The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-01-19
CONGRESSIONAL.
HOUSE.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18.-Slocum
spoke in support Of the bill in reia,
ton to restoring Fitz John Porter,
and said that If any gentleman de
sired q clear and concise conception
of this case he could find it in the few
pointed and comprehe ns;ve sentences
uttered by General Grant. He drew
q picture or the excite n-nt that ex.
is;ed at the lme IT Porter's trial.
aud without casting aspersi0n on the
Court he declared the result q fore
gone conclusion. Up to The hour
of his arrest there had not been q
stain on POrter's escutcneOn. But in
q time of intense excitement, when
mems passions usurped reason, his
brilliant reputation was no shield.
For twenty long years that man has
suffered as even the worst criminals
are seldom compelled to suffer. But
to-day Fitz John Porter, no
matter what the action of Congress
would be, stood before the world
fully viudicated. No, not vindicated,
but awarded the highest need of
praise by the most eminent military
authority Of the country. The same
me who ruined Porter were struck
dead by a blow at Sherman, aud he
had seen at a review of the Union
army General sherman refuse his
hand to the Secretary of War because
be had attempted to throw disgrace
upon him. It is his (SIocum's) firm
belief that had not tue war closed AS
l 4 l,~l Oh nsrs urv0sr1A Y>nrvn
heen placed side by side with that Of
Porter. Slocum's speech was loudly
applauded.
Steele followed ia opposition ia the
bill. He was not surprised that the
gentleman from New York (SlOcum)
hal neglected to touch upon the mer-
lite of the case. He had appealed to
the sympathies of the House, but did
not say the sentence OF the court was
not just. He proceeded to defend
| the personnel Of the c0urt-martial,
asserting it was satisfactory to Rev
| erdy Johnson, Pnrter's counsel, who
| admitted that Porter had a fair trial.
He gave the history of the orders of
the 9th AMI 10Th Of August, which
he declared Porter utterly failed to
obey. For all the good he had done
he might as we'll have taken his
corps and gone to Washington. Por-
ter did not disObay the orders because |
he was afraid. He did not accuse
him Of that. It was not because he
declined to serve his country, but it
was because he loved Mcclellan more
than his country. Porter had pos
tive orders to push bis army against
the right wing of the enemy, and
there was no proof presented at the
coart-martial to show he did so. and
General Mcdowell said he firmly be-
lieved if Porter had gone in as Or
dered by Pope, the Union victory
would have been decisive. Hooker,
Siegel and Reynolds. the friends of
Porter, were engaged in the batll.
and vet he turned not his hand to
save his country that day. Porter
declined to obey because he said if he
moved his men in as oraered he
WOULD have to fight. to which Nc
Dowell replied. that's what you
came here tor" Maggins inquired
why, If Mcdowell wanted to fight
he not do it.
Calkins replied "That is just
what he did do" Both of these gen.
tlemen talked IN an excited manner
and several other members. jumping
to their feet, caused great confusion
in the committee for some moments
ana drowned the voices of the debat-
ers. Continuing Steele said he did
not wish to reflect upon the gentle
man who composed the board of re.
view, but he claimed they did not
constitute a legal constitutional court
and under the laws of New York,
they were liable for trial
for assuming judicial functions.
Referring to the organization
Of the board he said Senator Ran.
obtained the names of the per-
sons and took them tn the Willard
Hotel and submitted them 10 the gen.
tlemen there to know whether they
we're satisfactory or not. Gen .Scho-
field would have liked to got the
nomination for the presidency and
carried Pennsylva.
mia. and New Jersey in his breeches
Rosecrans inquired what the gen.
t!eman said.
Steele-I say his friends under
stood. the country understood, and
The gentleman himself understood
would like to be ticketed
with the nomination.
Rosecaans-I understood no such
Steele, continuing, said the Board
tOund General PODe'e armV would
ave been annihilated it the 1900
men of P0rter's had not gone into
me fight. Such reasoning as that,
a increase the army by the addition
If its best corps aud cause its extinc- .
ion, was absurd. '
During his trial a gentleman, now I
n officer of the House. heard Porter q
ay: "After McDowell's testimony q
hey accuse me of not being loyal to a
Pope. Well I was not. Being loyal f
ny commanding officer I was q
loyal to my country. When n
hat officer was consistently fighting q
lis country's battles he hoped the y
Of the other side would b
lot be led away by political bias d
lis gallant friend from New York u
new there were no such men as v
'orter in the army of the west, but II
vhen the officers of that army re. u
orders they obeyed them. IL
Lyman. in speaking In support of a
be bill, transformed the floor of the
louise into q field of battle, and
rgued in view of the position of the
orces, Porter was justified in modi- -
wing the first order he received, :
)r he did not disobey
Ifthere is one principle of mill
Try law letter established than an :
it was the rule of instantaneous Z
bedience. Certai modifi atoms
ad taken place. and those modifica-
Ons took place when the officer who I
as a subordinate Was sent out. But
admitting that Porter ~disobeyed
lA order Suoh d~iaohadion n,oa L