Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1866-03-20

(From the National Intelligencer.]
The "Secret Motive.

(From the National Intelligencerl
The "Secret Motive"
OPINION OF PRESIDENT LINCOLNs ATTORNEY
GENERAL ON THE VETO BILL-IT WAS PLANN-
ED TO ovERTURN THE GOVERNMENT.
In letter to meeting of conservative citi-
zens of St. Louis the Hon. Edward Bates sub
jects the Freedmen Bureau bill to merciess
analysis, in which he exposes with unmistak-
able distinctness the Interior revolutionary OBJ
ject of the proposed statute, and denounces with
appropriate but logical severity the dangerous
subterfuge of its contrivers, which was counter
acted by the prompt and bold interposition Of
the President.
Mr. Bates was the adviser of the late Presi-
dent Lincoln in all the novel and momentous
questions Of constitutional sanction which were
thrust upon him in quick succession by the UNI
exampled events of the times. He is the auth
Or of the legal opinion justifying the Executive,
in advance of legislative authority, to exert the
EXTREMIST stretch of arbitrary power-that Of
suspending the liberties of the people-on the
mere responsibility of his personal opinion that
the public safety required it. Jealous, in COM
mon with all eminent jurists, for the sanctity of
law, his remarkable opinion in favor ofsuspend-
ing the habeas corpus in 1861 proves his free
dom from pedantry or professional prejudice,
influence of circumstances. He is the author,
also, of that singularly instructive and exhaus-
tive opinion in favor Of the citizenship of color
ed people. If to all this be added the we'll
known cool sagacity and answering stability,
consistency, and moderation of the man, it must
be confessed that the deliberate charge from
such source of a purpose on the part of the
Radical demagogues of subuerting our form of
government cannot be lightly considered, especi-
ally by such as call to mind public speeches
made by Mr.. Bates previous to the crisis of
the event OF the sad intervening years, as per-
haps more clearly prophetic than those of any
other public man. We subjoin the letter ref
erred to:
ST. LOUIS, February a. 1866.
Gen. E. B. Broacn, President of the State Gen.
trail Committee Conservative Union Party.
SRI am honored by the receipt of your
note OF this day, inviting me to be present at a
mass meeting of the citizens of St. Louis, to be
held at the Court House this evening at half
past seven o'clock for the purpose of endorsing
the action OF President johnson in vetoing the
Freedmen Bureau bill, and in support Of his
general policy of national reconstruction.
l am very sorrow that the bad state of my
health forbids my attendance, and the more so
because l believe there will not be a man at the
meeting who feels greater adherence than [
do for the bill whose wicked career has been
stopped by the Presidents timely Veto My
feeling upon this subject does not spring entirely
from my disgust Of the factious spirit and ridi-
culous egotism of the clique which now domi-
neers over Congress, but from the intrinsic de-
merits of the BILL ascertained by careful ex-
animation of its provisions | think | under
stand it. can see 1.-THE most casual reader can
Itc rrIo md Hofio Of boC
stitution--and think I can see also the hidden
motare, the secret design Of the conspiaators, aoho
planned the scheme to overturn our Government
of loaU, and set up IN its stead q iaghttM m,ala-
tary oligarchy, And this wicked purpose be-
trays itself in several provisions of the bill,
which are so arranged in the context as to seem,
to hasty Observer, to be secondary and subordi-
nate to the ostensible object, the protection of
the freedmen
The bill provides Tin its first section) for the
continuance of the original act (of March 3rd,
1869 to establish Freedmen's Bureau, and
extends it to all refugees and freedmen IN all
President to divide the United States into dis
tricts, not to exceed taoelUe and with the advice
and consent of the Senate, to appoint an assist
ant commissioner for each district. Twelve dis
trictsl That is the exact number into which
Cromwell divided the Commonwealth of Eng
land, and governed each district, despotically,
by one Of his own ma jor generals. The section
goes on--'or the said bureau may, an the DIS
cretion of the President, be placed under COM
missioner and assistant commissioners, to be de-
tailed from the army" And the act does not
specify either the rank or the color of the per-
sons 50 to be detailed from the army to rule the
nation through the Freedmen's Bureau.
Section two empowers the commissioner to
10 MI ,h-d1c (pof locc
than a county or parish, and to assign to each
subdistrict ''at least one agent, either citizen,
officer of the army, or enlisted man" The Sec
ton goes on to say, leach assistant commission
er may employ not exceeding six clerks and
each agent of sub-district being one or more
for each district, as suits the pleasure of
the commissioner may employ two clerks
And so in the twelve districts the clerks will a.
mount to seventy-two; and in the sub-dstricts
the agents will amount to at least as many thou
sand as there are counties and parishes in the
nation !; and their clerks to double that number,
besides the employees mentioned in the bill.
dent, Through the Var Department and the
Commissioner, shall extend malitaayjur1sd,ctio
over all the employees, agents, and officers of
this bureau, in the exercise of all the duties i'm
posed or authorized by this act, or the act to
which this act is supplementary. And here /
will draw your attention to that part of their
duties especially imposed and authorized by the
eighth section Of the bill, thus: "And it shall
be the duty of the officers and agents of this
bureau [all Of them great and small, without
distinction, to take jurisdiction ofand hear and
determine all offences committed against the
provisions Of this section and also of oil cases
affecting negroes, mulattoes, freedmen, refugees,
or other persons who are Disseminated against,
in any Of the particulars mentioned in the pre-
ceding section of this act, under, not the Con,
regulations as the President of the U. States,
through the War Department, shall prescribe
These are some of the enormities of the veto
ed bill, framed in the wantonness of partisan
power, in contempt of the written Constitution,
and In omen violation Of the historical oninions