Maryland free press., 1866-07-26
VETO OF THE FREEDMENsss ]
b., IeaS REAU HILL sdeztsu

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The President yesterday. returned othc House
of Representatives the Freedmen's Bureau Bill
without his signature, giving his reasons there
for The message was Immediately called up,
and the bill passed through each house by the
necessary, twp thirds vote, over the veto If the
President. The following is the, message of, the
President, assigning his reasons for withlIolding
his signature from the bill. =, i, t.St t@N
To the House of Representatipes "A careful ex-
animation Of the bill passed by the two houses OF
Congress entitled i..An, act TO continue in force
and to amend" An act to establish o bureauifor
the relief of freedmen and refugees, and for other
purposes" has convinced me that the legislation
which it proposes would not be consistent with
the welfare of the country, and that it falls clearly
within the reasons assigned in my message OF the
10th of February last returning without my sig-
nature similar measure, which originated in the
SER a1e- 1t is not my purpose to repeat the oil :
Jcctions which 4 then urged. They nre yet fresh
in your recollection aud can bc readily examined
as part of the records of one branch of the ma
tionL legislature. Adherins to the principles sci
fort1 j. that message, now lreafirnl them, and
and theiine of policy therein indicated.
The only ground upon which this kind of leg
isation can be justified is that of the war-makihg
lpower. The act of Which this bill was intended
as amendatory was passed during the existence
Of the war. By its own provisions it is to termi-
nate within one year from the cessation of hos
tilities and the declaration Of peace, lus, there
fore, yet in existence, and it is likely that it will
continue in ioic as long as the freedmen may re-
quire the benefit of its provisions. 1t will ccr-
tainly remain i'll operation as O law until some
months subsequent TO the meeting of the next
session of Congress, when, if experience shall
make evident the necessity of additional legisla-
tions the two houses will have ample time to ma
paeQ tlta In, tl,
meah time, the questions arise. Why should
this war measure be continued beyond the period
designated in the original act? and why, III time
of peace, should military tribunals be created to
continue until each ''Stae shall be fully ,,restor-
cd to its constitutional relations 10 the govern
ment, and shall be duly represented in the Con-
gress of the United States ~ -.... p. j.
II was manifest with respect to the act approx
ed March ), 1865, that prudence and wisdom alike
required that jurisdiction over all cases concerning
the free enjoyment of tue immunities and rights
of citizenship as well as the protection of person
and property, should be conferred upon some tri-
bunal In every State or District where the ordi-
nary course of judicial proceeding was interrupt
ed by the rebellion, and until the same should be
fully restored. AT that time therefore an urgent
necessity existed for the passage of some such
law. Now, however, war has substantially ceas d,
the ordinary course of judicial proceedings is NO
longer interrupted; the courts, both State and
alton, and through them every person, regardless
OF race and color, is entitled to and can be heard
Inc protection granted to the white citizen is al
ready conferred by law upon the freedmen :;
strong and stringent guards by way of penalties
and punishments, arc thrown around his person
and property, and it is believed that ample pro-
lection Will be afforded him by due process OF
law, without resort to the dangerous expedient OF
military tribunals, now that the war has been
brought to close. t p'
The necessity no longer existing for such tribu-
mails, which had their origin in the war, grave
objections TO their continuance must present
themselves to the minds of all rejecting aud dis
passionate men. lndeI evidently of the danger in
representative republics of comforting upon the
military In time OF peace extraordinary powers
so carefully guarded against by the patriots
and statesmen OF the earlier days of the republic
50 frequently the ruin of governments founded
upon the same free principle and subvcrsiye OF
tue rights and liberties Of the citizen, the question
oi practical economy earnestly conlnends itsel
to the consideration of the law-making power
With an immense debt already burdcning the
incomes OF the industrial and lahorine classes,
due regard for their interests inseparably con-
nected with the welfare of the country, should
prompt us TO rigid economy and retrenchment,
and influence 10 abstain from all legislation that
would necessarily increase the public Indebted
ness. Tested by this rule of second political wis
dom, can see no reason for the establishment
Of military jurisdiction" conferred upon the Of
icials of the bureau By the fourteenth section OF
the bill. -
BY the laws of the United States, and one one of
me allierent states, competent courts, Federal
and state, have been established, and arc now in
tull practical operation. BY means Of these civil
tribunals, ample redress is afforded for all private
wrongs whether TO the person or the property of
the citizen, without denial or unnecessary DELAY
They are open to all wthoutrcgard to color or
race. feel assured that it Will be better to trust
the rights privileges and immunities of The citi-
zen 10 tribunals thus established, and presided
over by competent and impartial Judges bound
by liked rules of law and evidence, and where
the rights oftrial by jury is guaranteed and Sc
cured, than to the caprice and Judgment of an
officer of the bureau who, il is possible may be
entirely ignorant of the principles that underlie
lhe Just administration Of the law. There is dan
ger, too, that conflict of jurisdiction will frequent
ly arise between the civil courts and these militia
ry tribunals, each having concurrent jurisdiction
over the person and the cause of acton-the one
Judicature administered and controlled by civil
law, the other by the military How Is the con-
flict to DC settled and whois to determine between
the two tribunals when it arises?i In nv epinion
it is wise TO guard against such conflict by lcay-
ing to the courts and juries the protection of all
civil rights and the redress of all civil grierof-
ces. ., ..4...s
The fact cannot be denied that since the actual
cessation of ,hostilities, many acts of Violence
such, perhaps, as had never been witnessed in
their previous history-have occurred in the
States involved in the recent rebellion. Tbelicye.
however, that public sentiment will sustain me In
the assertion that such deeds of wrong are moi
confined TO any partieule-, State or section, but
are manifested over the entire country---demon-
stlnting that tile cause that produced them does
not depend upon any particular locality, but is
the result of the agitation and derangement in
cident to long and bloody civil war While the
prevalence of such disorder must be kreaty de
plored their occasional and temporary occurrence
would seem to furnish no necessity for the extern
sion of the bureau beyond the period fixed in the
original act. Besides the objections l have thus
briefly stated, may urge upon your considera-
ton the additional reason that recent develope-
ments in regard to the practical operations of The
bureau in many of the States show thatiu numcr-
GUS instances it is used by its agents as b ii,ears
of promoting their individual advantage, and
that the freedmen are employed f th ..aivance-
ment of the personal ends Of officers, instead of
their own Improvement and welfare--thLs con-
frming the fears originally entertainer by many
that the continuation .oGsuchs d bureau for any
unnecessary length of time wond inevitably. re,
III il So lI,.,