Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1866-06-13


true that the able Senator did not this fact
to the country from his place in the Senate it ought
aso to be corrected for these statements together
place the President in worse predicament before the
world than my statements do, founded upon what
myself and others understood to be the spirit anu
purport of Gen. Fisks remarks. Instead OF 0ene-
rails Howard and Fisk, it turns out that ho"hru
and Trumbull carried the Bureau Bill u tne rresi-
dent, and according TO an understanding between
than, tho latter read t-not section by section,
as I enormously stated the case, but as "HOeei
and after "careful reading" the President 'rais-
al no objection" No wonder these two MAJOR
Generals and this able Senator were astonished at
the veto
To show that the gentleman of the Chicago Iri-
b,zns has correctly represented Senator Trumbull
suboin two brief extracts from the Senator speech
as published in pamphlet form:
"In conclusion Mr.. Trumbull said : Mr.. Presi-
dent, have now gone through this Veto Message
replying with what patience could command to its
various objections to the bill. Would that could
stop here that there was no occasion to 60 further
but justice to myself Justice to the State whose
Representative l aun, justice to the people of the
whole country, in legslatiRg for whose behalf am
called to participate, justice to the Constitution
lean citizenship it secures, and to human liberty
now imperiled, requires me 10 60 further. Gladly
would refrain from speaking Of the spirit of this
measure of the dangerous doctrines and contradic-
tons of its author of his encroachments upon the
constitutional rights of Congress- of his assumption
of unwarranted powers, which if persevered in and
not checked by the people must eventually lead to
q subversion of the Government and the destruc-
ton of liberty. Congress in the passage Of the BILL
under no consideration sought no controversy with
the President. So far from it. the bill tOas proposed
Nth ve,0 TO carry ont i0hGt men supposed to be the
Uiecs Of the President and was submitted TO him be-
fore ITS introduction into the Senate am not about
TO relate private declarations of the President but it
sright that the American people should know that
the controversity which exists between him and Con-
gress in reference to this measure Is OF HIS OWN
SEEKING"
Feeling the Importance of harmonious action
between the different departments of the Govern
ment and an anxious desire to sustain the Presi-
dent, for whom had always entertained the highest
respect Ihad frequent interviews iCih him during
the early part of the session. Without mentioning
anything said by him, / may with perfect safety
state that acting from considerations which have
stated, and believing that the passage of law by
Congress securing equality in civil rights when de-
MED by State authorities to freedmen and all other
inhabitants of the United States would do much to
relieve anxiety in the North to induce the Southern
States to secure these rights by their action and
thereby remove many of the obstacles to an early
reconstruction, prepared the bill substantially as il
no1c returns loih the Presidents objections. After
the bill was introduced and printed, copy 10Gs fur
niSte6 him and at subsequent period when it was
reported that he was hesitating about signing the
Freedmen's Bureau Bill he was informed of the
condition of the Civil Rights Bill then pending in
the House, and hope expressed that if he had any
objections to any of its provisions he ICouLd make
them knorn to 1T, friends that they might be ren'edied
# not destructive Of the measure; that there was
believed to be disposition on the part of Congress
and certainly none on my part to have bills presen-
ted to him which he would not approve He necer
indicated to me, nor far loay to any .of It's
friends the least objection to any Of the provisions Of
the bill till after its passage. How could he consis-
tently with himself? The bill was framed, was
supposed IN entire harmony Nth his UieUS and GER
tainly, harmony ruth i0hat he then, and has
since been doingn protecting freedman in their civil
rights all through the rebellious States"
One other document ifthe reader please, and an1
done for the present. The Washington correspon-
dent of the Cincinnati Commercial, of April 18th
says:
The letter of General Howard, recently published
in the Republican of this city, contradicting the
sertion of Governed Brownlow that the Bureau Bill
submitted to the President by General Howard
and General Fisk does not assert, as some have
supposed, that the bill was not submitted to the
IOlth Uef1cTdL hOCGTd hIlOCtcdQe ana III
accordance t1lh has expressed desire before being m
trodtcced IN the Senate 1t only says that Governor
BrownlOw was mistaken, insSmuch as the bill was
not submitted in form 6y either of the officers the
Governor names, although the subj ect matter of the
bill had formed the topic of several conversations be-
tlceen these officers and the President By Senator
TJlonbulL in accordance ,Cih an understanding be-
tlCeen the Senator and General Ho1cdrd who ear
nestly desired that the Presidents views should be
heard and met in advance.
The only important phase the question is found
on the side toward the President the public being
concerned to know, not whether the paper was Ia
ken to the White House byOne man or another, but
whether il was taken there at all.
Senator Trumbull has gone far as to notify the
country from his seat in the Senate Chamber that
the bill Submitted to the President in advance,
and was not objected to. This assertion has not
been denied from the White House. and will
not be- and just here the matter may well rest.
This writer may have got his information from
Gen Howard since In the third paragraph follow
ing the same letter he states in reference to large
contributions recei we'd from England, "Gcn. How.
ard requests me to say &c. But with these docu-
monts and remarks submit this question TO III
impartial public perfectly willing to abide their
verdict Whether the bill vetoed right or wrong
is no business of mine but as l have said before,
say again-the veto of the bill came with a BAG
grace from the President committed as he Il
its approval.
W. G. BRowNLow.
Knoxville, June 9Th, 1866.