The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-04-18
COLUMBIA, .,
The. Proolamatfon--The Bureau.

wednesday morning, April 10, AooO.
The Proolamatton--Ths Bursau.
A Washington correspondent OF "a
Cincinnati paper informs us Of an
interview between the President and
Gen. Howara-the only one since
:. the issue of. the! proclamation of the
Sd instant. He says: - -r3a
seThe General was regHived by ap-
pointment, and met Tcordinf well
come. He explained that he had
sought the interview for. the purpose
of learning without delay the effect
; which the proclamation was designed
to produce upon the. methods and
machinery of the Bureau. More
specifically, he wished to know whe-
ther martial law was now abolished,
Hnd with it the system Of military
courts established for the protection
of the otherwise unprotected freed
people.
ssfhe President replied, without
hesitation, that the proclamation was
q .decloratio,s Of policy and nothing
more; that it did not abolish military
courts; did not remove martial Law,
and was not designed to modify the
operations of the Bureau in any re-
spect whatever. On the contrary, it
was the Presidents expectation and
express desire that the administration
of the Bureau should be continued
as heretofore, and that all judicial
functions should be exercised as the
interests of impartial justice might
require. The President further OBJ
served that his proclamation would
he executively interpreted and admi-
nistered precisely as was the procla-
nation in regard to Tennessee AS
the States, or parts of States, gave
nnquestionable evidence of their en-
tire readiness to do impartial justice,
they would IN Individually and local
ly relieved 4 M military government;
not otherwis nor sooner"
On Saturday last, General Tillson,
the. Assistant Commissioner, tele-
graphed General Howard that he had
received the proclamation, and de-
sired instructions how to proceed,
now that martial law was abolished.
We published the reply yesterday,
but this correspondent adds that
General Howard at once sent the de-
spatch to the President, who, after
reading it, remarked that General
TiHson was in advance of his own
information, for he had not yet heard
of the abolition of martial law. The
President sent the despatch to the
&seretary Of War, and if the follow
ing despatch from the Associated
Press be correct, it will be seen that
there is still doubt as to the effect of
the proclamation o,ttside of the Freed
mems Bureau:
can order has been issued by the
War Department to all the Assistant
Commissioners of Freedmen in the
Southern States, instructing them to
inform the people that the recent pro-
clamation Of the President did not
release them from the operations and
government of military law. 1t is
cautiously worded, and, while not
declaring martial law in forco through
ont the late insurrectionary States, is
calculated and intended to create the
popular impression that such is the
fact. The order is kept close, and
not allowed to be given out for publi-
cation"
We see no good reason why there
should remain SO much uncertainty
as to the true intent of the proclama-
tion. We remain of opinion that
these dispatches refer exclusively to
the working Of the bureau and the
people under the charge of that insti-
tuition. The President declares the
rebellion at an end, and must SO be
regarded, and says emphatically that
If at peace, martial law and the sus-
pension of the privilege Of the writ
Of ha6eas corpus ought not to be sane
toned or allowed" So long as these
words stand onrecord duncontradicted
by their author, we must still hold on
to the opinion we have expressed
above.
PROSPECTS OF THE CHOLERA IN New
YoRK.--At a meeting Of the Board of
Health held in the city Of New York.