The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-02-20

measures TO suppress a fOrnidal lc rebellion
permanent branch of the public aelminis-
trnion Will its powers greatly enlarged.
! ! have no reason to suppose, and do not
understand il t0 be alleged that the net oi
March, 1895, hhs proved deficient for the
! purpose for which IL was passed, although
mt that time, and for q considerable period
I thereafter, the GoTcrnmcnt OF the United
States remained unncknOwledgcd In most
of the States whose inhabitants had been
lihVolvrtlm In TIE rebellion, iat, iID
The institution of slavery for the mill
| tary destruction of which the Freedmpu's
! Bureau was called into existence. ms M
auxiliary force has been already effect
ually and finally abrognted throughout
! the whole country by All amendment OF
! tile Constitution Of the United States aud
practically its eradication has received tile
assent and concurrence of most of those
States In which u at any time had existed,
! | am not, therefore, able 10 discern In the
country anything to justify an apprclien-
sion that the powers and agencies Of the
| Erccdmcn's Bureau which were effective
for the protection of freedmen and refu-
gees during the actual continuation OF hup =
tilitics and of African scryitude will now
tinia time Of pcsceand after the abolition OF
slavery prove inadequate to the same
! proper ends. IL am correct in these views
! there can be no necessity for the enlarge
|
which provision is made in the bill.
The third section Of the bill authorizes =
| general and unlimited amount of support
| % the destitute suffering refugees and freed
men and their wives and children. Sue
cccdiug scghOns make provision for the
rent and purchase of lands and estates for
| freedmen, anil for the erection for their
benefit of suitable buildings for asylums
and schools, the expenses to be betrayed
! from the Treasury Of the whole people,
The Congress Of the United States has
nover heretofore, thought itself competent
| to establish any laws beyond the limits OF
! the District of Columbia, except for the
benefit of our disabled soldiers and sailors.
! II has never founded schools for any class
Of our own people, not even for the or
4 phans of those who have fallen in defense
of the Union, but has len the care of their
education TO the nitIlr more competent and
efficient control oi the States, of communal
| ties. of private associations aud of III
Idiyiduals. II has never deemed itself au-
! thorizcd to cXpcnd the public money for
the rent or purchase of hOmcsteads for the
thousands, not to say millions of the white
fincc, who are honestly tollimg from day to
day for their Subsistence. A system for
the support of lndigcUt persons IN the Uni
| ted States was nGver contemplated by the
authors of the Constitution. Nor can amy
4 good reason be advanced, why permanent
establishments should be founded for one
class or color of our people, more thml for
another.s ..s...t.. ..ta
| Pending the war, many refugees and
freedmen received support from the Gov
| crnmcnt, but IL was never intended that
they should hcnccforth he fed, clothed,
educated and sheltered by the United
States. The idea on which the slaves were
assisted TO freedom was, that once bccom-
ing free, they would be n sclf-sustaining
population. Any legislation that shall i'm
ply that they are not expected to attain n
sclf-sustaining condition must have n tend
oncy injurious alike TO their charictcr aud
their property,
The appolntmcnt of I'M agent for every
county and parish will create nm Immense
patronage, and the expense of the nunler-
ous officers and their clerks tU he appointed
\ hy The President, will be great ~ the be
gluning, with tendency steadily to in
crease.
The appropriations asked for by the
Freedmcn's Bureau, as now established, for
the year 1866, amount 10 Sll,7I9,OO0. 1t
may he safely estimated that the cost TO be
! incurred under the pending bill, will re-
uuire double that amount; more chan the
entire sum expended in amy one year un-
II der the administration of the second
! Adams If the presence of agents in every
iparish or county Is to be considered rs a
war measure, opposition or even resistance
might be provoked, so that 10 give effect "a
their jurisdiction, troops would have to be
stationed within reach of every one oi
them, and thus - large standing force
would be rendered necessary. Large ap-
pyopriations would therefore be required
TO sustain aud enforce military Jurisdiction
In every county and lsuisli from the Poto-
ipac W the Rio Grando.
The condition of our fiscal Affairs " en-
hne In Arfn tn Ia
present measure OF public confidence 1t II
. necessary that we practice not merely
customary economy, but ~ FAR as possible
II severe retrenchmcnt. 5
| = In addition to the objections already
stated the 9Th section Of the bill proposes Il
} take away land from Its former owners
) without any legal proceedings being first
had, contrary tO that provision of the consti.
tuition, which declares that no persons shal
be deprived of lie, liberty or property With
, out due process Of law. uU. uTlg
.lt does not appear that lands, To- which
: this section refers may not be owned by
minors, or persons of pnsopnd mind, or by
those who have been faithful 20 all thcil
/ obligations as eitlens OF the United States
II any PARTON of the land is held by sucl
poTsOns, II Is not competent for any author
"A ity to deprive them OF it IT, on the Other
{ hand. It bG found that the property is liable
, 10 confSratiOn, even then ID ran not b,
, appropriated 10 public purposes until, by
, due process OF law, II shall have been de
! elared forfeited Ia the Government.
There arc still further ObjcCtiOus "a the
y hill ointhe grounds seriously affecting the
GLASS of persons 10 whom Il Is designed b,
bring relief, IL viii tend 10 Keep the lant
ofthc freedmen IN n state Of uncertain oX'
lpectltiOn and rcstlessncss, while To thOs,
among whom he lives, II will be n constant
vague and apprehension. Undoubtedly
they should be protected, but they should