The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-02-07

Spurn II. Applause from the Repub
s. lican side.
/, Mr.. Phelps spoke in favor of The
e bill, and in regard to Gen. Garfield S
e connection in the matter read a joint
l. resolution which had been introduced
d by him for the appointment of board
= of review, and stated thrt he had pri-
: vate letters from Il ut gentleman
y which he could twist into an approval
V of this bill as the otheI Gentleman had
a twisted private letters INTO a disap-
d prevail of it. Mr.. i 'rter had his
0 faults but was not guilty of treason.
: If the members forgot that wound
t in Mexico let them not forget
: the Both of August, 1862. when
t he got an order that was sent in time.
When the fifth army corps went into
i the battle with Porter at their head;
: when they marched into the laws Of
} death and in the gates of hell, that
Was magnificent, and that also was
war. Applause on the Democratic
, side. For the fifth army corps that
were watching every vote; for that
corps which left 2200 men on the field;
for that magnificent corps which was,
and is, and always would be the stead
fast and untiinching friends Of Porter
give him back to them. The leader
of the Confederacy went down the
steps of the capitol threatening to re-
turn and destroy it; he tailed
in the attempt, and yet he
walked in freedom. Men who penned
Union soldiers in AndersOnville and
Libbey prisons still lived. Officers
trained in West Point whose treason
needed no investigation were sitting
in this chamber. Should Porter be
the only victim? should he be sacri
feed to the nation? He spoke for
Porter. When he asked for the last |
time for justice at the bar of his coun-
try's congress, let that congress look |
at his proofs and do him justice. He |
had no authority from Porter to go |
further, but speaking for himself, he |
would say: If you can't do him JUS
tice, let us give him mercy, taking |
him from tie side of Judas and Ar
nold and placing him by the side
of those who fought with him, who
loved and hCnored him, by the side of |
Sigel and Getty and Terry and Scho-
field and Grant. Applause on DEM
ocratic side.
Mr.. Boutelle said as duty to his
state and the members of the Fifth
CORPS, many of whom resided in
that state, he wished the floor to pro-
test against the passage of the bill.
He denied it was the unanimous desire
of the men who fought under Porter
that he should be restored to the army,
and asserted as a refutation to that
claim that he had this morning re-
ceived letter from gallant cavalry
man who carried Porter's flag as his
orderly, stating that the sentiment of
the old corps was almost universal
acfn oh ont ind hn l..
inactlon of their general on the 18th
of August.
A number of short speeches were
made, and all but two were in opposi-
ton to the bill, the exceptions being
and made an eloquent appeal for his
old commander, and Mr.. Henly, who
criticised the action of Mr.. Cutcheon,
Of Michigan, in casting imputations
upon Gen Grant and then strik-
ing them out of the record. s
In reply to Cutcheon he expressed I
high appreciation of the military abil- j
tiles of Gen. Grant, but being pressed !
by Mr.. Henley with the question, ;
why do you strike your remarks ?" {
was compelled to admit that he left {
them out because he wanted to-" an S
admission which caused much merri- |
ment.
Mr.. Steele moved to strike out the
name of FitZ-JOhn Porter and insert
that of Ward B. Bennett. Rejected.
Mr.. Calkins offered a substitute pro- r
viding for the converting of a new !
court martial to review the case. :
Lost.
Mr.. Converse offered an amend !
ment making Fitz-John Porter's re-
tirement compulsory. This was agreed
to in the committee but subsequently
reversed by the House.
Mr.. Bayne offered an amendment '
out the words appointment l
under it" and inserting, 1.-The passage !
of this act" Agreed to.
The committee arose, and the bill
was ordered engrossed the third time. y
Mr.. Curtin then took the floor to c
close the debate in favor of the bill.
He knew Fitz-John Porter well. and 7
in the beginning of the war that gen. a
eral was a most enlightened and q
ardent advocate of military discipline Y
His record would show one significant r
fact, coming, not so much from the v
living as from the graves of the
dead. The first citizens who
asked for redress of his
were Horace Greedy, Henry @
Wilson and himself. Certainly the :,
fidelity OF these persons to the Union i
could not be questioned. Porter had =
never approached him to ask him to !
be his advocate. He was panied to :,
hear distinguished member Of the "
House (Mr. Keifer) over and over y
again say that Porter was coward. =.
Before God, he never knew a Porter % %
who was a fool OF a coward. IAp- q
plause He had never before come 81
across man who had the temerity to q
say Porter was a coward, and he hoped =,
be never would hear it again. He ', j"
gave an interesting history of the u
of the army of the Potomac 8
in the beginning of the war, and near "
ly every member of the House stood 8
in circle around him and frequently "
applauded his remarks. Referring to q
the fact that Cutcheon had eliminated -
from the records his imputation upon r
Gen. Grant, he congratulated that >,
gentleman upon the good taste he eX- ~
hibited, and that between the time of ). v
the delivery of his speech and its pub y:
lication he had time to repent. He n n
critized the speech of Mr.. Horn, par Ii
5icularly that portion expressing the
opinion that no ex-Confederate should
vote upon the bill and took it for
granted that men, who in error, but n
N the belief they were in the right, CT
had fought in the great war, were bet p
er men than quartermasters, pay u
masters, suttlers and contractors. N
Laughter. In brilliant peroration, a
which was warmly applauded, he ap- b
Dealed to the House to do justice to n
The wronged man, and at the conclu- "
sion of his speech he was heartily con- D
graduated by party friends. p
The bill then passed-ayes, 1874; ii
nays, 70, as follows: n
Ayes-Adams, NV York; Alexan- s.
Ter, Arnst, Bayley, Ballentine, Bar IL
Dour, Bayne, Beach, Belmont, Ben u
nett, Blanchard, Bland, Blount, Baylie,
Breckenridge, Broadhead, Buchanan,
Buckner, Burleigh, Cabel, Caldwell, =,
Caulder, Carlton, Cassidy, Clardy, u
Clay, Clements, Cobb, Collins, Connol- u
y, Cook, Cosgrove, Cox, New York; u
Cox, North Carolina; Crisp, Culber- u
son, Texas; Curtin, Dargan, David E;
son, Davis, Missouri; Deuster. Dib- e :.
brell, Doc. ~, DORIS. elmer, David, L
Duncan, Eldredge, Evans, South Car d
olina; Farrell, Fielder. Findlay, Finer a
5y, Follert, Foran, Forney, Fyan, Glib o
son, Glasscock, Graves, Green, Green =
leaf, Halsell, Harmar, Hatch, Mis- v
| III