The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1879-08-22
FITZ JOHN PORTER.


His Friends Seeking His Reinstatement
with the Rank on Major GeneraI-Gen
Pope Thus to he Practically Excluded
from Promotion.
Washington Cor. New York Tribunel
1t has been ascertained that q move
ment is on foot, among the friends of
fltz John Porter, to have him reinstat-
ed IN the United States army. The
nndlng OF the court of inquiry convened
by order of President Hayes was to the
effect that Gen. Porter was innocent of
the charges preferred against him by
Gen. Pope, and upon which he was
found guilty by general court-mar-
tial, and dismissed the service. The
finding of the court of inquiry was not
formally approved by the President, but
the record and testimony was submitted
to Congress for its action. The friends
OF Porter claim that this finding, after
the most searching investigation, and
after the most elaborate examination of
witnesses who were active participants
on both sides in the action which re-
suited in Pope's defeat at Manassas
and Porter's dismissal from the
army, establishes that the find
lngs OF the court-martial which tried
him were not in accordance with the
real facts, however they might have
been justified by the incomplete and ex-
parte evidence then adduced; that the
sentence of the court was, therefore,
unjust; and that the Government owes
it to Gen. Porter to make such repara-
ton as is due him for the wrong in 3.
hicted.
Gen. Porter's friends have decided
upon their plan of action, the objective
point of which plan is to restore him to
the army, with the rank of Major Gen
eral, and to vote him the full pay of
that rank from the date of his dismissal,
which would aggregate about $4,000.
TO accomplish this, it is proposed, at
the coming session of Congress, to in
troduce bill, with preamble, reciting
the finding of the court of inquiry, and
providing that the verdict of the court
martial be declared null and void.
Should this bill pass, the effect would
be to place Gen. Porter where he was in
the army prior to his dismissal;
that is, he would be restored to
the rank of Major General of Vol
unteers, and to the rank of Colonel in
the regular army. If nothing further
should be done by Congress, it would
be, perhaps, within the power of the
President to direct that Porter should
be mustered out as Major General of
Volunteers, which would leave him with
his rank of Colonel in the regular army.
1t is not proposed, however, by Gen.
POrter's friends to stop with the erasure
of the verdict of the court-martial
They intend to establish him in the
army with the rank of Major General;
and, to do this, propose to pass bill
creating an additional Major General,
and authorizing the President to appoint
Fitz John Porter to the vacancy thus
created. The number of Major Generals
is now fixed by law at three, and, in
order to return to that number after
brief period, it is proposed that the act
appointing Porter to be Major General
shall provide that no further appoint
ments or promotions shall be made to
that rank until the number of MAJOR
Generals is reduced below three, which
number will be again fixed as the maxi
mum of that rank. This plan would
obviate the necessity of forcing Gen.
Mcdowell on the retired list to make
room for Porter, and would at the same
time prevent the promotion of Gen.
Pope, who is first on the list of Briga-
der Generals. AS Gen. Pope entered
the military service in 1912, he cannot
be far from the age-62-when
he may be retired. 1t will be seen,
therefore, that this plan would practi-
cally exclude Pope from being promoted
to be Major General, because it is quite
probable he would reach the retired
list before Hancock, Schofeld or
Porter, supposing that McDowell's re-
tirement made room for him. Thus
the effect of this plan of Porter's friends
would be to punish Gen. Pope, while
elevating Porter. 1t is hardly fair, per-
haps, to intimate that such is the pur-
pose of Porter's friends, but the fact
that Pope is the officer who brought the
charges upon which Porter was dis
missed and that the result of that gen.
tlemans vindication is to operate inju-
riously to Pope, will lead many friends
of that officer to infer that such a pur.
pose entered into the general plans of
those who who were seeking to restore
Gen. Porter. A bitter and protracted
discussion will certainly follow any at
tempt to carry out these plans.