed in the National Capitol, there
seem to be slews of people who do not
know that this has really occurred.
Once and for all, the statue of Robert
r.. Lee was taken into the u. S. Capitol
last Fall, somewhere near the 1st of
October last 1t was accompanied by a
statue of George Washington. Both
statues are of bronze and stand upon
marble pedestals. The statue of Wash
ington is reproduction of the Houdin
statue, which is owned by the city of
Richmond. 1t represents Washington
as a very trim, dandy-lil<e dressed gen.
tleman of the old school with retreat
ing forehead, a queue, knee breeches,
low shoes and silver buckles. The statue
of Robert E. Lee overtops that of WASH
ington, altho it is well known that
Washington was six feet four inches in
hight. Lee is attred in full-dress uni
form of. a Confederate General. The
statue is fine piece of work, and just
as a matter of art there probably is
nothing finer in the Capitol.
The two statues are the contribution
of the State of Virginia. About three
or four years ago it was announced in
the papers one day that the statue of
Robert L. Lee was to be presented to
the Hall of Fame in the Capitol by the
State of Virginia. The Department of
Potomac, W. r. c., was just about to
convene in it's annual session. Mrs. 1sa-
bel Worrell- Ball drafted a set of clear
cut resolutions, which We're presented
to the Department Convention, and
which were Immediately adopted. Just
~, inn
had placed the stamp of its approval
upon the resolutions Mrs. Ball, accom-
panied by committee of the members
of the Department Convention, visited
the Encampment of the Department of
Potomac, G.. A. r., and read these reso-
lutio1s asking that the Department En-
proceed to adopt resolutions
of a similar character. This the De-
partment Encampment did, and they
we're the very first resolutions. of pro-
test ever presented against the placing
of the statue of Z. Z. Lee in the Capt.
tol
There had been such an unnatural
quiet during the time that Virginia was
actively engaged in fashioning the
statue that it had reason to believe that
nobody was going to object to it 1t
would have been much easier to have
kept the statue out entirely than it will
be to oust 1t now that it is really in the
Capitol. Indeed, it is questionable
it can be fired out. Virginia
was very much enraged at the storm of
protest that burst forth when the statue
was an accomplished fact, and then
became frightened, and her
Representatives in Congress have de-
cded that they will never ask Congress
TO accept the statue, but that it may
remain where 1t is, "and the heather
may rage"
All over the country Posts Of the G.
A. r. are protesting against the reten-
ton of the statuesin the Hall of Fame.
They recite that Lee was educated,
clothed and subsisted the greater part
IF his life by the United States Govern
nent; that he foreswore the Constitu
ton and the Flag not so much for his
State as for the property interests of his
wife and children.i Lee himself was not
he possessor of any landed estates, nor
lad he much money, but his wife, who
lad been a Gusts, had inherited the
Arlington estatess and they in time
would go to Lees children, and re said
n letter at the time of his resignation
rom the United States Army that he
elt that he must go with his State, be-
.ause in il was the property of his wife !
md children, andIhis first duty was to
conserve their interests. Others say
hat to admit the, statue of the rebel |
ious Lee would be- to put premium on |
reason. Others gay that the statue has |
10 right there. because Virginia was in |
ebellion at the time that the law was |
and that she would have no
light to participate in the benefits of |
hat law. Still others say. and that is |
ne very strong point made by several |
f the Posts and comrades, that Lee |
ever accepted citizenship.
To tell the truth, the resolutions of |
he Posts and the opinions of the COM
AIDES recite about all the reasonable
rimes on the calendar as registered
gainst Robert Z. Lee. They willingly
dmit that he was a Christian and a
.entleman, and that If the State of Vir
,inia had been willing to put him in
william dress they would have let the
tatue-go into the Capitol unnoticed,
ut for Virginia to f1amboyantly her
Id the placing of Lee there in rebel
inform, bearing the insignia and with
he implication that the greatest honor
yas fighting to destroy the Union, is
ather more than the comrades can
tand. 5.z.a
Senator Lodge, of Massachusetts,, has
resented hundreds of petitions from
is State against the acceptance of the
zee statue, and this is the experience
Z almost every Northern Senator and
in Congress, but it
hould be understood that petitioning
gainst the acceptance of the statue
ill have no effect whatever in remoy-
1g it from the Hall of Fame. The de-
nand must be to have the statue taken
way Virginia declared that if she is
orced to remove the statue of Lee she
ill also remove the statue of Washing
on. To speak frankly, it would not
urt the art situation in the least il the
Ioudin statue should be removed. If
looked like that statue he
ever could have been the Father of his
1t gives him the forehead of
Flathead Indian. and he would wear
bout six and three-quarter hat and
bout No. / 8 shoe. Everybody knows
nat such proportions for the great
would be simply ridiculous.
here are plenty of statues of Washing
,n scattered around the Capitol. and
nat of Virginia is not needed. So Vir-
inia ought to be forced to withdraw
er two effigies
A. L. Brown Post, 1862, Chillicothe, o.,
eclares: That the loyal men who
ave both blood and treasure for the
of the Union view with
the tendency to honor
he cause and the man upon whom the
.ain of treason rests" The Post then
esolves "Thatlif treason was once
-rong it is forever wrong and asks
ongress to take action toward remov-
ig the statue. James A. Gatwood, Com
lander; George Perkins, Adjutant.
Lincoln Post, 2S, Charlestown, N. H,
against the Lee statue as an in
Ilt to the Union soldiers living and an
lsult to the memory of those who gave
leir lives to save the Union that Rob-
RI f. Lee did his utmost to DESTROY |