Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1866-03-30


ties as may be required in the premises.
All these fees are TO be paid out of the
Treasury Of the United States, whether
there is a conviction or not; but IN case
of conviction they are to be receivable
from defendant It seems to me that
under such temptation bad men might
convert any law, however benefcent,
into an instrument Of persecution and
fraud.
By the 8th section of the bill, the Uni
ted States Courts, which sit only IN one
place for white citizens, mast migrate
with the Marshall and District Attorney,
and necessarily with the Clerk, although
he is not mentioned, to any part Of the
District upon the order of the President,
and there hold a Court for the purpose of
the=moFe speedy arrest and trial of per
sons charged with a violation of this act,
and there the Judge aud officers of the
Court must remain upon the order of the
President for tue time therein designated
The 9Th section authorizes the Presl-
dent, or such person as he may empower
for that purpose, to employ such land or
naval forces Of the United States, or of
the militia, as shall be necessary to pre-
vent the violation, and enforce the due
execution of this act This language
seems to imply a permanent military force
that IS to be always at hand, and whose
only business Is to be the enforcement of
this measure over the vast region where
it Is intended to operate.
do not propose to consider the policy
Of this bill To me the details of the
bill are fraught with evil The white
race and black race of the South have
hitherto lived together under the relation
of master and slave, capital owning labor.
Now that relation is changed, and as to
ownership, capital aud labor are divorced.
They now stand each master Of itself In
this new relation, one being necessary
to the other there will be new adjust
ment which both are deeply interested In
making harmonious. Each has equal
power in settling the terms, and if left to
laws that regulate capital and labor, it is
confidently believed they will satisfacto-
rily work out the problem. Capital, it is
true has more intelligence, but labor is
never so ignorant as not to understand its
own interests, as not to know its own val
ue, as not to see that capital must pay
that value. THIS bill illustrates this adj
justment.
1t intervenes between capital and labor
and abte mpbs to settle the question of pO-
litical economy through the agency of
numerous officials whose interest it will
be to ferment discord between the two
races; for as the breach wideus, their en-
closed, their occupation viii end. mail
our history, in all our experience as a
people living under Federal and State
laws, no such system as that contemplated
by the details of this bill has ever before
been proposed or adopted. They estab-
llsh for the security Of the cOlore3 race
safeguards which go infinitely beyond any
Of those which the general Government
has ever provided for the white race. In
fact, the distinction of race and color is
by the bill made operate in favor of the
colored against the white race. They in
terfere with the municipal legislation of
the States, with relations existing exclu-
slVeIy between a State and its citizens,
and between inhabitants of the same
State. and the absorption and assumption
of power by the General Government,
which, if acquiesced in, must sap and de-
strOy our federative system of limited
powers, and break down the barriers
which preserve the rights of the States.
1t Is another step, or rather stride, toward
Capitalization and the concentration of
all legislative powers in the national gov
ernment. The tendency Of the bill must
be to resuscitate the spirit of rebellion,
and to arrest the progress of those infu-
ences which are more closely drawing /
around the States the bonds of union and
peace.
My lamented predecessor, in his proc
lamatiOn of the lst Of January, 1863, or
dered and declared that all persons held /
as slaves within certain States and parts I
OF States, therein designated, were and /
thenceforwar1 should be free: and fur /
ther. that the Executive Government of |
the United States, including the military
and naval authorities thereof, would rec
OgniZe and maintain the freedom of such
persons. This guaranty has been render
ed especially obligatory and sacred by the
amendment of the Constitution abolish
ing slavery throughout the United States.
L, therefore, fully recognize the obliga-
tion to protect and defend that class of
our people, whenever and wherever 1t
shall become necessary, and to the full
extent compatible with the Constitution
of the United States. Entertaining these
sentiments, 1t only remains for me to say
Will cheerfully cooperate with Congress
10 any measure that may be necessary for
the preservation of the civil rights Of the
freedmen, as well as those of all other
classes Of persons throughout the United
States by judicial process, under equal
aud impartial laws, and conformably with
5he provisions of the Federal COnstitu-
lion. L now return the bill to the Senate,
and regret that, IN considering the bill.
md Joint resolutions, forty-tw0 10 num-
per, which have been thus far submitted
or my approval, l am compelled to with
lold my assent from a second measure. /
hat has received the sanction of both Z
Houses of Congress.
lSigned,) ANDREW JOHNSON.
WASHINGTON. d. c.. March q.