Morning journal and courier., 1886-06-25
sFORTY-NINTH CONGRESS-.
WAsH1NGroN. June 24, 1886.

SENA1E.-The bill repeating the land pre-
 emption law was, after debate, passed; yea l 34, nays 20.
 l The Fitz John Portor bill was then laie before the Senate. MT. Sewe1 said it wa l the same bill that hs passed before. There l was nothing to be said now that would throw | any new light on it's subject matter. 4 mere statement of the facts would be suff l cient. Mr. Sewell then recited the salient points in the military history of Genera 1 martial and by later military boards; and arg 1ed with efeat warmth and earnestness that the reports of the officers of both the Union and Confederate armies went to show that Genere! Porter had used every proper and dutiable endeavor to com ecuted every order that had been issue to him as he under stood it with the reserva- tion and with the rights that detached corps has under the GUS toms of war;" Fitz John Porter was placed under arrest and tried-tried on charge of disobedience of orders-t1ied because he did not attack Jackson's right flank and walk over twenty fvs thousand of Longstreet's men with ey- e-ything against him and nothing in his favor.
 MT. Logan inquired of MT. Sewen his au- thority for saying Longstreet had twenty five thousand men in front of Porter.
 MT. Sewel said his authority was the report
  and Getty.
 MT. Logan said the reports of Lee and Longstreet both showed that the latter could not possibly have had more than six thou sand or eight thousand men anywhere near Porter.
 MT. Sewell insisted that his statement was correct. Referring to the investigation of General Porter's case by the board of army officers, MT. Sewell said full and fair hear ing was given to him and to the government in the case and it was established to the mind of everybody who heard the evidence thing he had done with the single excep- ton of the remarks he had made about his commanding officers to his then friend General Burnside, which remarks were purely personal in their character The public sentiment of the country had finally come to the aid of General Por- ter, particularly etter General Grants en- dorsement of his case had opened the eyes of the public to the wrong that had been in- dicted on brave and gallant officer. MT. Sewell had the clerk read number of reso- lutions of G. A. R. posts urging the passage of the bill. The people, he continued, had finally come to see that instead of being a criminal General Potter was martyr: "He comes now before you," said Mr. Sewell, ''for I t-1st the last time to ask for jlstiee-nay, Mr. Presi- dent, to demand it. The time has gone by to esk that favors may be granted this man that hss been wronged. I who know him as a citizon of my State and as man whom I have seen in the forefront of many fight, now demand justice of the Senate of the United States for this man who has been so grossly Wfonged."
 MT. 1gan obtained the floor to reply to MT. Sewell, but yielded to a motion for an executive session. At 4:45 the Senate went into executive session s1d at $50 p. m. ad- journed.
 HoUsE.-On motion of MT. Randall the morning hour was dispensed with and the House went into Committee of the Whole on the sundry civ! bill. Without a division the committee Incorporated an amendment in the bill requiring the Secretary of the Tree 7ury to issue certificates of the denom- ination of $1, $2 and 5 on s'l surplus silver dollars now in the treasury, in payment of the appropriations made in the bill and oth- CT expen6 tures and obligations of the gov ernment.
 MT. Gibson, of West Virginia, offered an amendment providing that nothing in the section shall be constr ded e subj cting the employees of the bureau of engraving and printing to the ldles of the civil service. This led to considerable debate on ci. Il ser vice. The spells system and Ohio State poli- tics and was finally rejected.
 On motion of MT Bland an amendment was aQOpCeQ Gu0 O0CroGdfy OI Guc 1Ioc '- LII to issue silver certificates for S1, S2 and $5 on all surplus dollars in the treasuiJ in payment of appropriations made in this bill and other expenditures on obligations of the government.
 On motion of Mir. Findlay, of Maryland, an amendment wss agreed to appropriating $6Q, 1000 Tor lghtship at the entrance of Chesapeake Bay.
 The section conce1a ding the coast and geo detic survey being reached general debate was in order under prev .ous as cement. Mir. Ryan, of Kansas, criticised the details of the bill and claimed that there had been no de- crease in expenditures by the Democratic The expenditure for the next year would not be less than thirty-nine millions. That estimate took no notice of the new navy, coast defenses, educational and pension bills. Whether the revenue would be sufficient depended upon the de- gree of general prosperity of the county.
 MT. Herbert, of Alabama, said the coast survey had not finished it's work from spir- it of procrastination and not from a lack of funds. He figured that it would take twen- ty-six years from today and one hundred and fifteen years from the date of the orgari zation of the survey to complete it's work. He believed that the bureau was inclined to spin out it's survey until it was given another class of work that might be continued indef initely. A coast survey was necessary, but it should be turned over to ths Navy depart ment. Had the old spendthrift got so vene- rable from age that it could not be reformeds
 Pending further action the committee rose and the House at o'clock adjourned.
 MURDER IN COURT ROOM.