The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-02-27
by LIEUr.-coL. j. A. wATnous,

Virginia for placing statue OF Gen.
eral Robert Il. Lee, In his Confederate
uniform. In stauary Hall, where II Is u
permanent fixture, enter a solemn
protest. believe such action un.
timely and discreditable to the order;
action that will bring reproach to uad
cast ridicule upon the Grand Army.
deem it unwise. and. in a broader
sensc, unpat,1otic. Love OF country
and a patriotism that confines Itself
to tho Northern States is not the brand
OF patriotism and love OF country that
is needed In the republic; not Lincoln
or Grants kind OF love and patriotism.
Love of country and n patriotism
that Is not as sincere for all OF the
states that were In rebellion as II Is
for the Northern States Is not that
broad deep. national, abiding love
and patriotism which should be enter
tanned by every true American, no mat
ter where he lives or what kind OF
uniform he wore In the war OF fifty
years ago. O war that had to come. and
the results OF which have played the
| most telling part In making this the
frat nation OF the world
The Constitution and the laws give
equal rights to all of the people.
| The action by Congress July 2, 1853.
which gave every state the right TO
place statues of two persons in Stat.
uary Hail, was for every state. There
1 were no restrictions as to persons or
| apparel
| Rights Snme for All.
At national meeting OF former
Northern soldiers, held a few months
! ago, resolutions condemning Virginia
| for making choice OF General Lee IN
| his uniform were represented. a read
! Ing OF the ac. OF Congress was called
| for, after which the narrow, unpatr''
otlc resolutions were laid on the table
| where they Will remain and rot. That
! national gathering of follow soldiers
| recognized that Virginia had the same
right that Illinois had TO select statue
/ of Frances Z. willard. the greatest OF
modern leaders In the warfare for pro.
| hIbitton: the same right that Wiscon-
sin had 20 select a statue of Pere Mar.
auet;e in his priestly robes, who Wis
| tied orr section aSD years before Wis
4 consin became State. There is no
division OF sentiment In V!rginia-ln
all the South--against the Lee statue
Just as Virginia wants IT. And the
government has conceded her right by
| placing the statue where, under tha
law. and by virtue Of Nirginia's choice
1t will always remain.
The nation Is spending millions OF
dollars III providing large and beautl-
full military parks on battlefiel-s.
thousand monuments have already been
erected in these parks; many moro VIII
/ be erected. What could be more nat
! ural than that the statues of military
leaders and soldiers who participated
| IN those battles should appear in the
uniforms they wore?
l look upon Statuary Hall as ras
! from being as sacred a place as any
1 of the great battlcfelds. Had the
least tinse of a feeling. which have
/ not, that the statue OF Robert 4. Lee
| should not be placed in the Hall OF
| Fame, showing the uniform he wore
| during the years that marked him as
one OF the first generals of the wide
| world. should be rampant In my de.
| sire and determination to help in see
! ing that no Confederate uaiform should
show on one Of our sacred fields OF
/ battle. I am glad that every statue on
! the battleHeldS is clad in the uniform
worn by that leader or soldier.
sham Type of Patri0tlsrn.
| Among the greatest of our battle
| fields is Vicksburg. On that field,
whore the old commander, our beloved
! Grant, Won his most glorious victory
outside Of .Aplomattox, stands monu.
ment erected by the State OF Missis.
sippi, upon which there is statue OF
the Confederate Lieutenant General
Stephen d. Lee. General Lee is In his
/ Confederate uniform. II 1t is crime.
| dtsloyalty TO the government, men.
ace: II it Is in bad taste to place
/ statue OF Robert L. Lee, clad in his
uniform of gray, in the Hall Of Fame
\ Is not it equally an exhibition OF dis
| loyalty, a show of treason, lack OF
/ good taste, to place on the battlefield
of Vicksburg n statue of that other
distinguished General Lee, clad III the
same kind of uniform? No one, so
far, has stormed against that Lee
j statue,
4 Out upon such narrowncss. un-Amer'
4 icanism, such sham type of patriot-
ism-action that cannot but result IN
!! boosting for Il continuation and q
7 growth OF bitter feeling between the
4 North and South, where there should ba
only the most kindly feeling, the most
1 perfect respect, the one for the ether
There should be harmony In an or
ganization like this. particularly When
we are within few Years or passing
out Of existence fear that there
4 will be frequent evidences OF discord II
posts continue to take action tina,
a looks like ungenerous. unpatrlotlo and
unwise reflections upon the people o.
. tho South. an important element ir
our one country. because Of something
they did nifty years ago and for which
the government forgave them long ago
we have heard for forty years that
the South has been the chief aggresso'
In provoking harmony smashing blows
from the North. used to think so
but have mot thought so for man,
i years. believe that the North ha!
been the chief aggressor, has givel
Il more excuse for unlSind. unwise ant
unpatriotic comments on the part o
the South since the war.
Recalls Old StrIfes.
Sons good men went South soon. at
ter the war. as Acknowledgements" hui
most OF them were what the South call
ed them, "carpet-baggers'' Of an unde
sirable class. They gave most of tn
, Southern States governments that thu
i Ipeople of the North would not hay'
tolerated as long as tho South tolerat
them, That emblttered the South
alWhen the South began to talk abou