Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-07-02
JUSTICE AT LAST,
The Bill for the Relief Of Fliz John
Porter, as Passed by Congress,
Signed by the President.
Senator Edr ds Explains the Pre-
sumed %, %, to Accrue from
The President In ". "A the state
Fair at 81. Lonis--, %. Bills
Approved ves'
PORTER y1SprcArEp.'

WASHINGTON, July THE president
has signed the Fitz John Porter BILL
Gen. Fltz John Porter was born In
Portsmouth, n. H., in 1928. lie gradu-
ated at West Point in ls45, and served In
CARR son at Fortress Monroe until the
opening OF the Mexican war. He was en-
gagged in the siege Of Vera Cruz and In
the battles OF Cerro Gordo, Contreras,
Moline del Rev, Chapultepec, and the as
sault upon the City of Mexico, in which
he was wounded at the Belen gate, and
was successfully breveted as captain aud
major. He was afterward on garrison
duty in various places until 1919, when
he became instructor of artillery and
cavalry at West Point. From 1855 TO
1860 he served in various capacities, being
from 1857 to 1860 assistant adjutant-
general OF the Utah expedition. AT the
commencement of the civil war he acted
as CHIEF OF staff in the department of
Pennsylvania and IN the valley OF the
Shenandoah. He was made colonel IN
the regular army, and brigadier-general
OF volunteers in May, 1861, and placed In
command of a division IN the defenses OF
Washington. At the opening of the PEN
insular campaign he commanded his d.
vision, aud was superintendent of the
siege Of Yorktown. In May, 1862, he was
assigned to the command of the
Fifth corps of the Army of the
Potomac. He commanded at the bat
tie of Hanover Courthouse, May ~,
and at Cold Hsrbor June ~, and was
made msjor.gener i of volunteers. AT
the battle Of Malvern Hill, July l, be was
in virtual command, posting all the corps
as they came upon the field. He com
manded his corps during Pope's cam
paign in Northern Virginia At the
second battle of Bull Run his corps,
though ordered to advance, failed to ap-
pear in the feld of August 20, but in the
afternoon Of the 30th was more actively
engaged Than any other, nearly a quarter
OF its members being killed or wounded (;
to their obstinate resistance 1t was main
ly due that the defeat was not total rout,
His corps took part in the campaign in
Maryland, and was present at the battle
OF Antietam, September II, but was kept
in reserve by Mcclellan, and was only
slightly engaged.
Gen. Porter was known as Democrat,
and, like Mcclellan and other general
officers OF similar political predictions,
was not in favor with some of the ruling
| spirits ut Washington. Pope openly
charged his defeat at Bull Run to Por-
| ter's alleged failure to obey orders on
August 20, and in November preferred
charges against him, court-martial
was ordered, which began its proceedings
on December l, the charges being now
brought not by Pope, but by Gen. Rob
erts, who had been Pope's inspector
general. The trial continued until Janu.
airy 10 and resulted In verdict OF guilty,
and Porter was sentenced January 2l "to
be cashiered and forever disqualified
from holding any Office of trust or profit
under the government of the United
States" Gen. Porter protested vigor-
ously against the verdict, but 1t was ap-
proved by President Lincoln. Gen. Por-
ter at once began efforts 10 secure a vim
dication, to which he has ever since de-
voted the main energies of his life. New
evidence gradually came TO light which
presented his conduct on August 20 in a
different aspect than 1t was made to wear
TO the court-martial. The maps Of the
battlefield before that tribunal were
proved to have been grossly Inaccurate,
some of the testimony subm tilted to IL
turned out to have been false, and the evil
dence of witnesses who did not testify at
the trial was highly favorable to him.
President Grant persistently declined to
allow reopening of the case, al
though earnestly importuned to do so by
Porter and his friends. President
Hayes, however, ordered board Of re-
view, consisting of Gems. SchoAeld,
Terry and Getty, who, after patient and
thorough investigation, made a report
fully acqutting Gen. Porter OF the charge
of disobedience OF orders, but centurlng
him for speaking disrespectfully OF Gen.
Pope, his superior officer. Subsequently
bills for his relief, substantially identical
with that now signed by the president,
passed one house OF congress only to fail
in the other. In 1881 Gen. Grant was in
duced to make re-examination of the
case. He had previously entertained no
doubt Of Gen Porter's guilt, and entered
upon his investigation deeply prejudiced
against him. But his conclusion was
that Gen. Porter " was an entirely limo
cent man, and had been most uDjustly
punished" This conclusion he made
haste to publicly ayow, and from that
time until his death he spared no effort
to obtain redress of Gen. Porter's
wrongs. Two years ago both houses of
congress passed bill for Gen. Porter's
relief, but President Arthur ,nterposed
his veto, urging constitutional objections.
tHS hOurc pubbcu inc Dll over tnc NtLOi
but II failed OF a constitutional majority
In the senate. Precisely the same bill
was reintroducted at this session, and
passed the house February Is by yeas III,
nays lI8. Sixteen OF the affirmative
votes and all of the negative votes were
cast by Republicans. The passing OF this
bill by the senate left only the signature
OF the president necessary to complete
Gen. Porter's vindicstlon.
THE EDMUNDs BILL.
WASHINGTON, July Nominations to-
day were John G. Shields Of Michigan,
to be chief justice OF the supreme court
of Arizona; G., Chase Goodwin, TO be
United States attorney for the Western
district OF Michigan,
A reporter Of the Associated Press
called upon Senator Edmunds to-day and
asked him for an explanation OF his bill