The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-01-30
Whom the Gods would Destroy They
First make Mad.

t~Is
If there is any truth in this adage, the
pail of an evil destiny must be hanging
near and dark over the heads of the Presi-
dent and the malignants who surround
him. FTz JOHN PORTER, who has shown
himself the ablest and bravest Corps Com
mander in the Federal service, has been
sacrificed to crafty the brutal malignity
of Secretary STANTON, and as scapegOat
for the imbecilc bl,nderings of President
LINCOLN. -
When the President, yielding to the
Radical element in his Cabinet and Com
gress, called POPE to Washington to sup
plant MCCLELLAN, he committed the most
fatal act of the whole series of blunderings
of which he has been guilty since he pros
tituted himself and his high office to Radi-
cal management The events which fol-
lowed, in the partial destruction and total
decentralization of the vast army under
PORES command, was what might have
been anticipated. For this slaughter Of
thousands, and this generalization OF tens
of thousands, somebody had to be. held
responsible, and be sacrificed ,".'a' d.
The man most guilty was EDwIN NJ.
STANTON. But condemnation of STANTON,
was the condemnation of the President;
and it was against hulnan-nature that the
II 10 ~ 4,
in itself, be confession of an extent of
laundering that was worse than crime. In
cidentally, too, the sacrifice of PORE would
relate back with damaging effect upon both
the President and his Secretary of War.
The victim was found in PORTER He could
be proved guilty of technical violation of
an order, which order might, by the help
of pliable witnesses, be made to assume
vital importance. Ca So, PORTER was made
the scapegoat A court was ordered, and
the members made up Of the political
and military sympathisers Of the Secretary
Of War, and his willing tools. So grossly
unjust was the assignment of officers to the
court, that, when the names were first an
nounced, the friends of PORTER regarded
hia case as hopeless, and his enemies found
warrant in the fact, to pronounce his con-
viction in advance, to predict death as his
certain doom, and to gloat in the antici-
pated shedding of his blood
This fear of PORTER's friends, and this
hope of PoRTER's enemies were not
changed until the evidence had been taken
for the prosecution. The lameness of such
evidence, staggered the malignants who
were on PORTER's track, and, in anticipa-
ton of his acquittal, they began to qualify
their denunciations But, when the evil
dence for the defence was closed, there was
no difference of opinion on the case. His
enemies looked for his acquittal with the
same certainty as did his friends, and all
as due to him on the grounds of absolute
justice. We have not seen a journal for
the last fortnight, even of those which
were originally loudest in their condemna-
ton, that did not regard PoRTER's triumph
ant issue from the trial as foregone fact.
But STANTON knew his tools better than
the public, or his own partizans, did. The
court was convened TO save the Secretary s
and the Presidents reputation, st the cost
of PoRTER's ruin. The court has filed
the bill laid down in the programme.
Against all the weight of evidence, and
all the weight of intelligent military opin-
ion, verdict Of guilty has been rendered;
PORTER is sacrificed and promotions and
high commands are won by his military
Judges, and will be accorded, as the price
of their dishonor.
PORTER is adjudged guilty, and he is
cashiered and dismissed the service. The
President confirms the sentence, and the
Secretary of War has before this officially
promulgated the order. 1t is an infamous
order; and, as such, it will stick, like the
shirt of NesSus, to the regulations OF the
the President, and his Secretary during
their official lives and after. We had
rather, to-day, be PORTER, the gallant sol
der, the high-toned man, and the victim OF
this vile conspiracy, than to wear the Off
cial honors of the President and Secretary
combined. The hero of dozen battles
cannot be injured by brutal malignity, o,
cowardly selfshness, even when these are
backed by the official power and prestige
of Secretary Of War, and President Of
the United States. .... IN T., g.
T. TINES REvENGEs.- Some sixteen months
since, SIMON CAMERON, then Secretary Of
/ War, arrested, without cause, illegally and
L q rhitrarilv. 4 kMEs W MALL. of Nav Ter.