Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-06-29
1aily ggess and 9akataia,s
FlIz John PORTER.

-
The House Bill Restoring a Traitor to
"a Forfeited Position Passes the
senate.
Washington, June 25-The senate
took up the Fitz John Porter bill and
Mr.. Logan addressed the senate. He
opened With an objection to the bill on q
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 appointed a
certain person to the place. Ii he could
not appoint that special applicant the
vacancy was not to exist. Where did
the senate get the power to name to the
president a person whom he should
appoint to an Office? Where did the
house of representatives get any power
to name to the president the person
whom he should nominate to an Office?
OF course ii the senators were deter
mined to ram the bill down tine
Threats of others, they must take the
responsibility. Mr.. Logan did not ex-
poet his words to have any weight in the
senate, for he always noticed that when
the senate was determined to do any
thing it turned q deaf ear to everything
else, whether of law or fact, that inter-
fered with its purpose. This case was
not the trial OF Porter. Porter had been
tried and condemned, This was the
trial of Abraham Lincoln, of James A.
Garfield and of many brave and distln-
guished officers OF the army. MIR. Logan
asserted that Porter was the cause of the
first Bull Run defeat by persuading
Patterson to retreat from Winchester
with 10000 men. "As God is my judge
said he, 81 would stand over the dust
of Lincoln and swear by all the Gods to
bis act as being an honest and just one"
Mr.. Logan had pride in the army and in
it's glory, and before he wonid drag into
the dust the name of Abraham Lincoln,
for the sake of this criminal.
he would let his tongue and
his arm became palsied. Yet the repub-
lican senators here were willing to vote
to give $4,000 o year to a mar who was a
traitor to his commander. So, if men
wanted to be paid liberal by the United
States, they had only. to be treacherous
when they should be true. IT yon are
true when you might be treacherous,
you are vetoed. "That, !" Raid Logan, sis
a strange thing to take place in this
country"
Mr.. Plumb, In opposing the bill, said
the reinstatement of Fitz John Porter
was the beginning of an attempt to re-
write the history of the union army, to
put that which was disloyal and I'M
faithful above that which was loyal and
faithful. Mr.. Plumb said he had Just
been informed that the president had
vetoed the bill giving a pension of $50 q
month to the widow Of. Major General
Hunter, who had been the presiding
officer Of the court martial that had tried
Fitz John Porter. That seemed a fitting
accompaniment to the passage of the
Fitz John Porter bill. But the loyal
people of the country would see to ii
that Mrs. Hunter should not suffer. Mr.
Plumb offered an amendment to place
Mrs. Hunter OF the pension roll at $5C
a month. Lost-yeas, 10; nays, 20.
Mr.. Logan offered an amendment to
place on the retired list every volunteer
officer who received wounds producing
total disability. Reiected-yeas, 18;
nays, 90.
The bill was then brought to q vote
and passed--yeas. 80; nays, II. The bill
having already passed the house and not
having been amended by the senate, now
goes to the president for his signature.