Show XLYIL CONGRESS SECO9TD SESSION SENATE Washington 2SAt the close of the morning hour the Senate took up the bill from the committee on i judiciary to prevent government officers and employees collecting money from or paying to each other money for political purposes Beck offered his substitute containing con-taining some general provisions but prohibiting government officers and employees contributing money for political purposes to anybody Edmunds opposed it as an interference inter-ference with perEonal rights and beyond be-yond the power of Congress Beck said the committee bill was no improvement on the mw of 76 The bill then passed all amendments amend-ments being voted down On motion of Hoar the bankruptcy bill was set down fur consideration on the 10th of January Sherman called up the bonded whisky bill Sewell opposed and the Fitz John Porter bill was taken up The following is the vote on taking up the Fitz John Porter bill YeasBrown Call Cameron Pennsylvania Cockrell Coke Davis West Virginia Garland George Gorman Jackson Johnston John-ston Jonas J ones Florida McPherson McPher-son Miller California Morgan Pendleton Pugh SeweD later Vance Voorhees 22 NaysAIll rich Anthony Cameron < Wisconsin Wiscon-sin Chillcott Conger Davis Illinois Illi-nois Edmunds Frye Harrisoi Hawley Hill Hoar Kellogg Lapham Logan McMillan Morrill Platt Kollins Van Wyck Wmdom 21 Logan proposed that its friends should speak today and said he would occupy two or three hours tomorrow in opposition Conger protestel against any final arrangement for the disposal oi the bill It should have been first considered con-sidered by a full Senate i The conclusions of the military board composed of Generals Scho field Terry and Getty were read Sewell supported the bill in a speech covering Porters record during the war following the chief points made At the opening of the I war he was sent to Galveston where the enemy threatened to take his steamer with a special on board but he threatened to sink the special He relieved PenEacola and saved 700 men of General Twiggs He helped to organize the Pennsylvania troops saved Missouri t6 the Union by taking the responsibility of ordering or-dering and mustering in Missouri the militia in the absence of General Scott when the news came of the outbreak at St Louis He commanded com-manded the military at the siege ef Yorktown The failure of McDowell McDow-ell to connect with him when he commanded the right wing of the army of the Potomac caused the failure of the peninsular campaign Porter covering the rear In the retreat re-treat frem Harrison Landing to Yorktown He was ordered to join the army in Virginia by way of Acquia Creek He heard of General Gen-eral Lees movement northward and telegraphed McClellan and rushed to Popes relief tour days sooner than his orders required re-quired Sewell argued that such an energetic and skillful officer could not within the next few days have been guilty that with which Porter was charged In changing the time for a forward movement I under Popes order Porter clearly exercised the discretion due to a division commander on the ground that the order to attack at 430 p m reached him about sunset sun-set With Longstreet in front with 25000 men against his 9000 and night falling Poter did wisely to countermand the order lo attack Uebody denies that Porter fought the second battle of Bull Run his corps being practically the only one engagsd Retreat followed owing I to the conconcentration of troops under Pope It was only as a result of the popular outcry after the Bull Run charge by Pope against Porter the country demanded a victim The military board consisting of Schofield Terry and Getty decided he was not only guiltless bnt his conduct on thatjoccasion saved the army Sewell said he was in the army of the Potomac at the battle of HuH Run and knew the judgment judg-ment of the military board was correct cor-rect He made General Grants recent re-cent article on Porter a part of his speech and General Terrys letter to Grant without which documents he said the records would be incomplete |