Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-11-29

proposition of Gen. Grants which i
equally as astounding as anything il
reference to Porter's conduct. Speakin.
OF Porter, he says that stwenty years O
the best part of his life have been con
sumed In trying to have has name and hi:
reputation restored before his countrymen
In his application now before congress h
asks only that he may be restored to tn,
rolls of the army, with the rank that h,
would have if the court-martial had never
been held:
This, in my Judgment is very simple
part of what is possible to do in this case
and of what ought to be done. Gen. Por.
ter should in the way of partial restora
ton, be declared by congress to have beer
convicted by mistaken testimony, and
therefore not to have been out of the army
This would make him a major general OF
volunteers until the date might be fixed
for his muster out of that rank, after
which he would be continued as a colonel
of infantry and brevet br1gadier general
of the United States army from the date
of the act when he could be placed on the
retired list"
This proposition would give him over
$4,000 out of the treasury of the United
States for no act performed, for no duty
done, for no service rendered, except the
failure in performance of his duty on the
10Th day of August, 1862.
Gen. Grant ought to know whether Por-
ter was dismissed or not from the army on
what he considers s'mistaken evidence;"
that he was dismissed and put out of the
army, his place was filled, and he has been
citizen ever since, is to-day citizen.
a., MOI r
law, no rule of justice, that would give
this to Gen. Porter, or to any ether man
dismissed from the army. This would es-
tablish precedent that would pay money
back to every man dismissed from the
army that might ever afterwards be placed
back again, whether dismissed at the be-
ginning of the war fer disloyalty or not, if
they could get up testimony such as is
wanted. Some have been put back into
the army by act of congress since, and,
under this rule of Gen. Grants, they could
come and claim paJ for the whole time
they have been out of the army, saying
that they were not disloyal and were i'm
properly dismissed. Every officer that
may be dismissed for misconduct in Office,
civil or military, and removed from Office,
If afterwards on examination of the evil
dence obtains decision that he was i'm
properly dismissed, on this proposition
would he be entitled to pay while he was
out of his Office
A proposition of this kind and princi-
pie of this sort should not be entertained
for a moment, and I am very much sur
prised to find suggestion of this kind
coming from the pen of Gen. Grant.
believe have answered fully the prop
ositions laid down by Gen. Grant in iustiti-
cation of Fitz John Porter, and merely
wish to add that, after twenty years have
passed and the country has been raked and
scraped for some kind of flimsy testimony
for an excuse to restore this man to the
army, no such testimony has been found
The effort to vindicate Porter at the ex-
pense of the regulations of such men as
Gen. Garfield, Gen. Hunter and their asso-
ciates, all honorable gentlemen, who found
him guilty, also to cloud the reputation of
Abraham Lincoln, who approved the find
ings, cannot succeed.
This is asking too much, even though it
be asked by such men as Gen. Grant.
JOHN A. LOGAN.