Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1866-04-06

enforcement Of this article Of the Constit'i-
ton there is at present any neecsaty ior
the exercise of all the powers which thiS
bill confers. slavery has boom abolished,
and at present nowhere EXITS within the
! jurisdiction of the United States. nor has
there been. nor is it likely there will be,
any attempt to revive it by the people OF
any State. Ii. however, any such attempt
shall be made. IL will then become the duty
of the general government to exercise any
and all incidental powers necessary ana
proper to maintain inviolate this great law
of freedom.
The fourth section of the bill provides
that the officers aud agents of the Freed
mems Bureau shall be Empowered to make
arrests. and also that other officers may he
specially commissioned for that purpose ny
the President of the United States. 1t also
authorizes Circuit Courts OF the United
States and the superior Courts OF the Ter
ritories to appoint without limitation ton'-
!nissioners who are to he charged with the
performances ofqnasi judicial dnties.
The fifth srction empowers the Comnls-
sioners so to be selected ny the Court to APP
point i / writing one or more suitable per-
sons from time to time to execute warrants
and other processes desirable by the bill.
| These numerous ostioi,l agents are made
to constitute a sort of pelice IN addition to
the military. and are authorized to summon
Il posse comitatus. and even to call to thcii
! aid such portion of the land and naval forces
| of the United States or of the militia as ma,
| he necessary to the performance OF the dut,
with which they are charged. This ex-
| traordnary power is to be conferred upo,
| agents irresponsible to the government ant
| to the people, to whose number the discre
ito nof the Commissioner is the only limit
and in whoes hands such authority might
be matlea terrible engine of wrong, oppres
| sim and fraud The general statutes reg
ulatng the land and naval forces OF tho
| United States, the militia, and the execn
| lion of the laws, are believed to be adequat,
for any emergency which can occur ii
time of peace
If il should prove otherwise, Congress car
at anv time amend those laws in such man
ner as. while subscribing the public welfare
not to iepardze the rights, interests ane
liberties of the people.
The seventh section provides that fee
of : % shall he paid to each Commissioner
in every ease brought before him, and fee
of IS to his deputy or deputies for each
person he or they may arrest and take be-
fore any sach Commissioner, with such
other fees as may be ,leemed reasonable b.;
such Commissioners, III general tor per
! forming such other duties as may he reqnir-
ed in the premises. All these fees are t.
| be paid ont of the treasury OF the United
States. whether there is a conviction or not
/ but in ease of conviction they are to BIZ
recoverable from the defendant. 1t seems
/ to me that under the influence of suci
temptations bad men might convert an!
! law. however beneficial. into ali instrument
1 of persecution and fraud.
By the oih section of the bill tnitet
States toirts, which sit only i'll one place
! for white citizens. must migrate with The
marshal and district attorney, and. acces
sarilv. with The clerk, although he ia mo-
mentioned. to any part of the district. mp
on the order of The Pres dclt. and there
hold a court for tie purpose of the more
| speedy arrest and trial of persons charged
with violation of this ac,. aud there the
! Judge aud officers of the conrt must remain
upon the order of the President for tn,
time therein designated.
The ninth section authorizes the Prcsl-
! dent. or such persons as he may empower
"s that purpose, tn employ such part OF
he land or naval forces Of the United
STATES, or Of militia. as shall be necessary
to prevent the violation and enforce the
due execution nf this act. This language
seems 10 imply permanent military force
that is to he always at hand, and whose
only business is tn he the enforcement OF
this measure oyer the vast region where 1t
is intended IN operate.
do not propose 10 consider the polio,
Of this bill. To me the details q. the bill
are irausht With evil. The white race and
the black race OF the South have hitherto
lived together under the relation of master
and slave-capital owing labor. Now thai
relation is changed, and, Us IL ownership.
capital and labor are divorced. They
stand now each master of self. In this
new relation, one being necessary to tAs
other. there will be u new adjustment,
which both are deeply interested i'll making
harmon Gus. Each has equal power III
settling the terms, and if left to the laws
that regulate capital and labor, il is conf
IDENTITY oelived that they will satisfactorily
work ont the problem. Capital, II strnr'
has mare intelligence, but labor is never so
iguor mt rs not To understand its own in
tercsts. not to know its oWn value, aud not
10 Sc that capital must pay that value.
This bill fir lstratcs the adjustment. IL in
terferes between capittl and labor and at
temps to settle questions of political econ-
omy through the agency of numerous Off
ciais, whose interest it viii he to foment
tliscorl between the two races; for, as the
brsacawide Is their employment will con
time, and when il Is closed their occupa-
tim will tar innate. In all our history. in
all our experience as n 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 adoped
They establish, for the security Of the col
orcd race safeguards which 20 infinitely
beyond any that the general government
has ever provided for the white race. In
fact. the distinction of race and color is 10y
the bill made To operate III favor of the col
pred aud against the white race. They i'll
terfcre with the municipal regulations Of
the STATE, with the relations existing eX
clusivcly between the State and its citizens,
or between the inhabitants of the same
State an absorption and assumption Of
power by the general government, which.
II acquiesced in, must sap and destroy our
federativc system oi limited powers, and
break down the barriers which preserve the
rights of the States. 1t is another step, or
rather stride, towards centralizatiop and
the concentration OF all legislative power III
the national government. The tendency
of the bill must he to resnscltate tie spirit
of Rebellion and to arrest the progress o.!