Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-06-26
PORTER WINS AT LAST.
THE SENATE PASSES THE BILL
BY A VOTE OF 30 TO IL.


Generahare Given S3 900 per Year-A
Lively Debate on Both Sides.
WASHINGTON, June 25.-On motion OF
Mr.. SeweH the Senate to-day took up the
Fitz-John Porter bill. Mr.. Logan ad-
dressed the Senate on the bill.
LOGAN OBJECTS.
Mr.. Logan opened with an objection to
the bill on a constitutional point. The
bill, he said, provided for an increase in
the number Of persons on the retired list
of the army provided the President ap-
pointed a certain person to place. If he
did not make that special appointment
the vacancy was not to exist. Where did
the Senate get the power to name to the
President the person whom he should
ppoint to an offce? Where did the
House of Representatives get any power
to name to the President the person whom
he should nominate to an office?
EAST AGAINST WEST.
The fact was that Fitz-John Porter and
others whose name it was not now neces-
sary to mention couspired to make 1t i'm
possible for Western officer to command
untiI Gen. Grant took hold of it, and that at
the time Gen. Porter and some of his Kind
were not then in it. 1t was part OF the
programme of Gen. Porter and his friends
that no Western man should command
that army. Gen. Logan asserted that
Gen. Porter was the cause of the first
Bull Run defeat, by persuading Gen. Pat
terson to retreat from Winchester with
10000 men.
NOT PERsECUTING PORTER.
In support OF this he had the clerk read
some extracts from his published work,
AeThp (,OnSDirapV He daOipd
that he was endeaYOrlnR to persecute
Gen. Porter when be was only defending
President Lincoln. ''As God is my
judge" said he, 81 would stand over the
dust of President Lincoln and swear by
all the gods to his act as being an honest
and Just act. You gentlemen that were
down in the ConfedeTacy," continued Mr.
Logan, don't know anything about this
case except what you have read; and you
come up here and vote without reference
TO the facts (unless you have examined
them out OF sympathy for this man."
REsTORATIoNs TO THE ARMY.
Every man restored to the army by
Congress after dismissal because of SYM
pathy with the late war had found Re-
publicans in Congress to aid them. The
prophecies OF few years ago were COM
ing true. The legislation OF the war was
being reversed every day and by Repub-
Hcap votes. Within the last
few days, Mr.. Logan said, a man VINO
above all others ought not to have done
so. had dragged from the grave the honor
ed bones of the greatest Secretary of War
that this country had produced, and they
had been besmlrched by the vilest SLAM
ders.
UNION MEN KICKED.
So the men who protected this govern
ment were to be viliied, while il any body
stood up to defend the upholders of the
Union he is called a ''persecutOr." Union
men were now the meu to be kicked, and
enough Republicans were found to vote
with the Democrats under the Confederate
flag against their own flag. Any man
who wanted to fight under the Confederate
flag in this chamber had a right to do it.
Mr.. Logan meant this course only in
political sense, 10 the sense OF political
fight, but he did mean it in that sense.
THE PENSION vEToEs.
While Republicans here were helping
Democrats 10 pass bills like this there
were bills giving pItiful little pensions Of
50 to $15 month TO the disabled soldiers
OF the republic that were being vetoed by
the President. So, for fighting for the
flag, for standing up in time Of war, for
being ready to die that the Union might
live, the heavy hand Of the chiefeXecutive
of the republic fell upon these poor
soldiers. Yet Republican Senators here
were willing to vote to give $1,000 a year
to a man who was a traitor to mis- COM
mander. So if men wanted to be paid
literally by the United States they had
only to be treacherOus when they should
be true. ali you are true when you
might be treacheTous you are vetoed"
That" said Mr.. Logan, ''ls strange
thing to take pace in this country"
WITHIN AN ACE OF DEATH.
Mr.. Pnmb, in opposing the bill, said he
would venture to say that not man in
the senate who served the COnfederacy in
arms would hesitate to say that such a
soldier in the Confederate army would
have been dismissed in disgrace II not
shot for falling 10 perform the obvious
duty which Gen. Porter failed TO perform
on Aug. % and 80, 1862 Mr.. Plumb un-
derstoOd that the court martial that had
tried Gen. Porter came within one vote Of
decreeing his DEATH
Mr. Sewellask Mr.. Plumb's authority
for that statement.
Mr.. Plumb asked whether Mr.. Sewell
denied the statement.
Mr.. Sewell did deny It.
Mr.. Plumb said that there was no posi-
tive proof of bis statement, as the court
was sworn 10 secrecy, but it hadgOne into
the common knowledge OF men.
srAB Ar LINCOLN.
This so.called vindication of Gen. Por-
ter was q stab at Abraham Lincoln. Mr..
Plumbconceded that there was division
among Northern people about the matter,
but il was division like that occurring
in the Mississippi river-one eddy going
one way and the great tull-beaded stream
the other way. IL was not new
lhing Tor the North 10 divide.
Would the South divide on the question:
Was there nothing Significant IN
the fact that every man VINO served IN
lhe Confederacy would vote 10 put Fltz-
John Porter on the roll Of Union heroesr
We nad heard lately Of an apotheosis OF
Jefferson Davis az the same TINE that we
got defamation Of Edwin NJ. stanton.
Was there beneath all this fellow feeling
for the Northern man who defeated the
Union army in battlo2 The reinstatement
OfFitz-JObn Porter was The beginning OF
an attempt TO rewrie the history OF the
Union army-to put that which was dis-
loyal aud unialinful above that wbich
was loyal and faithful. This was our
quarrel. II quarrel 10 WAS, and the other
side ought 10 refrain from voting on IL.
BUTLER's PROTECT.
Mr.. Butler intorpOsed 10 say that be had
eat during this discussion Without open
fnR bis mouth. either for or against the
In, but he submitted that there was a
polnt bsrOnd which iufDenrance ceased
HlIH