The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-03-08
Last Nights Dispatches.
XLVT CONGRESS.
SENATE.


WASHINGTON March G.-Senator Car
penter. in illustrating the tendency toward
Capitalization. mentioned the establish
ment of Agriculture and the proposed
Department of Mines dining and Manu-
facture, which works do not occur in the
constitution. This disregard of the copsti-
tuition marks decadence in our practice
of government and leads to dangerous
encroachments on the provinces of the
States. What right has Congress to
command the President to appoint a man
in the army any more than 10 the courts :?
None but obstinate violation of the consti-
tuition and encroachment on the executive
power. Yet this bill expects to exercise
lindicial power by the Houses of Congress.
Can any lawyer call this an exercise of
legislative power, this setting aside a
Judgment OF seventeen years ago and re-
storing Porter to rank without asking the
Senate yea or nay? That was what the
original bill provided 1t being ascer-
tanned that it was tough job. Senator
Randolph had reported substitute au.-
lthoriziDg the President, by the consent of
the Senste,to restore Porter to Colonelcy
dating from 1868. In some respects this
was worse than the original bill. This bill
does not pay the Judgment of the court
| even the passing respect of annulling it.
but leaving it 10 full orce-contemptuous-
| ly ignores it. If Porter is eligible at all.
what need to authorize the President aud
Senate to exercise their constitutional
powers? Senator Burnside's amendment
for a new trial court of thirteen
officers to CONFIRM. mitigate or annul the
| former sentence. is still more remarkable
| Porter having been private citizen for
oyer seventeen years, cannot be subjected
| to court martial, even with consent
The whole would be a farce and nuliIty
Senator Carpenter lauded the character
of the previous court martial, On the
other hand the three individuals who re-
| viewed the proceedings of the court had
no shadow OF jurisdiction or power to even
| administer an oath. The only reason these
| three individuals mad for their inquiry was
| to inform the President whether he might
properly pardon Porter. The President
can pardon Porter, and that would wipe
out all the consequences of the sentence.
L am told that Porter never applied for
pardon | submit that under the cir
cumstances Porter i3 not at liberty to set
| his irown against the only power that
| the constitution can relieve him. and ask
| US to exercise the power the constitution
denies Is it any humiliation tor him
to apply to that Ultimate power which lay
still reach his case. which is ample aud
copious, which falls ike streams troal
| rising springs, which may reach his case
aud violate no principle of the Constitu-
ton? We cannot touch the case without
violating our oath to support the costitu-
ton, for The pardoniDg power belongs to
the executive, and no matter what it is
called, The amendment Of this sentence
W ,uld operate pardon,
| had intended to review the testi,Dan
r
ty. There are two reasons why | do not.
ln the first place, it is Whcliy unnecessary,
because /! We have no constitutional power
t. pardon him or what is the same thing,
relieve bim trom that judgment in any
| form Of proceeding whatever, If i imDa-
terIa to Us whether nc was guilty or not.
| That part OF the task has been performed
| bg the senator from Illinois much better
| than [ could do it. Now, | have had no
| feeling against Fig John Porter on any
a3couut. | was with hm a year at the
:ademy at West Point, aud | always
esteemed him as a gentleman until this
affair occurred. The testimony, which
have examined pretty fully, convinces me
| that fItZ John Porter was dlslOyal to the
union, Not that he meant that the south
should succeed in breaking up the govern
ment, but be was devoted TO Mcclellan
| Mcclellan was the idol OF bis heart aud
star of bis hope He wanted to see Nc
| Cielau succeed first. lie wanted to see
our cause prosper. bat be wanted McCiel
| ian TO lead US TO victory. He was man
| to whom Porter attached, around
| whom all he affeUtious Of his heart seemed
| to have eUtwiued themselves and it was
bitter as death to him when Mcclellan
was supplanted in command and succeeded
| By man for whom he seems to have bad a
great contempt That was the fault aud
| fall OF Fltz John Porter. 1t was ambition:
it not tor himself, for bis friend. The
| ambition that drew Satan down DIRE "
Porter down; and so far as our power is
concerned the analogy proceeds further.
| He tell like Lucifer, never to rise again.
| Senator Carpenter briefly and eloquent
| y summed up Senator Logan's long argu
ment as the facts of the battle, declaring
| tnat Porter fatty disobeyed orders. He
had no heart 10 the cause, His own State
felt the Joss heavily. The bodies of those
slain soldiers came by every train from
the battle field to Wisconsin, and were
piled up like merchandise in the depots;
they sleep now In the green graves that
dot the hills and green valleys of Wiscou
SID. Our people will not soon forget Fi,Z
John Porter, and would never forgive me
if should vote to put him back and pay
him as it he had served his country faith
fully. Queer thipgs are done in these
days, aud this may be done. bat not by
my vote. Nevertheless, Mr., President,
IGods will be done. Il may be that even
this last travesty upon justice is necessary
They tell US that whom the gods destroy
they first made mad. 1t may be. al
Though il seems impossible, that Demo-
Gratis are not mad enough yet to ensure
their total destruction. This last act may
be needed to convince the American peo-
pie of the discrimination between virtue
and vice. To fix proper punishment upon
disloyalty, and 10 hold rebellion in check
we need in the White House once more
the steady hand, cool head aud the patrio-
tic heart of q. s. Grant. Great ap-
plause.
Senator BaYard obtained the floor, but
yielded to motion for executive ses-
slou, and when the doors reopened, the
Senate adjourned uutil Monday.
CALIFORNIA.
SAN FRANCISCO, March There was
a good attendance at the Sand Lot to-day.
L Il Il