The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-04-13

wretchea HS Stanton ana Holt 10 Dack Lnem.
there was little chance for him OF a fair hear
ing, much less of al honest Judgment. SO he
was convicted, court-martialed, and, to the
great regret OF old Wade, Chandler and
others Of that class OF stalwarts, barely
escaped fusllade. But when brought UP
before al honest court, and permitted to
bring In the testimony Of Confederate officers,
gentlemen as well az brave and good soldiers,
be had no difficulty In showing his entire In
nocence, and In heaping upon Pope all the
disgrace and responsibility OF the Manassas
fiasco. These Confederates knew where they
were In that splendid mannuvre OF Lees;
they knew, too, where Porter was; they were
not as well informed where Pope was It is
doubtful whether he knew himself. IL is
pretty certain that in very few hours after
Longstreet and jackson struck his column
Pope was In Washington City-not In the
saddle which he promised to make his per-
manent headquarters during the campaign,
but In some comfortable hotel.
Now, with this judicial record finally and
completely made up, Ia Pope to be retained
In his high command and Porter to be left
out ID the cold. in practical disgrace, and
the United States army thus deprived Of
the services, the skill and administrative
ability Of an officer who, before the war. was
justly regarded one OF the most competent,
reliable and efficient officers, at the very
time when Pope was looked upon as the OPP
probrium OF the army, on account ol
his lying and other base qualities2 1t was az
the subordinate and pupil OF Sidney John.
ston and Robert E. Lee that Porter won bis
reputation. There could be no higher
Endorsement OF the merit of an officer Of the
United States army, and the present Admin
istratIon could do no more graceful act Of
justice and manly recognition and reparation
Of q great wrong, perpetrated In the name Of
their own party, than to restore Porter to the
rank to which he would have been entitled
on the reorganization Of the army after the
war.
This vlndication Of Porter suggests an Incl
dent during the occupation of this city by
Butler, In the late war, when the proprietor
Of one Of our city papers missed splendid
opportunity Of proving q martyr to the same
furious passions Of the dominant Radical
faction from which Porter had so narrow an
escape, with the same chance OF an honorable
vindication when these passions had subsidized
and truth, justice and honor were restored
to control over the judgments Of men. The
incident Is worth relating In this connection,
and III the history Ok journalism In this city.
Whilst Butler was exercising his despotism
over this city, one Of his chief concerns was to
watch the newspapers, and pursue them with
quick vengeance and suppression at the
slightest deviation from the narrow line to
which he restricted their freedom Of comment
and statement. Among his other injunctions
was one forbidding any reference to or criti-
cism Of military movements Of the Federal
army or any censure OF any Of the officers
thereof. Those papers which he had not
already confiscated were, therefore, very care
full and guarded in their editorials and publ
cations. All references to military events were
sent to Butler to be vised In the proof be-
fore they could be put In the form. One OF
Buffers amusements was to indorse their
proofs with playful exhibitions OF his wit,
such as "The writer Of this ls fool" The
fact STATED herein Is lie, not a fact, but, as
rebels snbsist chiefly on lies, there is no OBJ
lection to It's publication" "Tne writer Of this
ought to be sent to school or to an idiot asy-
lum," and so on. Now at this time the old
Rcayune, then In the hands OF its ancient
proprietors, was regarded with special suspi-
cion as latent rebel. and the cautious editor
was subjected to very perplexiDg RESPONSE
bility to keep in with his rebel support
ers and avoid conflict with Butler.
To aid him In this difficult balancing
trick, he solicited and employed an expe-
rienced writer for the press, whose occupa-
ton had been recently extinguished with the
journal which he had long conducted, but
which Butler had seized and converted into a
good Union paper" This writer's engage
ment was to prepare articles OF strictly his
torical character, avoiding any partisan
views and statements, free from anything
that would offend Butler or the strong rebel
sympathies Of the readers Of the paper. In
the performance Of this duty, with the under
standing that the editorials should be sub
jected to Buffers revision In the proof, the
writer prepared an article couched in very
temperate and bipartisan terms, on Pope's
boastful programme Of his campaign In
Northern Virginia In 1862. The astound-
ing nature of this plan, and the language
OF Pope, his confident prediction Of his speedy
and uninterrupted march on and capture OF
Richmond without the need Of reinforcement,
OF communication with his rear, without bases
and with his only headquarters in the saddle,
elected comments In all the newspapers, and
the Pieayune's contributor could not forego
the indulgence In this common privilege Of
the historian Of comment and criticism on
so notable scheme and movement. These
comments were prudently restrained, SO as
to have the character Of emanating from an
impartial and even Federal historian. The
plan of Pope was condemned as an fmpracti-
cable one and In conflict with all established
rules and experience of modern war;
fare. Its failure was predicted through
just such movement OF Lees army as
did actually occur. It was shown from a
knowledge Of the country with which the wri-
ter was familiar that no such army as that Of