The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1866-08-18
...n r.ssEEDMEN's BUREAU.
Report Of Gems. Steesinen san ID
Fullerton.

, fostering care they aver the freedmen, idi
to the tender mercies of their former masters
+ would be in an infinitely worse condition
than while in slavery; would be murdered
starved robbed of their labor. driven froin
their homes, &c, &c. The bureau, on tile
other hand, relieves their wants, takes care
of them in sickness, provides schools for
their children, sees that they receive proper
wages for their labor-in short, secures tip
them all the blessings they are entitled to bE
reason of their emancipation.
So the Bureau, being founded on a "great
moral idea,' is a good thing (for the negroes. J
Il is not only good thing, but big thing.
Let our readers for moment contemplate
the machinery by which it is worked.
The following list comprises the operative
force of the bureau in the state of Georgia {:
One hrigadier general revet major generaI
Commissioner for the state.
One major. surgeon) two captains, one I'd lieutenant
on staff duty
One surgeon assistant surseon-havng charge of
hospitals
One majcr Ten Captains seven observation-disclosures
ant commissioners.
| CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES.
One superintendent Of schools moTthy pay of $3.50 90
Nine contract surgeons, each AT monthly pay Of. 10000
One special agent, at monthly pay Of 1850
One agent for Sinions island monthly pay of 10000
One chief clerk. at monthly pay of.......... 1880
Four clerks, each monthly pay .. 10000
Two clerks at average monthly pay OFF,. 1916
Seyenty-seven persons, employed as nurses laun-
dresses, ambulance drivers. and hospital stew
ards a average pay per month each 1910
In addition to the foregoing there II agents of the
burt an. citizens of Georgt who appointed by
assistant commissioner OF the bureau n ccri,nce with
resolution OF the Georgia state convention passed
80 Is > providing for such appointments These agents
paid the bureau funds, but by f-s allowed
T giia Al ili-
Duplicate this list eleven times, then add
chief and about forty clerks at Washing~
ton, and regiment or so of soldiers for each
state, and you have the operative force of
| the trecdmen'S bureau, to maintain which
the people pay eleven millions Of dollars a
! year
! Il must be peculiarly consoling to the tax
payers Of the North, who find it burdensome
to keep up even the little district school, with
a teacher at $50 month. TO know Sat they
are doing better things for the poor negroes
down in Georgia They have a school super
intendent at $50 month, and no teacher
at less than forty dollars month. When
northern reople get sick, they either pay big
doctor bills or take yarJs; bat they pay big
salaries TO the best surgeons to wait upon the
negroes. Dirty shirts are uncomfortable and
unhealthy, but the wives OF our tax PAYERS
can't stand over the wash tub at tie time:
happy negroes the government employs for
them iaml8resses, at Sl2 month and board |
How pleasant to think, that though our own
people must often be content with !. flannel /
or check, they provide '.cIear starch linen
for the dariieys down South!
Of course, machine on 50 magnificent a /
scale, with four major generals in lis employ /
eight brigadier generals, and colonies, cap /.
tains, .Ieutenants, down TO corporals,-more !.
officers than were embraced in the regular I
army before the war,-must work GeaWifuIy.
On that point We shall give few extracts /
from the report Of Gems. S;eedman and EuI>
lerton, who have just completed thorough
examination Of he workings of the machine.
BY order OF the government. and made their
report. Let Us begin with Georgia, where,
the report says, che bureau IS honestly ad-
mnisterel, and has the hearty cooperation
Of the state authorities"
Tie amended laws of Georgia are fully a
liberal those Of any northern state. aud
place the negro in all respects on a perfcc,
equality WITH tie white man as 70 his civil
rights. Notwithstanding this fact. we have
found that agents Of the bureau have taken
cases out of the hands OF tie civil aAhOri
ties, and have tried and disposed of them IN
a manner never contemplated by the laws Of
the state. For instance, the citizen Judge Of
the freeGmen's court AT Savannah sentenced
two negroes 70 30 DAYS labor on the chain,
gang. on the charge Of horse.stealiug. TO
which they pleaded guilty. \ white man
committing the same offence would have
been liable, under the state laws to be SEN
fenced to The penitentarv, or even to death. :
at the discretion of the Jury. n eases pre- {
TlouSlr disposed Of in this same court, one {
freedmen, for assGJlting with a knife with }
freedman, for a similar offence, was sent 10
prison for five months. when. By the laws of
Teor-ih, the punishment prescribed FOR the
crime Is Imprisonment in the pcuiteniiary for I
not los than two or more IN ten wears
Decisions such these must Of necessitv
create among the white people a feeling Of
;ontempt for the iree3men's courts and of
Twill towards the United States govern {
nent which permits such an unjust inter>
erence with the laws of the state.
The commissioners also give numerous
instances in the same state where heavy fines -,
we're imposed by officers Of tie bureau, but
10 account Of them ever rendered to the gov
,rnmeat.
In Alabama, though the bureau is admins
stored by a''discreet and heightened officer
many Of its agents are found, in violation of !
aw, working plantations on their own ac> I
cunt compelling the negroes to work for L
hem.
In Mississippi the commissioners found the t
negroes working .ndusiriousIy, and IS a
,,l!e kindly treated" An instance ia given
ghere a planter having complained to a q
,urcaa agent, ole Major Smith, Of the cons /
Iuct Of tie negroes, was advised to "ciub-' J.
'.eT and thcreupon the same agent sent a a
rrendaelouS report TO the North
# the cruel treatment of he negroes BY {
,iarters in his district Ia the same state. !
he report says
we found the officers, as in other states, 1
imposed and collected fines. ana many kept &
10 records. We found marked instance Of +,
his kind at Grenada. where a former agent :,
# the bureau, Chaplain Livermore, did a l
thriving business III the way of ColIectirr C
ines, selling rations. and government horses t,
nd mnlcs. This officer seems not only to -
rare collected fines ranging from 80 cents to
> from the freedmen for marrying them,
ut also attempted 10 exact fees from resi-
eut white ministers for giving them permits C
ion to marry freedmen. In cases where the T
egroes were unable to pay the sam demand
d Of them, the chaplain levied on their per II
onal properly, in one case seizing a negto's !
mpty wallet and jack>knife for a balance of c,
0 cents. This close diving is probably to G.
e accounted for by the fact that Chaplain ;,
.ivermOre openly expressed his intention to
.,nr,, Iil;,,ni- non L. W