The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-07-01

imentswe to be vilifed, while if any,
body stood up TO defend the upholders Of
the union, he is called "persecutor."
Union men we're now men to be kicked,
and enough Republicans were found to
vote with the Democrats under the Con-
lfederate flag against; their own flag. Any
man who wanted to fight under the Con-
:federate fiAg in this chamber had right
to do it. Mr. logan meant this course
onlysin q political sense-in the sense of
political ght, but be did mean it in that
sense.
While the Republicans here were
helping the Democrats to pass bills like
this, there. were bills giving pitiful pen
sions Of five to fifteen dollars a month to
disabled soldiers Of the republic that
were being vetoed by the President. So,
for lighting for.the flag; for standing up
in the time ofswar; for being ready to
die that the union might live; the heavy
handso the chief executive of the Re-
public fell upon these poor soldiers. Yet
Republican Senators here were willing to
vote to give $3, 600 a year to a man who
was q traitor to his commander. So, if
men wantedito be paid literally by the
United States they had only to be treach.
:erous when they should be true. eff
you are true when you might be treach.
erous yon:s are vetoed" "That," said
Mr.. Logan, lis a asstrange thing to take
place in this country p y
Mr.. Plumb, in opposing the bill, said
he would venture to say that not q man
in the Senate who served the Confederacy
in arms would hesitate to say that such
soldier in the. Confederate s tiny would
have been dismissed in disgrace, if not
shot, for failing to. perform an obvious
duty, which Porter failed to perform on
the 29sh and 30th Of August, 1862. Mr..
Plumb understood that the court martial
that had tried Porter, came within one
vote Of decreei g his death.
Mr.. Sewell asked MIR. Plumb his
authority for that statement.
Mr.. Plumb asked whether Mr.. Sewell
denied the statement.
Mr.. Sewell did deny it.
Mr.. Plumb said that while there was
no. positive proof of his statement, as the
court was sworn to secrecy, but it had
gone into the common knowledge of men.
This so called yindication of porter was
q stab at Abraham Lincoln. Mr.. Plumb
conceded thatthere was division among
Northern people about the matter, but
it was q division like that occurring in
the Mississippi River, the eddy going
one way apd the great full-headedstream
the other way. II was not new thing
for the North to divide. Would the
South divide on question? Was there
nothing signifcant7in the fact that many
8 man who served in the Confederacy
would vote to put Fitz John Porter on
the roll OF union heroes? Wehad heard
lately of an apatheosis of Jefferson
Davis, at; the same time that we got
defamation of Edwin w. Stanton. Was
there beneath all this a fellow feeling for
q Northern man, who defeated the union
army in battle? The reinstatement Of
Fitz John Porter was the beginning of
an attempt to rewrite the history of the
union army to put that which was dis.
loyal and unfaithfnl above that which
was loyal and faithful. This was our
quarrel, il. q quarrel it mas; and the
other side ought to refrain from voting
on it. ~
Mr.. Butler interposed to say that he
had sat during this discussion without
opening his mouth, either for or against
the bill, but he submitted that there was
q point beyond which forbearance ceased
to be a virtue. That point was about
reached so far as he was concerned. It
had been; intimated by inuendo, almost
by direction, that Southern men were
casting their votes to restore Fitz-John
Porter to the army because he was dis.
loyal TO the union. IT not only protest
against that, Mr.. President" continued
Mr.. Butler, "but, sir, for one, / denounce
it as absolutely and entirely and upquali-
fedly untrue; and, sirs, if it we're in
another forum / would denounce it as
cowardly, because ne are here in the
exercise of our constitutional rights as
Senators on this floor, casting our votes
as our conscience dictates. That we
should be aspersed in this way is beyond
my comprehension among men and gen.
tlemen. have not opened my mouth
for Fitz John Porter. I know of no
man from the South, or who was in the
Confederate army who has. We have
taken the ground that 1t is not our quar-.
rel, but sir, are We supposed to sit here
like dumb brutes called upon to exercise
orr constitutional duty to vote and
because we vote as our consciences die.
tate, without regard 10 his loyalty or
disloyalty, following the track of Repub.
licans who brought this question here, we
are to be aspersed and our integrity inn
pugned. I repeat, sir, that if that asper
sion were put upon ME in another form |
would denuunce it az false and coward
ly." He (Butler) had listened for the
last time, without at least a protest, to
these constant aspersions upon men from
the South who were simply doing their
duty asthey understand it. In conclu-
sion, Butler said:
I amsthe last man in the world, sir, l
can inform the Senator from Kansas,
who would sustain traitor to the union
cause; I am the last man on this floor
who would have respect for d man who l
thought deserted hi, colors; but upon
the evidence which we have had, and
which have looked at, think, judicial
", I do not believe Fitz John Porter was
traitor. I do not believe he deserted
his colors, and believing that, / shall vote
for this bill.
Mr.. Plumb knew all that before the
Senator got up.
Mr. Butler-Then hope the Senator
will stop his insinuations.
Mr.. Plumb-As the Senator has not
restrained himself from a somewhat lively
speech here, hope he will not feel under
any restraint elsewhere.
Mr.. Butler-I can say this to the Sena,
tor; that if he were to indulge in just
such sentiments and expressions else.