The National tribune., 1910-03-17
AGAINST LEE STATUE.
Grand Army Posts All Over the Union
Protest Against the insult to Those
Who Put Down the Rebellion.

The Grand Army Posts of the country
are just awakening to the fact that the
statue of Gen. Robert T.. Lee has been
placed in the National Capitol. The
National Tribune announced about four
years ago that Virginia was contem-
plating This action, and had in fact
passed a Joint resolution of her Legis-
'lature to send this statue to the Ma
tional Capitol as her contribution to the
Hall of Horrors. Very little attention
was paid to the announcement, and tho
The National Tribune from time to
time reported progress it was not until
the statue was actually in the Capitol
that the Grand Army Posts began to sit
up and take notice. The condemnation
of the comrades has been swift and
their action emphatic. The National
Tribune would like to print all of these
resolutions in full. because they are so
filled with the old-time fire and vigor
of the men who preserved the Nation,
but the length of most of the resolu-
tions is absolutely prohibitory- They
are all very much alike in one respect.
They consider that treason once is trea-
son always, and that a man who would
have destroyed the Flag and the Nation
the Flag represented can never under
any condition or circumstance have his
name, character and reputation purged
of that one reasonable fact, and this is
the epitome of their opposition to the
placing of the statue in the National
Capitol. which Lees forces were so IA
tally near reaching when Early made
his frustrated raid on Washington, and
which his forces would have destroyed
If they could. The resolutions will be
printed as rapidly as possible.
Topeka Post; II, Department of Kan
sas, and its Auxiliary, Topeka Corps. "a,
declare in ringing resolutions that Gen.
Robert E. Lee having received his mill
tary education and knowledge at the
Expense of the Government of the
United States. in whose service he
should have employed it, to his lasting
dishonor and disgrace as an honorable
man and a soldier, resigned from its
military service, and rendered and used
the knowledge and education thus OBJ
tanned in an attempt TO disrupt the
Union and break up the Government
of the United States by joining the
armies of those engaged in armed rebel
/ lion against the Government, thus COM
mitting an odious and reasonable act
against the United States, and that Post
and Corps further declare that his only
claim to distinction is that he led this
armed foe, and they believe that the
Hall of Fame should be kept for the
purpose of teaching patriotism by rec
ognizing the pre-eminent services to the
United States in civil and military life
and in the cause of humanity of men
whose patriotism and loyalty are at
least at par. They believe that the
placing of Gen. Lees statue therein
would be teaching the future genera
tons that the constitutional provision
against treason Is meaningless and that
the more eminent they may become
and the more successful in leading reb-
els and the more their action may cost
in treasure and blood, the more they
shall be honored by the placing OF their
statues in the Hall of Fame. Topeka
Post very carefully inserts a clause stat
ing that the opposition to the statue of
Lee is not meant as a reflection on his
ability and generalship or upon his brav-
cry and soldierIy bearing or that of his