Lee, Robert Edward

(January 19, 1807—October 12, 1870), the | great general of the Confederacy, was the son of Henry Lee (‘‘ Light-: Horse Harry ’’) and was born at Str at ford, Va. He was graduated with high standing at West Point in 1829. In the Mexican War he served as chief engineer on the staff of General Wool, and was distinguished in the advance on the capital, especially at Chapultepec. From 1852 to 1855 he was commandant at West Point. In 1859 he was sent against; John Brown’s raid on Harper's Ferry, and he had reached the rank of | lieutenant-colonel by 1861. When his State seceded, Lee resigned, April 20, from the U. S. army, accepted the command of the State forces, and in May was appointed a general in the Confederate army. For a year he was inconspicuously employed in Virginia and South Carolina. The wounding of General J. E. Johnston at Fair Oaks, May 31, 1862, called Lee to supreme command. Henceforth his history is that of the Army of Northern Virginia. He commanded in the Seven Days’ battles, beat Pope at the second battle of Bull Run, and immediately began his first invasion of the North. Chance revealed his plans to McClellan. His prestige was not impaired hy the drawn battle of Antietam, and the army and its general gained new honors by the victories of Fred ericks burg and Chancellorsville. His second invasion of the North resulted disastrously at Gettysburg. In the next year, 1864, he was pitted against Grant, whom he opposed stubbornly at the Wilderne , Spottsylvania and Cold Harbor. The long siege of Petersburg and Richmond followed. Lee’s efforts to ward off the break-up of the Confederacy were unavailing. Compelled to evacuate Richmond on April 2, 1865, he sought to effect a junction with Johnston, but was hemmed in by Grant’s army and forced to surrender at Appomattox April 9. Soon afterward he became president of Washington College in Lexington, Va. (now Washington and Lee University), and remained there until his death. Lee was a man of singularly noble character, and much revered and beloved. Legal-Tender Cases. After the breaking out of the Civil War Congre was compelled in 1862 to i ue $150,000,000 in Treasury notes, and made them legal tender for payment of private debts and all public dues except duties on imports and interest on the public debt. These notes became the circulating medium to a large extent. The constitutional validity of these Legal-Tender Acts was strongly contested, especially in their application to debts contracted prior to their pa age. Their constitutionality was generally maintained by the State courts, however. In 1869 this question came before the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of Hepburn vs. Griswold. The validity of the acts was in this instance maintained only in so far as it did not affect the obligations of contracts made prior to their pa age. A year later, in the case of Knox vs. Lee, this decision was overruled, and the con-. stitutionality of the act was upheld in its applicability to pre-existing debts, though by a majority of the court only. The composition of the court had meantime been altered, two new judges having been appointed. Legare, Hugh 8. (1789-1843), was an anti-nullification member of the South Carolina Legislature from 1820 to 1822 and 1824 to 1830. He was State Attorney-General from 1830 to 1832. He was chargé d’affaires at Bru els from 1832 to 1836. Was a member of the U. S. Congre as a Union Democrat from 1837 to 1839,and was Attorney-General of the United States in Tyler’s Cabinet from 1841 to 1843, and Secretary of State in 1843. ‘ Legislature. The first elected representative legislature in America was that which met at James town, Va., in 1619. The colonies of Southern New England started with primary a emblies, from which representative a emblies were soon developed. In New York the first true legislature was a embled in 1683. In general the colonial legislatures were modeled on the British Parliament, the procedure of which they followed closely. To king, lords, and commons corresponded the governor, the council appointed by him, and the representatives of the people, variously called house of burge es, house of delegates, a embly, or house of representatives. These last were elected by voters having a property qualification, two members or more for each county in the Middle and Southern States, one or two from each town in New - England. The Revolution broke up the upper houses or councils, and the new constitutions substituted what in Virginia (1776) and then in the other States was called a senate. Pennsylvania and Georgia had at first legislatures of but one house. The legislatures of the Southern States were generally given the power to choose the governor. The Constitution of 1787 gave the State Legislatures the right to choose U. S. Senators. All the amendments to the Federal Constitution have been ratified by them. In general it has been felt that State Legislatures have been declining in excellence during the last two generations. State constitutions have imposed more and more restrictions upon their action. 399