The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1866-01-26
THE FREEDMEN's BUREAU.

The following is a careful and cor
rect abstract of Senator Trumbulrs s
able speech on the bill to enlarge the
power of the Freedmcn'o Bureau,
Mr.. Trumhull said "The design Of
the Frcedmcn's Bureau is to care for
and protect the negro and mulatto
and others, who as result of the
war have been thrown helpless on
the Government. The Bureau al
ready exists, and the authority to
establish it is settled so far as it can
be by legislative action. The au-
thority to create such a bureau is to
be found in the war powers conferred
by the Constitution upon Congress
in the provision which declares that
the citizens Of a"",. g, -.
sitIeG TO an the privileges of citizens
in the several States, and the recent
ly adopted amendments abolis hing
slavery and comforting on Congress
authority to enforce the amendment
by appropriate legislation. The cx
ercise of the war power does not
terminate with the conflict of arms,
but continues until peace is complete.
ly restored and civil authority firmly
re- established, beyond any reasonable
danger Of interruption. The people
of the rebellious States are still un.
der military control, and the State
Governments which have been set up
would be instantly set aside if they
undertook to interfere with the mil.
itary authority. They are allowed tc
assist in preserving order. The
President still continues the writ OF
habeas corpus suspended. The army
is constantly exercising military au-
thority in all the insurrectionary
States. The Freedmen's Bureau is
part Of the military authority, and
may, therefore, until civil jurisdic
tion is completely restored, exercise
in the rebcllious States military pow
ers conferred upon it. The exercise
of its judicial powers is limited to
that period. Other powers conferred
are based on the Constitutional
Amendment, which, in abolishiDg
slavery, abolishes the incidents OF
slavery. All laws deny ing to colored
people civil rights, had their origin
in slavery ana were enacted III il'
support. They must necessarily tal
with slavnrr aud .CcoSy"nas'autll6r.
ity TO annul all instructions in sup.
port of it. In the accomplishment
OF this great Object the departments
Of the Government can coo operate.
The President is pledged in his
message to the principle OF securing
equal and exact justice to all men
This accomplished, great obstacle
to restoration will be removed; the
fiiends OF the freedmen will feel re-
ieved when they see all the depart.
ments of Government harmonizlng
and determined at all hazards TO
u AXE the colored race everywhere
equal before the law. The people
of the rebellious States, when they
see this determination, will speedily
conform in their own legislation to
what they see is inevitable. United
hrmness and resolution are what is
now most needed. Slave.y sbolish
ed, it is the true policy of those
among whom it formerly existed, to
elevate and improve the negro. III
they will adopt this policy with the
same earnestness they Eormerly ex
tended to debasing and degrading
the negro, and will treat with justice
md fairness those among them who
ire, and have been loyal from the be-
ginning, and honestly conform to
What they admit to be inevitable,
his Congress will not adjourn until
all the States will be acting in full
and all departments of
The Government in harmonious &C
'ord. Instead Of debates about alb
'tract questions Of reconstruction,
md hunting after points of diverginp,
ct Us act upon these practical meas.
res, about which all can agree.