The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1866-04-11


! to execute warrants and other processes de
scrbed By the bill. These numerous official
agents are made TO constitute 4 sort Of police,
: in addition to the military, and are authorized
I to Summon a posse c0MltdtH$ and even to Call
! to their aid such portion Of the land and naval
: forces OF the United States, or Of the militia,
! 'as may be necessary to the performance Of
the duty with which they are charged" This
! extraordinary power is to be conferred upon
agents irresponsible to the Government and
! to the people, to whose number the discretion
: Of the commissioners is the only limit, and IN
whose hands such authority might be made
: terrible engine ofwrong, oppression and fraud.
The general statutes regulating the land and
naval forces of the United States, til" militia,
and thc execution Of the Laws, are believed to
; &c adequate 'Hi' every emergency which can
! occur in time Of peace If it should prove
; otherwise, Congress Can, at any time, amend
! those laws in such ma; ncr as, while suOScrV-
. ing the public welfare, not to jcopardzc the
! rights, interests and liberties Of the people.
The seventh section provides that fee Of
! ten dollars shall be paid to each commissioner
! in every case brought before him, and fee Of
, five dollars to his deputy or deputies 'or each
! person he or they may arrest and take before
any such commissioner" with such other
fees as may be deemed reasonable by any such
/ commissioner" sin general for performing
! such other duties as may be required in the
! premises" Ali these fees are TO be ''pad
! out of the Treasury of the United States,"
whether there is a conviction or not; but IN
case of conviction, they are to be recoverable
| from the defendant 1t seems to nc that un-
! der the influence Of such temptations, bad
! men might convert any law, however beniti-
cent, into an instrument Of persecution and
! frail!.
| Bv the eighth section Of the bill, the Uni
ted States Courts, which sit only in one place
! for white citizens, must migrate, with the
! Marshal and District Attorney, (and necesSa-
! rily with the clerk, although he is not men
tiored,) to any part Of the District, upon the
! order Of the President. and there hold a court
/ "for the purpose of the more speedy arrest
! and trial of persons charged with violation
! Of this Act ~ and there the Judge and the
! officers Of the court must remain, upon the
order Ct the President, 'tor The time therein
designated"
Tie ninth section authorizes the President,
or such person as he may empower for that
! purpose, "to employ such part Of the land and
/ militia, as shall be necessary to prevent the
violation and enforce the due execution of this
! Act' This language seems to implya perma-
! nent military force, that is to be always at
harl, AID hose Only business is to be the en-
forceil:>it oC this measure over the vast region
where il is intended tC operate.
do not propose to consider the policy Of
this bill. To me, the details Of the bill seem
fraught with evil The white race and the
black race Of the South have hitherto lived
together under the relation of master and
SIavc-capital owning labor. Now suddenly
that relation Is changed, and oS to ownership.
capital and labor are divorced. They stand
now each maSter Of itself. In this new rela-
ton, one bcing necessary to the other, there
will be a new adjustment, which both are
deeply interested IN making harmonious.
Each has equal power in settling he terms,
and if left to the laws thar regulate capital and
labor, it is confidently believed that they will
satisfactorily work out the prohlcm Capital,
it is true, has more intelligence; but InhOr IS
never 50 Ignorant as TO not understand Its own
interests, not to know its own value, and not
to see that capital mast pay that value. This
hi illustrates this adjustment. 1t lntervencs
between capital and labor, and attempts to
settle questions of political economy through
the agency of numerous officials whose inter
est it will lie to fomcnt di>cord between the
two races; for, as Inc breach widcnS, their en-
pIoymcnt will continue, and when it is closed,
their occupation will terminate.
In all onr history, in all our experience as
a people living under Federal and State law,
no such system as that contemplated by the
details of this bill has ever before been pro-
posed or adopted. They establish for the Sc
cu1ity Of the colorcd race safeguards which
90 Infinitely beyond any that the General
Government has ever provided for the white
race In fact, the distinction Of race and color
is, by the bil made to operate in favor OF the
coored, and against the white race. They
interfere with the municipal Legislation Of the
States, with the relations existing exclusively
between a State and its citizens, or between
the inhabitants Of the same State, in the alb
sorDton and assumption ofpower by the Cen
cral Government, which, if acQulesced IN,
must sap and destroy our 1cccratlVc system
OF limited powers, and break down the bar
riers which preserve the rights OF the States.
1t is another step or rather stride towards
centraliZat0n and the concentration 0 all leg
iSlativc power in the National Government.
The tendency Of the bill Eust be to rcSuSci-
tate the spirit Of rebellion and to arrest
the progress Of these influences which are
more closely drawing around the States the
bonds Of union and peace.
Ny lamcnt2d predecessor, in his proclama.
ton of the l>t of january, 1863, ordered and
declared that all persons held as slaves within
certain States and parts Of States therein de-
srnatcd, were, and thcrcclorward should be,
free and further, that the Executive Govern
meHt Of the United States, including the mill
tary and naval authorities thereof, would re-
cognize and maintain the freedom of such per-
sons This guarantee has been rendered es-
pcclally obligatory and sacred by the amend
ment of the Constitution abolishing slavery
throughout the United States. therefore
fully recognize the obligation to protect and
defend that class of our people whenever and
wherever Il shall become necessary, and to
the full extent, compatible with the Consti-
tuition of the United States. Entertaining
these sentiments it only remains for me to
say that will cheerfully cooperate with Con-
greSs in any measure that may be necessary
for the protection of the civil rights of the
freedmen, as we'll as those of all other classes
of persons throughout the United States, by
Judicial process, under equal and impartial