The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-12-07
THE PORTER LETTER.

from tAe washington Patriot.
When Charles Surface pulls down the
screen, and DR.. Caius opens the closet
door, we all laugh, though we know before
hand exactly what will be discovered. SO
there is universal cacchination in the land
on the exposure of Admiral Porter's letter to
Secretary Welles, which has leaked or been
delved out of the Navy Department. The
merriment does harm to nobody. The reve-
lation does no particular good to anybody
Historically, 1T is of little value, for what will
the grave muse care when she comes to make
up her solemn record as to the chickering's of
the talkative tar and the silent soldier?
Every one familiar with military story, at
home and abroad is aware, without ssthis new
light, of the chronic i'll feeling between the
two branches of the service. It was car
ried to such an extent in the English service
that when, in 1913 the Wasp captured the
Frohc, and was in turn recaptured by line
Of battle ship and carried into Bermuda, the
army officers of the garrison honored and
feasted the American prisoners because, as
they frankly said, they had mortified the
navy men.
Nor was this fter-discovered evidence
needed to prove that, in our day and genera
ton, this Admiral and this General at one
time had no love for each other, or that Por-
ter, with all the intensity of personal and pro-
fessional ilI-nature, utterly despised the great
Massachusetts militia-man. When the secrets
of the War Department, in turn, come to be
told, we shall doubtless find that there was
perfect reciprocity. Still less incredible is it
that hatreds, and sueers. and disparagements
should melt away in the sunshine of favor and
patronage as it radiated from the soldier when
converted into the President. There seemed
to be thaw of asperity all round. The hos
tile Generals became reconciled, the Sneer of
the 'bottle" was withdrawn, and why should
not this condoning, conciliatory, forgetful
feeling extend ''bey ond the waters edge" and
soften the salt sailors temper! 1t did, and
in the rosy season of the Borie dawn, Admi-
raj Porter 'felt very kindly to President
Grant" and when brave Farraguts death
created a vacancy, was of opinion that he who
had the power to fill it did not want magma
nimity and was not avaricous of fame,
whatever he may be of houses, or lands, or
Watches or trotting horses.
There is one phrase in Admiral Porter s
unlucky letter which is more impressive than
all his slurs. He says:-"When the Rebels
write the history of the war, then, and Only
then, will the country be made to feel what
the navy has DONE This is not a new idea,
nor is its significance limited to naval matters.
1t throws a dark shadow on the military re-
cord in the future. There is at least ques-
ton whether, in future story, the Confederate
soldiers of rank will not fare better than some
of ours. They had, we all know, chickering's
and jealousies and backbitings. But, acci-
dentally, and from the sharp necessity which
pressed them all the time, they were com
PEELED to wash their dirty linen at home. With
us it was very different There is an Italian
proverb which says that ''dirty water doesn't
wash clean This the Committee on the
| Conduct of the War painfully illustrated.
The Chandler-C Covode saponaceous COM
| pound, which was SO industriously applied to
our heroes, smeared them all over, and, what
makes the matter worse, our military Presi-
dent, who owes so much of his lucky fame to
! gallant subordinates, has tried to make the
stains which the Congressional washerwomen
| left indelible. Mcclellan, Meade, Mcdowell
and others were all in turn DETAINED by this
committee, and who now are more honored
| by the Executive than their special Sian
derers? Any other man would have done
| Justice to Fitz John Porter. No other would
have ostentatiously petted and promoted the
accusers and secret slanderers of Meade-tht
Sickleses, Butterfelds, and such like. If
according to Admiral Porter, the navy is tt
receive tardy justice only at Rebel hands, il
is not hoping against hope to have other o.
President Grants false judgments reversed
too. The people of the North are beginning
to reverse them pretty rapidly for them
| selves.