St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-14
CONGRESSIONAL.
The Fitz John Porter Bill Passed
In the Senate by 56 to Is.
Logan Makes Bitter Attack on Him
and the Southern Members.
The Preamble Forgotten to be Passed Causes
Another Bitter Wrangle.
The House of Representatives Exercised
over the Postofice Appropria-
ton Bill
The Senate.

WASHiNGToN, Marcn 1o.-SenaU0r OOlpn
presented memorial from the chamber of
commerce of Tacoma, on Puget Sound,
against the forfeiture of the Cascade land
grant to the Northern Pacific railroad
Senator Harrison, from the committee on
territories, reported favorably and had placed
Dakota.
Senator Pendleton, by request, introduced
bill providing for the erection of public
building at Akron, Ohio.
Senator Plumb submitted a Joint resolu-
tion, which referred to the committee on ag-
riculture, appropriating S25, 900, to be made
directly available under direction of the COM
missioner of agriculture, for the suppression
of the foot and mouth disease among the
cattle in Kansas. Within few minutes of
the reference Senator Plumb, from the com
mittee, reported the joint resolution favora-
bly,. and asked for its immediate considera-
ton.
Senator Sherman objected to the resolu-
ton. He said, as believe the object of that
resolution will be best accomplished by the
passage of the house pleuro pneumonia bill,
will object for the present and hope the
house bill may be taken up and passed
as quickly as possible" Plumb gave notice
he would call up the resolution tomorrow.
The bill for the relief of Fitz John Porter
was taken up. Senator Manderson address
ed the senate in opposition. He understood
the claim to be. that, on full examination
no fault could be found with the conduct of
General Porter. He had not examined,
until recently, the report and
procedure of the court martial
which tried Gen. Porter. He had read Gen.
Grants paper in the North american Review,
and that, with other reading, had aroused
within him sympathy and interest in the
case. He felt it his duty, then, to examine
the matter thoroughly, and he was sorry to
be compelled to say that from the examina-
tion he had given the case, whether this be a
case of judicial review or an exercise of
clemency, he felt bound to vote ''no' on
this bill. The bill asked congress to set
aside the verdict of the court martial, to re-
view and set aside the decision of one of the
highest tribunals,a a most dangerous precedent.
Senator Manderson said the bill was re-
straint upon the proper independence of the
executive. If the case, he said, should have
come to the senate as an original PROPOSE
ton, on the findings of the court martial,
and congress should take to itself to review
the record and let the prisoner go, the advo-
Gates of this bill would stand aghast. Presi-
dent Lincoln had written to Leonard SWEET
that he had read every word of the testi-
mony in the Fitz John Porter case, and said:
II tell you he is guilty and ought to be
hung" Were corroboration of Swett's state
ment necessary, it was afforded by the testi-
mony of Robert Lincon before the advisory
board, as to the statements of the president,
his father. Porter had expressed to Burnside
feeling of contentps. for Pope, and that feel
feeling was so plain to all the
officers who had come in contact
with him, that even General Mcclellan had
to beg him to be loyal to his commander. He
did not wish disaster to the Union army, but
he did not wish Pope to succeed. This jeal-
ousy of leaders had been curse,it had caused
the windfall of many commanders of the army
in the east. Mcclellan, Hooker, Burnside,
Meade and Pope all fell by reason of it,
Thank God, Manderson said, the armies west
of the Cumberland and Tennessee were free
from it. Among Mcpherson, Logan, Sheri-
dan, Thomas, Grant and Sherman, no heart
burnings, no jealousy or hatred existed. Gap
plause in the gallaries). He opposed the
bill, because of law and facts, because of the
dangerous precedent to the army and be-
cause he believed it to be eternally right 80 to
do. cloud applause in the gallaries.)
Senator Logan then addressed the senate:
In 1865, he said, when the ministering an
gels of the country had ceased to smooth the
brow of the weary soldier, who, OF all those
that had been administering the laws to put
down the rebellion, could believe that the
power of the law would be invoked in aid of
such measure as that before this senate.
Travelling back to 1865, we found that forty
five days were consumed by the court mar
tial 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 civil law, and all OF them
were conversant with military law.
What is the trial now going on?
Is it the trial of Fitz John
Porter? No, it was the trial of those that
were dead, on the charge that the men who
had tried this man had destroyed facts.
Fitz John Porter had, after all these years,
become prosector. 1t was the trial, not OF
the living but of the dead. 1twas the trial,
at this late day, of Abraham Lincoln rather
than of Fitz John Porter. Without desiring,
said Logan, facing the Democratic side of
the chamber, to criticise the vote OF any one,
l hope 1 may be pardoned for making one
remark. 1t is perfectly natural for those
who have been engaged in rebellion against
great government like this, when they failed
of success, and have themselves been pardon
ed by the government, that they should, with
out examin alton of evidence in the case, all
feel sympathy for those who, during the war
had been dismissed the service of the United
States. Why? Because they would naturally
sympathise with him and say, 81 have been
forgiven and therefore I forgive everybody
else" Continuing, Logan inquired, what
it was that was before the court martial that
tried Porter? The question was, had there
been disobedience of orders? Military law
showed that there was no excuse for diso-
bedience of a lawful order. unless there
existed physical impossibility to its execu-
ton. Had there been such physical impos-
sibility shown? Not at all. He charged
here, and defied contradiction, that Fitz John
Porter was the cause of the loss of the first
battle of Bull Run. Loud applause in the
gallery, instantly repressed by the pre-
siding officer, Frye, who announced
that under no circumstances could applause
be permitted, and if repeated the offenders
would be removed by the sergeant-at-arms.
The gentleman said Porter could not obey
Pope's order. Why did not the gentleman
show that he tried to obey the ordera The
evidence showed he never tried to do it. The
road was open from 2 o'clock in the morn
ing and he didn't move for five hours. What
excuse was given py Porter's friends? That
it was a dark night. Logan would only say,
the evidence contradicted that statement.
And suppose it was dark night. He would
appeal to every senator in the chamber, con-
federate and federal, that such reason for
N Ot mOviDu under the pircum stan was
absurd. Logan had himself, on an exceed
ingly dark and rainy night, with 10000 men
crossed the Mississippi river, marched
twenty-five miles, and fought battle, and,
as he believed, saved the field. Take all the
marches of the men on either side; take the
marches of the very corps of Fitz John Por
no, ho of itc q