The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1865-10-18

pNutOt tOoh shSuuuSo ooiAiS ANPeSh
aud both Of the rooms ID the second story
need some also.
The Grand Jurors are reluctant to close
this Report Of their labprs without saying
something in regard to an incubus which
weighs heavily on all our shoulders I'VE re.
fer to what is known Jas the aFreedmen's
Bureau, with all its concomitants Of idle,
ness. vagabondage, pllferings, Of which it is
next to impossible TO detect the perpetra tors
when a whole class Of people is interested
to greater or less degree individually, int
their protection aud concealment, its viola
ted, so called, contracts, and its thousand
other veXatious annoyances.
And here before proceeding farther, tie
Grand Jurors desire to state in the most
emphatic and sincere manner that in what
ever they may feel themselves called on TO
say in regard to the Institution" they mean
nothing offensive to, or condemnatory of the
U. S. officer in charge of the branch of the
Bureau for this Parish, but on the contrary
| it is the concurrenttestimony ofall the mem.
bers Of the Grand Jury who have had occa--
sion to have official intercourse with him, as
we'll as from the evidence OF others, that.
whilst he seems to be resolately determined
to enforce the spirit and intent Of the Law
and the Regulations under it, which he is
placed here to execute, he appears desirious
| to dcsno with as much nidness and courtesy
towards the peep'e- as his sense Of duty will
allow. 1t is against the obnoxious, oppres
sive, crudely digested, and inefficient Lag,
unproductive Of real good TO any one whilst
Lit is maltitudinously productive Of evil and
injury to all, and against the Institution ere
ated under it, that the Grand Jurors Of the
Parish of R.pides design most solemnly and
earnestly to protest.
i One effect of the influences Of the war has
been to carry away from the Parish the
! greater and most useful portion of its labor
"a result Of the war has been to emancl-
pate from all control and restraint that por-
ton of it which remains-in other words tc
give them their freedom" the only idea Of
which in the minds of the great mass OF
them is, to use their own language, anutten
to do and plenty to eat"
1 The contract system as provided for BY
the Regulations of the Bureau, is a perfect
nullity, as the only view which the "freed'
people can be made to conceive ofit is tina,
the contract is to be binding on the employ
er SO long as it omits the interest or cenve.
nience of the employee, but Of no binding
force whatever on himself whenever it may
suit his own whim or caprice to evaae Oh
: avoid it, and there appears to be no power
: in the "Bureau," or its officers. to enforce
the practical fulfiment of their contracts
or to restrain yagabondage and ideness o.
: to punish any crime they may commit, ex
: : cept by confinement for very short periods
and what degree Of punisamsnt that is t.
> them, we have the published testimony 0
). Northern men, sympatllisers with the blacl
: man, who have come to this State, rented
= = lands, hired freed people, and who state pub
) licly, as their experience, that the negroe
enjoy that sort Of punishment as a recrea
ton, and that they have consequently ceases
to resort to it.
The results and consequences Of all thi
$ may be seen in the destroyed enclosures. th
uncultivated fields which every where NEE
= the eve, u.til the Grand Jurors are painful
!, ly impressed with the apprehension that tn
- coming year will be q seasan of famine j
~ the land. Even now there a.e some OF GU
70 70 citizens purchasing and bringing mp cor
-, - from New Orleans to feed their famiie:
:, No cotton or other salahle crop has bee
~ made in the Parish this year. When til
: little that was saved from the destruction
), > of the war by the few individuals more fo
~ tunate than the mass OF the people shall b
~ exhausted, the ability to even buy breed wi
= be at an end. And yet this id'e vagabon
IS class Of people, which cannot be made t
or labor for Its support collecting in the towr
~ and villages, IRON which there seems to
- = no means of, Or power to expel them sine
n they have been placed under the care of tn
~ Freedmen's Bureau, and beyond the contr
y of either the civil or the military authorize
- is largely assisting to consume what little
~ breadstuff there is in the country. And
:, :. addition to this since it has been announce
r.. to them under the authority of this Burea
I that they may 60 where they please witho'
. leave or pass, they are hocking in on US fro
10 y the adjacent State of Texas, hiring thel
=, selves along the road until rested and fe
"a "a and then proceeding on at their own will.
ba deceive and defraud others in the same wa
ho In view of all these. facts, and this conc
-, -, ton of things in our Parish, the Ora,
i Jurors do not feel that they can in justi
No ~ to the suffering people Of this Parish, or
he acquittance of their own consciences, a
NV nr to be discharged until they shall have maj
hs a formal present,nent of this Act of the
~ S. Congress, and Of the Bureau created u
- der it, as an intolerable nuisance and br
10 then; asking your Honor to cause copy
IF the same, together witha copy of so mu
= of this Report as is pertinent thereto, to
"a forwarded to the Governor of this Sta
~, ms with a request that he lay the same beft
,as the President of the United States, ask
=, ~ the aid and assistance Of that fanctionary
+. effecting the removal of the branch OF !
nJ Bureau from this Parish and State, a
'ua causing the blacks resident within the lin
~ of the State of Louisiana to be plat
T., equally with her white citizens under
~ control of her own laws. ALL of which
tha most respectfully submitted. ia
,nr g. MASON GRAHAM, FOREMAN
e o~~~~~-ac.-----,-~o
nd. POLICE JURY.
,ra ALEXANDRIA La, MONDAY Ger. 10th Is
be Pursuant TO adjournment the follow
zen. members Of the Police Jury met. AL
10 Lewis, G. V.Ledoux, A. j. McOranie,
ing Carlin, DR.. P. Bogus.