The Portland daily press., 1886-02-12
XLIXth CONGRESS- FIRST SESSION.
SENATE.

Mr.. Edmunds moved that when the Senase ad-
iourned today it be to Monday. Agreed to.
Mr. Teller submitted an amendment to the
Eustis resolution of inquiry regarding the refusal
of the assistant treasurer at New Orleans to issue
silver certificates in exchange for silver dollars
The amendment directs the committee on finance
to inquire also into the loss of money alleged to
have occurred in the New Orleans sub treasury,
ana whether such loss occurred in connection
with the exchange of silver certificates for silver
coin. The amendment was ordered printed.
Among the bills introduced was one by MI:
Mitchell OF Oregon providing for the repeal of an
the United States, and prohibiting their coming
except in the case of diplomatic and official per-
The bill to regulate the promotion of West
Point graduates was reached, and on this some
discussion arose.
The bill was finally passed as reported from the
committee.
the Senate and Mr.. Morgan took the floor on It.
The BILL said Mr. Morgan, was bill to create OF
fees and elaborate the machinery of the govern
ment. 1t was bill to tax an honest hard-WOrk-
ing man in order to educate the children OF
drunken, loafing vagabond who would not work
Tor his family. If from the 60,0OOO0O people III
the UnitedStates were to be educated all the dead
heads, dead-beats and nOn-producerS, there
would be about 2O,000,000 people left who would
have to pay the taxes to carry out the provisions
of this bill The bill itself would be equivalent t.
tax of So per capita upon those tax payers ana
by the time all the officers were appointed for the
administration of this school of beneyolence and
all the clerks appointed that would be necessary
to investigate the accounts OF the thlrty-elght
States and ten Territories affected by the bill it
would be found that the tax per capita would be
$40 instead of So. Ii the United States Senators
were men who plowed fields or worked in smithies
and paid taxes by the sweat Of their brow, Mr..
Morgan could more respect them Wnen voting
away the money of one man to educate the chill
dren of another. Mr.. Morgan characterized Mr.
B araas ~ ss ona sGasrs ars Of fT Te Several states
without the consent of those States
Mr.. Blair interpoSed to say he regarded the
primary duty of education to rest on the parents,
but nasmuch as education was indispensable to
the existence Of free government II the parent,
whether from inability or disnclination failed in
the performance OF his duty, that duty fell to the
States, and in our republic if a State proper and
parent both failed then it became the duty of the
republic to educate the children, since the child
would be citizen not only of the State but of
the United States. This, however. was power
that should be exercised only in last resort.
Mr.. Morgan suggested certain amendments,
one of which was agreed to, making the fiscal
year Of the United States the year contemplated
by the bill and excluding from moneys liable to
be used for the purposes of the bill all moneys
drawn from loans, customs or internal revenue or
from the postal or consular service and from the
patent Office. Mr. Morgan drew broad distinc-
ti0n between moneys derived from taxation and
moneys derived from the sales of public lands
which constituted trust for all the people OF the
United States, and maintained that II the money
was to be given to the States it should come from
the proceeds of those lands.
During the delivery of Mr.. Morgan's remarks
occasional coloquieS occurred between himself
and Mr.. George, Mr.. Call and Mr.. Blair as to the
various details of the measure under discussion.
At 4.40 p. M, Mr.. Morgan retaining the floor,
the Senate went into executive session and when
fifteen minutes later the doors were reopened,
theiSenate adjourned till Monday
HOUSE.
Mr.. Reed of Maine offered resolution modify
ing the order making the Fitz John Porter bill
a continuing special order for today till next
Thursday so as toprovide that the bill shall not be
-
each day. Adopted.
MI. Bingham of Pennsylvania asked leave to in
troduce bill granting pension of $1,000 per an
mum to the widow of Gen. Hancock, but Mr. Beach
of New York objected
Mr.. Wellborn Of Texas reported the Indian ap
preparation bill and it was referred to the commit
tee of the whole.
s In the second morning hour, Mr.. Adams OF Hill
nos on behalf of the committee on banking and
currency, called up the bill to enable national
banking associations to increase their capital
stock and to change their names or location. Mr..
Adams briefly explained the provisions OF the
LilI and urged its passage.
vigorous debate followed but the bill was
finally passed-yeaS 129, nays 12o.
Mr.. Adams entered motion to reconsider and
to lay, the motion on the table, but the morning
The House then at o'clock went into commit
tee of the whole on the Fitz John Porter bill.
Mr. Haynes of New Hampshire took the floor
in support of the bill Nothing new, he thought.
could be brought forth in the discussion and the
same cid evidence so often sitted was all that
was in the case now and no witnesses would be
summoned who would not be recognized as OLD
aequaintances. He could therefore only lay
down few general propositions in support OF his
views. He contended that commanding officer
at distance from his superior, must have some
discretion in obeying the orders OF that superior
commander of an isolated camp. He who would
involve his command in destruction in blind
obedience to the orders of a distant superior
would be properly branded as incompetent and
unworthy In his action Porter had fulfilled the
military requirements of the situation, and what
ever the condition of his troops might have been
the condition of the road that night had been
such that no experienced officer would have
placed his force of 5000 men upon that road.
been member Of the first Union regiment that
had passed over the road between Warrenton and
Bristol Station and he remembered It as very
No man could tell him it was a broad spacious
turnpike where troops could march in unbroken
file for he knew to the contrary. Knowing from
personal experience the condition of that night
he could arrive at but one conclusion that Porter
acted with sound military Judgment in delaying
blunder by the exercise of discretion for which he
should have been thanked and appauded, had
been made one q e points upon NV %nien ne nad
Mr.. Haynes believed that if any other of Pope's
generals had been in Porter's place and had acted
as Porter had acted there would never have been
court martial, and no Union general of that cam
paign would have suffered more than a twenty
years stigma worse than death.
Mr.. Haynes then reviewed Porter'S conduct on
the goth Of August and declared there was not
PMS point upon which to hang suspicion of in
subordination, and concluded by SAVING that had
1t been permitted Lincoln to live as Grant had
done, he (Haynesl believed Lincoln and Grant
would have stood together in demand for justice
to FitZ John Porter.
Mr.. Steele then took the floor in opposition to
the BILL and proceeded to follow in detail Porter's
movements from the time he left Acquia Creek
August 90 until he received Pope's order on the
27th in order to show that PorterS men were in
good condition for tbs march in obedience to that
order. map of the scene of the military opera
tions in question having been hung up in front of
the Speakers desk, Mr.. Steele proceeded to point
ont with his cane the movements of the various
commanders in order to settle disputed point as
to whether not the battle had taken place on
the Goth of August. Many of the members formed
a sem-circle about him and manifested great in
tereSt as he elucidated points which led him to
tie conclusion that a severe engagement had
taken place on that date.
After dwelling with great minuteness of detail
upon the military operations of the 29th OF Au-
gust Mr.. Steele concluded his speech as follows
"lf we have wars hereafter they will be Tor
that we want any man of Porter's kind to com.
mand when the country's safety is in danger. Let
us say to our sons sons, when you receive an Or
us say to our sons sons, even without an order
if yoIi hear the call Of battle move on to the sue
| cor Of your companions, whether you like your
commanding of1cer or not" (Applansel.
| The committee then rose, and the House, at