Mr. PRESIDENT: The biography of WILLIAM H.F. LEE has been furnished by
his colleagues and associates. I do not propose to dwell upon the
details of his public or private career, or that of his distinguished
ancestors, who acted so conspicuous a part in the history of the
American Colonies and in the trying times of the Revolution by which our
independence was gained.
I had the good fortune to form the acquaintance of Gen. LEE and his
estimable wife at the beginning of the Fiftieth Congress. I was strongly
impressed with his noble presence, and his genial, modest, and dignified
bearing. He seemed to me an ideal specimen of true American manhood. His
wife was a lady whose appearance at once attracted attention and whose
qualities of head and heart charmed and delighted friends and
associates. He was a devoted husband. His tender and gentle bearing
toward his wife were natural and unaffected. The daily life and conduct
of both were a conspicuous example of the benign influence of a husband
and wife who love, honor, and respect each other.
My impressions of him were so favorable and agreeable as to create a
desire on my part to cultivate his acquaintance and know more of his
character. We met frequently, and discussed freely the social and
political topics which engaged the attention of members of Congress at
the national capital. He was modest and unobtrusive in the expression of
his opinions; but as I knew him better I was profoundly impressed with
the scope and breadth of his information.
His judgment of men and measures was as free from local prejudice and
partisan bias as any man's I ever met. He was induced by his generous
nature to attribute good rather than unworthy motives to those with whom
he differed. He was honest, true, and unsuspicious. On all occasions he
expressed attachment to the Union of the States, and manifested a
patriotic devotion to the Constitution as the charter of our liberties.
He was a brave soldier, and fought on the losing side in a war that
convulsed the continent and astonished the civilized world; and as a
brave soldier he accepted without reservation the verdict of the war. It
is to be regretted that his heroic services were not on the side of the
Union, but the conditions which placed him in hostility to the flag of
the United States are forever removed. Every cause which produced that
terrible conflict was eradicated and obliterated in carnage and blood.
The horrors of that fratricidal war are now history. The glorious
results achieved are being realized in the abolition of slavery; in the
Union of the States restored, strengthened, and cemented; in the
respect, confidence, and just estimation of the people of all the
sections for each other, and in the establishment beyond question of the
capacity of the citizens of the Republic to dare and to do in great
emergencies what to all the world seemed impossible.
To-day the virtue, the patriotism, and the renown of the fathers of the
Revolution and the founders of our free institutions are the common
heritage of all the people, both North and South. The gallant and daring
exploits of Legion Harry or Light-Horse Harry Lee, the grandsire of the
deceased, inspire the same admiration and respect in the sons of the
North as in the sons of the South. It is most gratifying that the
descendants of the comrades in war and associates in council who gained
the independence and established the Government of the United States
are again united in stronger bonds of interest, good fellowship, and
respect than ever before existed.
Generations to come will enjoy not only the fruits of the Revolutionary
struggle and the establishment of constitutional liberty, but they will
be blessed with liberty that knows no slavery and with a Union forever
indivisible, and they will contemplate with no partisan feeling the
sacrifices which were necessary to secure such results. The type of
manly virtue of which our deceased friend was a conspicuous example is
one of the best fruits of free institutions. His death in the prime of
his manhood and in the days of his usefulness was a great loss to the
country and a bereavement to his family for which there is no earthly
compensation. But he has left for them in his good name, his
unimpeachable character, and his many virtues an inheritance more
valuable than gold.
He has gone where all must soon follow. The wealth of his example is an
inspiration to the living to emulate his virtues, enjoy a conscience
void of offense, and leave to surviving relatives the inheritance of an
honored name. Such an ambition is worthy of an American citizen, and the
value to humanity of such a life as that of Gen. LEE can hardly be
overestimated.
Why should death be regarded as a calamity? It is the inevitable fate of
all the living. May it not be a part of life? The hope of immortality is
the greatest boon conferred upon the living. On an occasion like this
words will not soothe the grief of those who are near and dear to the
deceased. Their consolation must be in the hope of reunion beyond the
grave.