The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1866-02-22

The country has entered or is returnin,
to state of peace and industry, and tn
rebellion Is in fact at an end. The mea
. sure, therefore, seems tQybe as inconsis
: tent with the actual condition Of the
country as 1t is at variance with thu
constitution of the United States.
If, passing from general considera
tions, we examine the bill in detail, IL Ii
open to weighty objections. In time Of
war it was eminently proper that we
should provide for those who were pas
: sing suddenly from condition of bond
age to state of freedom. But this bill
Bureau, established by the act Of 1865 as
one of many great and extraordinary
measures to suppress formidable rebel
lion, permanent branch of the public
administration, with its powers greatly
enlarged. i have no reason to suppose,
and do not understand 1t be alleged
that the act of March, 1865, has proved
deficient for the purpose for which IL
was passed, although at that time for q
considerable period thereafter the gov
eminent Of the United States remained
unack nowledged in most of the states
whose inhabitants had been involved IN
the rebellion. The institution Of slavery
for the military destruction of which the
Freedmen's Bureau was called into ex-
istence as an auxiliary force, has been
already effectually and finally abrogated
throughout the whole country by an
amendment Of the constitution of the
| United States, and practically Its eradi-
cation has received the assent and con-
currence of most ofthose states in which 1t
at any time had existed. 1 am not there
fore able to discern in the country any
thing to justify an apprehension that
| the powers and n gencies of the Freed :
mems Bureau, which were effective for
4 the protection of freedmen and refugees
1 during the actual continuation of hos.
tilties and of African servitude, will
now, in q time of peace aud after the
abolition of slavery prove inadequate to
| the same proper ends. III am correct
| in these views there can be no necessity
| for the enlargement of the powers of the
Bureau for which provision Is made in
the bill.
The third section of the bill autho-
rizes general and unlimited grant of
| support to the destitute and suffering
| refugees and freedmen and their wives
| and children. Succeeding sections make
provision for the rent or purchase Of
landed estates for freedmen, and for the
erection, for their benefit, of suitable
| buildings for asylums aud schools, the
expenses to be betrayed from the treas
ury of the whole people. The Congress
of the United States has never, hereto
| fore, thought itself competent to estab-
| lish asylums beyond the limits Of the
District of Columbia, except for the
benefit of our disabled soldiers and
sailors. 1t has never founded schools
for any class of our own people, not even
for the orphans of those who have fallen
| in the defence Of the Union, but has left
| the care of their education to the much
more competent and efficient control of
the states, of communities, Of private
associations and OF individuals. 1t has
| never deemed itself authorizedto expend
| the public money for the rent or pur-
chase Of homes for the thousands. not TO
say millions, of the white race who are
hopnstly toiTing from day TO day for
| them subsistence. A system for the
support ofindigent persons in the United
| States was never contemplated by the
authors of the constitution. Nor can
any good reason be advanced why, as q
permanent establishment, it should be
| founded for one class or color Of our peo-
| pie more than for another. Pending
the war many refugees and freedmen
received support from the government,
butt was never intended that they
should henceforth be fed, clothed, edu-
Gated and sheltered by the United
States. The idea on which the slaves
were assisted to freedom was that on
becoming free they would be self sus-
tanning population. Any legislation
| pected to attain q self-sustaining condi-
ton must have tendency Injurious
alike to their character aud their pros
perity. The appointment of an agent
for every county and parish will create
an immense patronage, and the expense
! of the numerous officers and their clerks
| to be appointed by the President will be
| great in the beginning, with tendency
steadily to increase. The appropriations
asked by the Freedmen's Bureau, al
now established, for the year 1866,
amount to ST., 745, 900. 1t may be safely
estimated that the cost to be incurred
under the pending bill will require
double that amOunt--more than the en-
tire sum expended in any one yearunder
the administration of the second Adams.
| If the presence of agents in every parish
! and county is to be considered as war
| measure opposition or even resista ice
| might be provoked, so that to give effect
to their Jurisdiction troops would have
| to be stationed within reach of every
one of them, and thus large standing
| force be rendered necessary. Large APP
preparations would therefore be required
to sustain and enforce military jurisdic-
ton in every county or parish from the
Potomac to the Rio Grande. The con-
dition of our fiscal affairs is encouraging;
but, in order to sustain the present mea-
sure of public confidence, it is necessary
that we practice not merely customary
economy, but as far az possible severe
retrenchment. 84EJ 3 -
In addition to the objections already
stated, the fifth section of the bill pro-
poses to take away land from its former
owners without any legal proceedings
being first had, contrary to that proyi-
sion of the constitution which declares
that no persons shall be deprived of life,
liberty or property without due process
of law. 1t docs not appear that part
of the lands to which this section refers
may not be owned by minors or persons
of unsound mind or by those who have
been faithful to all their obligations as
citizens of the United States. If any
portion of the land is held by such per-
sons, 1t Is not competent for any author
ity to deprive them of it. If, on the
other hand, 1t be found that the property
Is liable to confiscation, even then il
cannot be appropriated to public pur-
poses until, by due process of law, il
shall have been declared forfeited to the
government.
There are still further objections to the