Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1866-04-03


to that officers md agents Of the Freed
he mems Bureau shall be empowered u
o. make arrests, ilnd that other officers may
A. be speciallv commissioned for that pur
~ nose by the President OF the United States
10 ID also authorizes circuit courts Of the
:. United States and The superior courts o
,e the Territories, t0appoilts without llmiia
ton. commissioner, who are To bt
,p CHARGED with the performance Of gudS
D. judicial duties. The ilfth section EN-.
T. powers the commissioners so 20 be Sc
n ieeted by the courts TO appoint in writing
II under their hands, one or more suitable
r, persons, from time 60 time, to execute
}, garrants and other processes prescribed by
" the bill. These numerous official agent:
o are made to constitute sort of police, In
II addition TO the military, and are author.
ID lied 10 summon a posse cOHlifqtus, and
p even tOcall 10 theiraid such portion Of the
e land and naval forces OF the United
n States, or Of the militia, "as may be nee
= eSsary 10 the performance Of the duty
: with which they are charged"
y This extraordinary power is TO be con-
p ierfed upon agents irresponsible TO the
= Government and 10 the people, to whose
- number the discretion of the Commits
E sioners j. the only limit, and in whose
} hands such authority might be madea ter
rible engine of wrong, oppression and
fraud. The general statutes regula ting the
land and naval forces Of the United States,
the militia and the execution of the laws,
are believed 10 be adequate for any emer-
. gency which can occur in time Of peace.
If it should prove otherwise Congress
can at any time amend those laws, in
such manner as, while subserving the pub
lie welfare, not 10 leopard the rights,
interests and liberties Of the people.
The seventh section provides, that q
fee Of ten dollars shall be paid to each
commissioner, in every case brought be-
fore him, and a fee of five dollars to his
dePuty,or deputies, 'for each person ne or
they may arrest and take before anysuch
commissioner with such other fees
as may be deemed reasonable by such
commissioner in general, for performing
such other duties rs 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 i'm case of conviction they are
to be recoverable from the defendant.
It seems to me that under the influence
/ Of such temptations, bad men might
convert any law, however benefcent,
into an instrument Of persecution and
| fraud
By the eighth section of the bill the
| United States Courts, which sit only in
]
CRATE, with the marshal and district at
torney, (snd necessarily with the clerk, |
/ although he is not mentioned), tOany part |
of the district, upon the order of the /
/ President, and there hold court for the 1
/ purpose of the more speedy arrest and 1
| trial Of persons charged with a violation /
l Of this act - and there the judge and |
/ the officers Of the court must remain,
upon the order Of the President, for the
/ time therein designated
The ninth section authorizes the Presi-
dent, or such person as he may empower
for that purpose, to employ such part of
the land and naval forces of the United
States, or Of the militia, rs shall be neces-
sary TO prevent the violation and en-
orce the due execution Of this act" This
language seems to imply 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 ope-
rate.
l 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
the black race of the South, have hith-
ertO lived together under the relations of
master and slave, capital owning labor;
now that that relation is changed, and as
to ownership, capital and labor are
divorced. They stand now each master Of
itself. In this new relation, one being nee
essary 10 the other there will be a anew adj
iustment which both are deeply interested
in making harmonious. Each has equal
power in settling the terms and il left to !
the laws that regulate capital and labor,
it is confidently believed that they
viii satisfactorily work ont the problem. 5
Capital It is true has more intelligence, {
but labor is never so ignorant as not to s
understand its own interests, not to know I
its own value, and not to see that capital {
must pay that value. This bill illustrates !
this adjustment. It intervenes between !
capital and labor, and attempts to settle I
questions ofpOlitical economy through the | q
agency OF numerous officials whose in I
terests it will be to foment discord be- j
tween the two races, for as the breach 1
widens their employment will continue, 5
and when it is closed their occupation d
viii terminate. 4
In all our history, in all our experience H
as a people living under Federal and '
State law, no such system as that con- n
templated by the details Of this bill has q
ever before been proposed or adopted. g
They establish, fOT the security Of the 4
cOlored race, safeguards which go inf 4
nitely beyond any that the General Gov /;
eminent has ever provided for the white
race. IN fact, thF distilgtlOu on race aud I
color is by the bill made to operate in n
favor of the e0lored and against the white Il
race. They interfere with the municipal "
legislation of the States, with the rela- q
tons existing exclusively between a Il
State Gni itsllu4ens, or between lnhabit-
ants Of the same State-an absorption a
and assumption Of power by the General o
Government which. If aruuiesced in, a
must sap aud destroy our iadcatlye sys- 4
lam nf limited powers and break down N
the barriers which preserve the rights of a
the States. II is another step, or rather 81
stride, toward Capitalization and the $
Of all legislative Posers in G.
the National Government. The ten n
dency Of the bill must be TO resusCitate (
the spirit Of rebellion, and to arrest the o
progress of those influences which are /,
more closely drawing around the States t.
the bonds OF union and peace, 4
My iamenteG predecessor, in his proc .
iamatiOn Of January ], 1858, ordered and i
declared that all persons held as slaves %
therein designated, We're, and thence I
forward should be free: and further, that -
the Executive Governmental the United n
States, including the military and naval +,
thereof would recognize and i
maintain the freedom Of such persons. q
Thisguarantee has been rendered especial "a
~ bbll dLhl AllA -sfElEl tt1C dAlitllu- N
menJofthe Constitution, abOlishing slave
~ throughout the United States. there
fore fully recognize the obligation to pro-
tect and defend that class Of our people j
whenever and wherever it shall BECOME ?
necessary, aud TO the flil extent compat- b
ible with the Constitution Of the United a
States.
Entertaining these sentiments, it only
remains for me to say, that i will
cheerfully cooperate with Congress in r
any measure that may be necessary for r
the protection of the civil rights of the e
freedmen, as well as those of all other q
classes Of persons Throughout tbs United /
States, hy Judicial process under equal u
and impartial laws In conformity with | I
the provisions Of the Federal C0nstitu-
ton. g
now return the bill TO the Senate, and a
regret that in considering the bills and ?
Joint f0rty-two il mum ber- u
which have been thus far submitted for V
my approval, / am compelled 10 with K
hold my assent from a second measure
that has received the sanction of both "
Houses OF Congress o
ANDREW JOHNSON. | a
WAsHrScToN, D, C., March 2 1850. Y
IgaiIroasis In the Southern states.
The facilities for the railroad travel i'm y