Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-27
IN THE HOUSE.
The Fitz John Porter Bill Before the
Committee of the Whole.

The Fitz John Porter Bill Before the
Committee of the Whole.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26.-This morning
the Speaker laid before the House the ere
dentials of F. W. Rockwell as member
elect from the Twelfth district of Massa-
/ chusetts. and the gentleman appeared at
tn bar of the House and took the oath of
office.
Mr.. Hatch, of Missouri, from the Com
mittee on Agriculture, reported a bill for
the establishment of Bureau of Animal
Industry to prevent the expectation of
diseased cattle, and to provide means for
the suppression and extirpatiOn of pleur0
pneumonia and other contagious diseases
among domestic animals. 1t was ordered
printed and recOmmitted.
The House at 1920 went into commit
tee Of the whole. with Mr.. Springer, Of H.
linOis, in the Chair, on the Fitz John Por-
ter bill.
Mr.. Raw. of New York. continued his
speech in support of the bill, declaring his
belief that if President Lincoln had sur
vived the assassin's pistol before the
SHOWS of another winter had come he
would have done justice to Gen. Porter.
and he would have been restored to the
Union army.
In opposing the bill Mr.. Thomas. Of IlIi-
nOis, wanted to know the right of Con-
gress to pass upon this case, and declared
that the attempt to override the decision
of one of the constitutional tribunals of
the country was an absolute violation Of
the Constitution of the United States.
Mr.. Bedford, of Colorado, wanted to
know whether the gentlemen'S Thomas
Judgment in the Fitz John Porte: case is
better than the judgment of the greatest
soldier this world has seen from the time
of Julius Cesar down to this time.
mean Ulysses 5. Grant Applause on
the Democratic side. The debate was
further continued by Mr.. FOllett, of Ohio,
and Mr.. Milliken, of Maine.
Mr.. Belford. Of Colorado, said that he
had the courage and bOdness to do what
was just, without regard to any popular
prejudice which might exist. He believed
in doing Justice to every man. 1t was the
sweetest attribute of humanity. 1t was
the greatest attribute of God Almg ghty
himself He proposed to bury the pr ju-
! dices of the past and do justice to man
whom the greatest General on the face of
| the earth declared to he wrOnged and out
/ RACED. He would follow Gen. GRANTS
/ judgment against that OF the Captains
/ and COlOuels of the militia. Laughter
] and applause.
/ Mr.. Horr, of Michigan, concluded long,
+ the bill, by critcising the action of men
/ who fought on the Confederate side to
/ come here now and rip up old difficulties
! which had existed on the Union side, and
/ then yielded a few minutes Of his time u
j. :. Wise, of Virginia, who said that he
/ wished to place himself on record In re-
I gard to this controversy. He spoke for
I himself, and himself al0ne-nOt as Con-
federate General, but as Il boy who, ut II
wears of age, loved the Confederate cause,
and saw no taint on her banner, and fol-
] lowed it. and shed his blood it, and
thought that he WAS right. He spoke to-
dav so help him GOd-withOut one
/ taint of treason, and loving the
flag that was over the Speakers chair as
truly as ever Daniel Webster loved il,
/ lADuIause. He spoke, however, as one
/ who. as he heard this discussion, had felt
/ that his mind wandered of from the dis
cussiOn of the question and was back
| with the graves Of the Confederate dead
He appealed 10 the Confederate soldiers
here To know whether, as this discussion
( had progressed. instead of following the
triumphs of Gen. Grant and the troubles
of Gen. Porter, their minds were not more
properly back with the graves of theil
brethren and thousands of friends, and
whether they did not realize that this was
the most anomalous scene ever witnessed
in the history of any land where the van
4 QulSne0 were cdlleu upon IL
east the decisive weight IL
the contested balance of the victors
For himself he accepted the issue present
ed. He turned from this scene. He saw
the perils of the past once more come be
fore him. He felt once more AS if ht
were back in the bloody angle OF th'
Wilderness, and when the Union mel
were deciding who WAS their Ajax, Tela
mon. who their Achilles and who thei
Diomede, he stepped aside, and his min'
would falter of to where the soldiers
sentries kept watch across the river ant
the Confederate dead were sleeping among
the trees.
Mr.. Horr then continued his speech
saving that it was time that people shoul'
understand that the eX-COnTederates wer
ready to bury the past, but the gentle
men could not give them so to understan'
by taking every opportunity they foun
to reverse decisions OF courts martial an
to rake up these questions which ha
been fairly and honestly settled in tn
past.