Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1884-01-20

And Concludes that Portsr's Sentence
was just and Must Sandstone Lively
FusIlades with Rosecrans and Others.
Ho4sse of Representatives.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 19.-The house met
to debate the Fitz John Porter bill.
Mr.. Cutcheon, member of the minority
of the committee on military affairs, said,
it was embarrassing to stand and hear tine
opinions of military men SO distinguished
as the gentleman from California and New
York, Rosecrans and Slooum, and TO
differ from them in regard to military mat
ters, but the embarrassment disappeared
when he remembered that the principal
question in the case was not the matter OF
military strategy, but the sitting of the
fact that the laws of the country had drift
ed away from the stern realistics from q
period of war to profound peace, and the
further he got away from the period Of
war the stronger became the sway of sym
psthy and weaker the dictates of reason.
1t was not for the house, sitting here in
august tribunal, to be swayed by the feel
ings OF sympathy.
He asserted, referring to the denial Of
Grants letter, no one would 60 farther
than himself in admiration of that great
soldier, bat could not forget that for eight
long years General Grant sat in the rresi-
Dental chair and Fitz John Porter stood
knocking season in and season out at the
doors OF the White house, asking Grant to
permit him new hearing. He could not
forget what Grant said in 1869 and 1870,
for he had examined the papers submitted
and had not prepared the Grant review
asked, bat in 1881 when both houses of
ongress were in the hands of the opposi-
tion, and when a bill was pending
before congress to reappoint Gen. Grant
general OF the army and place him on the
retired list, there came a burst of sunlight
as from heaven, like the light which struck
down Paul at Damascus. All at once light
broke on his mind, and he found that for
eighteen years he had been doing Fix
John Porter injustice. Applause on the
Republican side. Therefore the opinion
with him; otherwise it would hAve.
Passing on to give q brief outline Of the
events that led to Porter's dismissal, Mr..
| Cutoheon said: Porter's action could only
be explained by his hatred of Gen. Pope.
| When his country cried "Fitz John Porter,
this wa7r he thought it was the voice Of
! Pope and not mis- country, and refused to
i go. If there ever was a tiuae when mans
! country called for him, when the destiny
of the republic hung trembling in the
balance, it was on the 9th of August,
! 1862. II ever there was a time when a
military leader had need to feel that the
i pulses of his subordinate 0fieers beat il
unison, it was on the 9th of August,
1862. When Porter disobeyed his orders,
| tive reasons were assigned for not doing
SO, that the night was dark and the road
bad. Porter could not march that night,
| but Stonewall Jackson marched his entire
corps, Lee marched that night, but this
brilliant leader of the Union army could
not march, because, forsooth, it was dark.
He went on to describe the battle of the
29th of August, and pictured Porter lying
under the trees at Bethel church without
| making an attempt to aid his comrades in
arms because there was q little pine bush in
the way. The Bsthlehemic song seemed
to have fallen upon Porter's corps that
day, "Peace on earth and good will to the
other SIDE" During the battle on Aug. 20,
where was Porter? Reclining under the
trees two and oRe-half miles from the
front. Where was the finest corps in the
armyP Gone into camp for the night.
Cowardliness was no excuse, for Porter
had shown he was a brave man.
Ignorance was no excuse, for
he was trained. He had no
excuse knowing the will of his commander,
for the order was exploit. Already
oleamnoy has been exercised toward Por
ter. His disability has been removed
He stood q free American citizen, mercy
to him was cruelty to thousands. a CEN
Jury ago, Admiral Bsyne, of the English
navy, disobeyed the order to take his ship
into action. He was tried, convicted and
shot to death for that disobedience, and
from tnat Gay to this no English officer
has ever refused TO take his ship into &c
tion when ordered by his superior. APP
plause on the Republican side.
We're General Garfield alive, this bill
would not be here. II never would receive
his signature. But Garfield was dead and
the bill was here. He expected it would
pass by the sid of the votes of men who
fought against the Union. But in the
name of the brave men VINO died on the
bloody field that August evening, crushed
by the very troops that Porter should have
engsged-in the name of their widows and
orphans-in the name of his wronged
country, he protested against the bill.
Applause on the Republican side.
He honored the gentleman from New
York. Slocum, for his devotion to his
ife long friend, but this hour should be
given to law and justice, and not TO sym
Pathy and tears, except tears for the brave
men who perished through Porters in
subordination. [Applause on the Republi-
can side.
%Mr. Slocum-I understood the gentleman
10 say, that if Garfield was living, this bill
would not be here. If he will refer to the
house report IA, second session of the
43d congress, he will find that Jas. A.
Garfield was father of this bill Applause
on Democratic side
Send for your report. This bill was
brought here by Garfield himself, and the
official records of congress will show it.
Mr.. Calkins-The gentleman refers to
the commission.
Mr.. Slocum-I refer to this. I say that
James A. Garfield introduced the resoIu-