Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-01-13
Especial Telegram to the Globe. |

Especial Telegram TO the GI0be.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 12.-Your correspond
ent sent his card to Gen. Porter's room to-
day, asking him for an interview about the
senate. He promptly received me, notwith-
standing it was his dinner hour, and gave
me long talk about his case, involving
but little of the history that led up to his
disgrace, but telling much of what has oc-
Cured since, and the spirit that has ami
mated the opposition to his reinstatement
in the army.
"It has been long and weary fight for
my good name," he said. ''There have
been times when felt sick at heart over
the small prospect of leaving behind me
vindication of my character as a soldier.
All these years that have been striving
for reversal of the cruel judgment
that blackened my name, and
falsifed history, life has been but a blank
to me. If I were to go to my grave with
this stigma on my name, why should
life be prolonged, if were to live in the
consciousness that I had been deeply
wronged, that all the ambition of my early
years had been nipped by single mis-
judgment of my motives, for my motives,
not my acts, have been in the scale from
first. Why should have any other business
in life than to remove the stain upon my
character and demand justice from the
government that boasts protection for the
humblest citizen? For twenty years I have
been before the representatives of the
people asking a reparation of the
greatest blow that has ever
been struck at a patriot and
soldier. have been the target of the
malicious, the politicians and the trick
sters. You saw yesterday and during the
entire discussion, how the attempt was
made to decide my case upon party lines.
1t has been assumed from the beginning
of the long struggle that I must have been
disloyal because I was a Democrat. Sena-
tor Logan, whom do not remember to
ever have seen outside the senate chamber
land here Gen. Porter made lip of scorn
at shadow on the wall which was suppos-
ed to represent the senator from Illinois)
has pursued me as if we had been init
mate friends in the past, between whom
there had arisen some just cause for deadly
hatred. He has treated me with the great
est discourtesy from the first, forgetting
that the bitterest enmity between gentle
men does not warrant at the use of billings
gate. His presentation of the evidence
and the review of the evidence was parti-
san in the extreme and can only be attrib-
uted to personal ambition to make him.
self popular with the soldier vote of the
country, yet I have hundreds and
thousands of letters from soldiers
who served under him, assuring me
of their sympathy and condemning his
ungererous and unjust pursuit of me.''
"What have you to say of Garfeld's po-
sition about your case and especially his
attitude as expressed in a letter to Consul
General Lee?"
II only know that Gen. Garfield was
mistaken in his judement of my case. 1
think he himself came to believe it at last.
1 have letter from him which may some
day give to the public, that
indicates that he would have altered
his views had he lived to give th e
same consideration to the evidence
that Gen. Grant has recently given,
and with the same result. My enemies say
that Grants change of opinion is due to a
supposed intimacy that has grown up be-
tween US since he moved to New York
There is nothing more untruthful than
this. l have no intimacy with him.
think the longest talk I ever had with him
was in the corridor of Wizards hotel day
before yesterday"
eyes," I said, II saw you together, and
was greatly tempted to put my hand be-
hind my ear and eavesdrop."
"Oh, you wouldn't have heard much,' re-
piled Porter, with laugh, "we were only
talking common place."
Here there came rap at the door and
in response to the invitation ''come in,''
medium seized man of forid complexion
entered, and in hearty way this greeting
passed between them.
''Hello, Mack.''
''My dear Fitz, let's congratulate you
on the action of the senate.'
Turning to me Gen. Porter said: 'Let
me introduce you to Gen. Mcclellan"
Of course, / knew who he was when he
was addressed as "Mack," When he stood
like an iron wall, with an army at his back
that had just been routed, between Lee and
this capital, the one breakwater which
saved the Union army from tidal wave of
rebel success I told him that I had cast
my first vote for him for president, and
would be glad to do it again, and then
asked him what he thought of the action of
the senate yesterday.
"It was what both houses of congress
should have done long ago." he replied.
evil the house sustain the senate
voter"
s'rm afraid not, but Gen Porter can tell
you more about that than I can."
In response to the questions, Gen. Por- 4
ter expressed the same opinion. He said
the remarks Of Logan to-day, in which he
said the house would not pass the bill,
were understood to bear the nature of
threat that he would use his influence
among his party friends in the house to
defeat it. IT was the REHABILITATION, of fba