Year: 1870

Buffers Blast Against Porter.


Mr. BUTLER, OF Massachusetts,
| ask permission of the House to
trespass upon tSeir attention for o
few moments. A letter of Admiral
Porter has been alluded to, letter
which otherwise l should never
have alluded TO and brought before
the country. AS that letter con-
tains an allusion TO me, l think it
may not be improper that / should
call attention to it for moment.


If gratitude could control nv
vote in favor of Admiral Porter, af-
ter the publication of that letter 1
certainly would give him that vote,
for he has put before the countrya
piece of evidence for which / am
deeply grateful, showing that it was
predetermined that the commander
of the army in the expedition against
Fort Fisher should never succeed.
He has settled that point for all
time, and i am deeply grateful to
him for so doing. But while I ten
der him my grateful thanks for what
he has done in that regard, yet I
cannot believe that it is the duty of
this Congress to keep up the grade
of Admiral even for the sake of
having as good letters written as the
two to which / refer. t i8t-


Mr.. GARFIELD, of Ohio-in his
srvuuvt fvv-vT-t-v-.--i--I -I-L--n-4e
the first letter. +f


Mr.. BUTLER, of Massachusetts,
I desire to call the attention of
members to this consideration
whether it is worth while to have
an Admiral in the navy who cannot
for two days together utter the same
sentiments; whether it is worth
while TO have an Admiral in the
navy who one day maligns and the
other day comments his cocoon
mander. 1t has been said that the
Congress of the United States
should not take any notice of these
letters written BIZ Admiral Porter.
[ think they should. / can easily
understand whythe President should
not take any notice of them, for
they are personal TO hun. Bat they
are for the whole people to consider
iu determining this question. Is
this the man to put in the place of
the noble, brave, open-hearted and
fair minded Farragut? Is this the
man 10 put before the youth in your
naval school as an example for them
to follow? t-1


Are we 10 be told that il is proper
to promote naval officer who at
one moment praises his command
ing general and the next moment
maligns him; who one day writes a
sycophantic letter to the Secretary
of the Navy to obtain promotion
and place by abuse of the General
tEel over him, and then when that
letter is made public, turns round
and abuses the poor Secretary, who
is not in power, in order to gain
the favor of the Presid mt, who is
in power? Is it for this that we
promote men to the highest place
in the navy? Are you g Iing ID
hold up before the country such a
man as an example of the bid,
frank, open hearted sailor? AS a
suitable successor of him who so
recently died, and who in his last
moments said. with trembling lips
to his attendant. in Substance
'-Never raise over my body or carry
over my coffin the gridiron flag
which has been imposed upon me
by the man who expects to be my
successorm As the friend and as
sociate of Farragut. must protest
as well as / may, in tbe face of the
country, against this man having
that place, which should be kept sa-
cred i submit that the Congress
of the United States should not
step out of the way to tax the peo-
pie for the purpose of comforting
honor upon a man who has dishon-
ored the President and dishonored
the navy.