Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-03-14
P0RTY-RlGHTH CONGRESS-.
First session.
sen ATE.
WASHINGTON. Mar

The chair laid before the Senate a com
munication from the attorney general. gvin 8
| information regarding the failure nv the Pa
ciffc Railroad to comply with certain acts OF
| Congress.
| The Senate, however, agreed to take W
the bill.
| Mr.. Henderson said the bill was a restrain,
upon the proper independence of the execu,
tive. The speaker could not see upon what
grounds the case should be reopened.
Mr.. Henderson was loudly applauded when
he completed his remarks.
Mr.. Logan then addressed the Senate.
Mr.. Harrison, from the committee on terri
tories, reported favorably and placed on the
calendar bill for the admission of Dakota
as State.
A Joint resolution, referred to the commit
tee on agriculture, appropriating $4,000 to
be made immediately available for the sup
preston of the foot and mouth disease
among the cattle of Kansas, went over, Mr..
Plumb giving notice that he would call il up
tomorrow.
Mr. Sewell called up the Fitz John Porter
bill before the morning hours had proceeded
beyond u 80
Mr.. Miller of New York said the Senate
had yesterday put aside important public
business to take up this bill for public relief.
Mr.. Logan said that the question involved
was that of his disobedience of orders. Pope
had expected he would be attacked and had
properly ordered Porter TO be on hand al
daybreak and Porter had no option or dis
cretion in the matter. His duty was to obey.
Porter had, in his letters, said he did not in
tend to obey Pope except when he had TO.
Here had been a combination and determine
ton that Pope should not succeed. He
charged here, and defied contradiction, that
Porter ~as the cause of the loss of the first
battle of Bull Run. loud applause in the
gallery was instantly suppressed by the pre-
siding officer, Mr.. Frye.) Mr.. Logan scoffed
the night was dark and showed how many
battles had been won after night. With ref
erence to Grants efforts in Porter's behalf,
Mr.. Logan asserted that no man had greater
respect for Grant than him. but Grant was
not a LAWYER. Logan continued at length
and said in conclusion that if this bill passed
and this wrong were done, it would be de-
claiming to the world that those who failed
in the hour of trial we're men who should
now be honored and that the glory of the
Union army could as well be maintained by
honors lost is by honors won. That princi-
pie had demoralizing effect on the army
and country.
Mr.. Conger expressed desire to amend
the bill by striking out ''the" and inserting
the words San additional before the words
! retired list of the army" his object being,
he said, save from disgrace the regular re-
tired list of the army and have separate
list provided for Porter and those like him.
The chair declared the bill was not subject
| to amendment at this time except for add
tonal sections.
Mr.. Riddleberger said the figh ting Gen
Porter had done after the so called disobe-
dience had been such as to wholly negative
the idea of treason.
The bill was then passed Sc to %.
The result was received with mingled ap-
plause and Kisses from the gallery. The
vote stood as follows
YEAs-Bayard. Brown, Butler, Call, Cock
ell, Coke, Colquitt Fair, Fairly, Garland,
Gibson, German, Groome. Hampton. Harris,
Hoar, jackson, Jonas, Jones of Fla, Jones
of New, Lamar, Mcpherson, Maxcy, Morgan
Pendleton, Pike, Pugh, Riddeberger. Sabine,
salisbury, Sewall. Slater. Vance, Voorhees,,
Walker and Williams-36
NAYs-Aldrch, Allison, Blair, Bowen.
Conger. Cullom, Dawes, Dolph Edmunds,
Frye, Harrison, Hawley. Hill, ingalls, Logan,
Mcmillan. Henderson, Miller of Cal, Mitch
ell, Morrill,, Palmer. Platt, Sherman
VanWyck and Wilson-25.
During the vote the following pairs were
announced, with the votes which would have
been cast by those named had they voted.
Beck aye, with Hale no; Cameron. Wis, =,
aye, with George no; Miller, n. Y, no,
with Camden aye; Plumb no, with Vest aye; I;
Sawyer no, with Kenna aye.
Before the preamble was passed, Hawley
expressed the hope that the majority would
spare the Senate from vote annulling the
decision of the court martial, which was as
lawfully constituted as the supreme court of
the United States. Conger remarked that
it was disgrace enough to have been a men,
ber of body which passed such bill.
The preamble recites the board of officers
convened by the president, to examine and
report on the case of Gen. Porter stated that
justice required the president to annul the
findings and sentence of the court martial in
Gen. Porter's case. and restore him to the
position of which the sentence deprived him,
such a restoration to take effect from the date
or his dismissal from service. That the
president had remitted so much of the SEN
tence as disqualified Porter from holding Of
fee, and that in order to do justice to Por-
ter was fact, etc. The bill then authorizes
the president, BY and with the advice and con-
sent of the Senate, to appoint Gen. Porter to
the position Of colonel in the army, of same
grade and rank held by him at the time of
his dismissal.
Adjourned.
Mr.. Belmont of New York presented reso-
lutions of the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
and one of the New York Art Students
League. favoring the Belmont bill for the
abolition of duties on works of art; referred
Mr.. O'Neil of Pennsylvania presented a