The Evening critic., 1884-12-16
GRANT AND PORTER.
Tho posItion Taken by "rhe Crittc.''

TO ne Ed,tor Of me Ereaing Critic!
BY all means the House Of Represents Ives
should at once and unanimously pass tue pill
60 unanimously passed by the Senate ar aow
in the pigeon holes ~ OF the House nj i.tary
Committee, placing Grant on the retired list
OF the Army as General.
Congress made ON irreparable mistake In
that 1t did not place the dear old General ON
tho retired list with full pay of General rs
coon after March d, 1878, as 1t could have
Al the call Of the people he surrendered the
place OF his choice to serve them as President.
George Washington was appointed Lieuten-
ant.0eneral and Commander.in-Ohief or tho
Afmy-after he had served two terms as preei-
dent-July 8, 1908, and served until his
death, December Id, 100.
1t would be graceful, handsome thing for
tho House OF Representatives to do, to enable
the President to send as Christmas present
TO General Grant copy Of the bill placing him
General Rosecrans could not raise higher
tho already high estimation In which he is
held by ex.Union soldiers than by attending
personally 70 the passage oI tne Di !, IN WHICH,
the honor with General Slocum, who COM
manded the Twelfth Corps In the Army OF the
ano s areS UnS S from hsnta 10 tne sea-
whom "ihe boys' revere possibly as much as
they do "Old Rosey," either one OF whom they
would rejoice to see made Secretary OF War by
tho incoming Administration.
In regard 10 Fitz-John Porter:
"Brewster, Attorney. General" never did
littler thing than his decision upon which tho
President based his uncalled.for, graceless
veto OF the bill restoring the long-surering,
scandalously abused General Fitz.John Porter
10 tho Army, providing for his retirement as
colonel OF infantry, without back pay. This,
without further comment upon the chilaish
decision OF Brewster, end only passing refer
ence to the fact that the Porter Dill was held
back from the President until after the Re-
publican Convention at Chicago 30 as not TO
embarrase his candidatial prospects.
With all the prejudice Injected Into the
imperfectly written accounts Of tho most ran
dOnously conducted campaign and ridicu.
lousy fought battle recorded In the annals OF
history, we read that the Fifth Army Corps,
under General Porter, lost more men at the
second battle OF Bull Run than any other.
General Porter was permitted TO go through
tho campaign and battle OF Antletam with
until long afterward, when the stay at.homes
demanded o ecapegoat upon whom TO folst
the blame, that Pope, whose reputation for
truth and yeracity was well known In the "old
army" whose headquarters and not his head.
| quarters were IN tho saddle, with mo mora
retreats" "in the air." awoke to the fact that
the War Vizier, Halleck, the next day after the
battle, for conduct In which he caused charges
OF disobedience to be placed against the IDOL
OF tho Fifth Corps.
He eaid in his dispatch
ave gained a great victory yesterday. Our
troops behaved nobly." / think that Is the
wording y Is near enSng6, as @ nave baJnd not tad
nobly9
II any, all.
could cito a half-dozen cases OF greater
disobedience in our late army-f disobedi-
ence II wac, which do not admlt--where pro-
motion was the result, but Of what avail
Prejudice is prejudice.
1t Is harder to overcome than truth,
Thank Godl General Porter has survived q
greater wrong than has placed many another
brilliant General In his grave, and IL he can
survive little longer he Will not have lived
In vain.
The bill for his relief, passed last session,
was with q largo Republican vote and larger
would have been GLAD to nave voted for the
| bill had It not been that they had previously
| placed themselves on record as againet the
| measure. Had Mr.. Blaine been elected Prosf
| dent, tho Porter bill, no doubt, would have
been passed by Congress and approved by the
| President Just as coon, and no sooner, than
now that Cleveland Is elected. II VIII un
| doubtedly be introduced and passed at tue
| next session OF Congress, and unless the Re
publican representation Is desirous OF plac
| Ing large mass Of ex- Union soldiers In tht
| Democratic ranke, II Will make no further
active opposition TO the late and poor ltttlt
| act OF justice TO the man who, with no wore
| but that OF kindness toward his enemies, ha
| waited over twenty-five years, with unex
ampied patience; the man whom the Fifth
Army Corps Society has over and over agali
| unanimously indOTSed, and In whose favor, VIII
thousands and thousands OF other soldiers
the Army OF the Potomac, 1t has often AM
| often petitioned Congress, until the right Q
petition, in his case, has become farce.
| Let justice be done both Grant and Porter
without effort TO help or prejudice either
| association.
II was ono OF the most noble acts Of Genera
Grants career-hiB bold and unprecedont3
statement In Porter's behalf.
"'Twere well twere done quickly"
| FRITZ HOWARD.