The state journal. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1883-1885, 1884-03-15
GEN. PORTER RESTORED.
JEFF DAVIS NOW ALONE IN THE
COLD.
The Bill to RehabilItate the Condemned
Soldier Passed by the Senate-Senator
Logan's Speech Against the Meas
ure-FOur Republicans Join the
Unanimous Democracy-&c.
FITZ JOHN PORTER REINSTATED.
Four Republicans Join the Democracy in
Accomplishing the Act.

| Accomplishing the Act.
WASHINGTON, March 14-At the con.
clusion of Senator Mandersons speech,
| which was loudly applaudeG, Yesterday
Senator Logan took the floor and adj
dressed the Senate at length.
In 1865, he said when the ministering
angels Of his country had ceased TO
smooth the brow of the weary soldier,
who, of all those that had been admins
tering the laws 20 put down rebellion
could believe that the power of the law
would be invoked in aid of such measure
as that before the Senate? Travelling
back to 1865 we found that forty five days
were consumed by court martial in the
trial of an individual who, by its decision,
was discharged from the army Of the
United States. Part of that court mar
tial were learned in the civil law all of
them were conversant with military law.
What is the trial now going on? Isitthe
trial of Fitz John Porter
No, it was trial at the grave Of those
that were dead-on a charge that the men
who had tried this man had distorted the
facts. FitZ John Porter had, after all
these years, become the prosecutor. 1t
was trial not of the living, but of the
dead it was trial at this late day of
Abraham Lincoln, rather that Fitz John
Porter.
without desiring" said Mr.. Logan,
facing the Democratic side of the cham
Der, ''to criticise the vote of any one
hope l may be pardoned for making one
remark. 1t is perfectly natural that
those who had been engaged in rebellion
against great government like this,
when they failed of success and have
themselves been pardoned by the govern.
ment, that they should without the cX-
animation of the evidence in the case
feel q sympathy for those who, during
the war, had been dismissed the service
of the United States. Why? Because
they would naturally sympathiZe with
them and say: L have been forgiven,
and. therefore, forgive everybody else. -
Continuing, Mr.. Logan inquired what
it was that was before the COurt-martial
that tried Porter? The question was,
had there been a disobedience CT orders?
Military law showed that there was no
excuse for the disobedience of lawful
order unless there existed physical i'm
possibility to its execution. Had there
been such physical impossibility shown?
Not at ALL Without taking up time to
read the evidence, Mr.. Logan showed the
position of the various forces on the coca
sion Pope had expected he would be at
tackled, and any officer having a knowl-
ed &c of his position had right to expect
an attack, and he had properly ordered
Porter to be on hand by daylight. Porter
had no option or discretion in the matter.
His duty was to obey.
Mr. Logan charged, in the course ofhis
speech and defied contradiction, that
Fitz John Porter was the cause of the
loss of the first battle of Bull Run. The
Senator from New Jersey (Mr. SewelD
had had letter read from Gen. Grant.
If any man in the Senate had more re-
spect for General Grant than Mr.. Logan
he (Mr. Logan did not know who the
man was He would say nothing to de-
tract from the well earned fame of Gen.
Grant, but he would be permitted to say
that as a lawyer General Grant could
not be regarded as first class. 1t had
been said there was no battle on the
Goth of August, 1862, and so Porter could
not be guilty. Well, then, if there was a
battle on the Goth, he was guilty-accord
ing to the views of Porter's friends. Mr..
Grant to General Porter, in which he
(GranO said he had condemned Porteron
insufficient information. That is, since
General Grant had ascertained that there
was no battle on the Goth, then he had
said Porter was not guilty. In this Mr..
Logan frankly agreed with General
Grant. Gentlemen did not like Federal
testimony. They wanted Confederate
testimony He would, therefore, take
Confederate testimony.
Mr.. Logan then read from the state
mentS of General Lee to show that there
was battle OH the Goth, and that, as
General Lee said, it ''raged with great
fury" Mr.. Logan could prove by the
testimony OF every Union officer that
there was such battle. He read the
names of large number of Union officers
to show that there had been such battle
and that the losses were heavy.
Mr.. Sewell said there was no question
of the fact that there had been heavy
fighting during the day, but it was by $50
lated brigadlers.
Mr.. Logan said there evidently was one
isolated" brigade that did not fight
Oaughter) and no battle was fought in
these times in which all the forces of both
sides were simultaneously engaged.
Mr.. Logan, turning to the Democratic
side of the Chamber, continued: 81 say
to. dav in all kindness to this side OF the
| Chamber though, of course, it will have
no effect, and do not expect it to have
any, that the course of your people, as.
| sisted by few of ours, is one which will
prevent the people of this country, as
| long as you 90 on in this way, from hav-
| ing any confidence that you intend to
| administer the affairs of the Government
| fairly. This opening of the doors" he
| continued, meant breaking down the
barriers between loyal men and disloyal
men,. so far as the foundations of army
| discipline were concerned. 1t meant
opening the retired list to other men to
| come in as Porter was coming in. But
| it meant more than that. " Mr.. Logan did
not care what few gentlemen who were
| in and few who were out Of the Union
army might say, it was his conviction
that the great body of the American PEG
| pie did not believe in breaking down the
barriers between the men who failed in
the time of need and those who stood at
their post.
"And when say that, continued Mr..
Logan, II am speaking OF our own peo-
pie. They do not believe in your coming
here to regulate our court martials of the
war period; they do not believe it is just;
they do not believe it is right that you
should. l tell you am speaking to you
the truth, as the people will speak it to
YOU hereafter. Your Confederacy could
regulate its own court martials while you
had a Confederacy. But, sirs, do not
come here in numbers sufficient to put
back in our army the men who failed u.s.
and thus destroy the discipline of our
army, cast slurs upon the men who did
their duty, trample in the dust the bones
of the dead and put stigma upon the
names of Union soldiers. Let not your
| Inol;nns cro 90 Ear IL Won do ! assure Won