The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-04-17

may be dIAapprOvcd by INDIVIDUALS, for
-easons best known to themselves. tho
general trend Of the times has shown
an Increasing tendency to idontify
Robert IL. Lee not with Virginia alone,
nor with the Southern States OF the
Union alone, but with the history OF
the American nation, and military au-
ti1orities have placed him among the
worlds greatest generals. y half cen-
turv lies between tho opening Of tho
great national conflict In which Leo
took part and the present, surely sut-
iicont time TO throw a proper his
torical light upon the events surround
ing that period.
II was formerly the custom to writo
history from one viewpoint only, thus
pasginr on to succeeding generations
tho party prcjudices which lived and
died I'm the past Fortunately. history :
WAS being writton on both sides,
though for long tine neither would !
condescend to consider tho rights OF
the other. What Is known az the hts |
torlcal method" Of research ls of COM
parativcly recon. growth. and thati
consists In seeding out The original
SOURCES from all Viewpoint. and thus
obtaining an unprecedented understand
ing Of causes and effects as they
actually existed.
Truth should nc Known.
Tho application or tho historical
method" upon the life Ice, and tho
South generally. reveals much thaE
was formerly obscured. II has re-
vealed that he who fought for tho
South was as much an American az
he who fought for the North American
Independence and patriotism were a.
serted b. each. but In different way.
The North defended tho tnion under
tn, Io-E
aud the principle of liberty az opposed
10 slavery. The South defended what
they hold to be their rights under tho
Constitution and tho 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 States
/ rights had never been definitely set
/ tied by tho Federal Constitution. The
| powers not delegated to the United
! states by the Constitution nor pro-
! hlbited by II to the States were re
/ served to the States respectively or
to the people," and the enumeration
in the Constitution of certain rights
! was not 70 be construed as denying or
! disparaging "otlers retained by the
\ people" These principles were recog-
nized BY Lincoln and put forward by
Il him while member of tho Illionofs
tainly realized by Lee, a native Of the
i Old Dominion. The rising of Virginia
I'm defense of States rights was cal
to arms which no true son of the sol
4 could have resisted: certainly no one
= possessing the character borne by Rob
crit r. Lee If for any reason the Key
stone state of Pennsylvania had Sc
coded. had that cause been slavery II
self, her citizens would have gone witt
her.
Deserves Place.
That Lee was great general an
heroically faithful to his cause
generally conceded. That he is deserv
Ing of memorial in the Hall OF Fam
should likewise he conceded. Cromwell
and Napoleon both have their place:
though for a time they were success
fully opposed. and even overcame TIL
existing administration Yet thei
work proved of ultimate benefit :
their respective nations. The work @
Robert Z. Lee was to show to al
North and South, the weakness OF IN
Constitution upon the question
States rights as applied TO SLAYER!
In defending the institution of SLAYER,
he did so not because il was morall
right, but because it had become pal
cI and parcel of the economic system {
: the South, and was practically IL
:, separable with its interests. To-da
u the American nation ranks In the fr
class of the world powers. The gre;
: republic" is still the model to DEM
II cratic governments In its combine
II ton of area, resources and organlzi
II ton. 1T has no rivals. Its lndustri
), are the most diverse; so likewise a
ii its needs, and the market both for In
70 ports and exports is likely to co,
" tinue increasing as the lands r
10 sources are further exploited by q
III efforts OF an enterprising people.
to In 1861 nationalism had not a
10 tanned the degree of growth it no
j. holds. The natural location of q
n United states separated them from 4
u local internal strife of Europe but
3 also separated them from reform
Hence. remnants of the life of t
seventeenth and eighteenth centuri
NJ still remained as heritage TO t
~ Western continent and among the
is was slavery. The colonists We're t
le small In numbers TO secure for thei
ia selves unalded the great natur
OF wealth with which the land abounde
ID The only resort they knew was t
Ut employment of slave labor The sS
re TEN commenced under these circul
in stances soon became a necessity }
on one which at the core had been OF
ut grown with the general uplift and ,
generation of nations. So, while En-
e. land and France were overthrow!
n the institution in their colonies, SON
ed times at great expense, but aiwa
err, because it was ultimately more pro
1t table, America, and particularly
he Southern States, was building up
Is, artificial economic system. Like
or baneful habit 1t continued to cat
zee heart ont of the nation. sapping
W individuality of the people, degradi
Ter labor and delegatlnG to the chain
ley slavery the honest toll by which
,re freeman grasps the fullest fruits
liberty. 1t was an evil which in
af- natural advance of civilization had
lat perish: cancer which the keen lSr
nd OF war had to destroy. ! was a p
rt- session not of the South alone,
The OF tho United States. 1t Is posi-
i. that the North did not fully real
le- tho agony thus caused by tho reno
for of the base upon which. during m
af- than -four score and seven yea
has Southern industry had been built.
by Robert Il. Lee realized it, and, while
1t knew that it was opposed to the !
ire DEVELOPMENT of the South, he {
the knew that there was nothing TO Y
ned its place and that, n terrible react
ter must follow its removal Therefore,
tra ,,rrht f,,. tho State WI,.s,h had Ei