The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1866-03-01
m EssAGE OF THE PRESIDENT
Veto Of ilac Freedn ems Bureau
t41I .rruaess,u Bill. ,.rg.u..rs.r ..,r .a
To The Senate of the Enited States.

To the Senate of the United States .rr,
/ have examined with care the bill
which originated in the Senate and ha
been passed by the two Houses of Con
gress, to amend an act entitled, San ac
to establish bureau for the relief o
freedmen and refugees, and for othrl
purposes )" Having with much regre
come to the conclusion that it would no
be consistent with the public welfare t,
give my approval to che measure, re
turn the bill to the senate with my OBJ.
jections to its becoming law. a-n
I might call to mind, in advance o.
the objections, that there is no imme.
date necessity for the proposed meas
ure. The act TO establish bureau foi
the relief of freedmen and refugees
which was approved in the month o.
March last, has not yet expired. 1t wa.
thought stringent aud extensive enough
tor the purposes in view. Before il
ceases to have effect further experience
may assist to guide US to wise conclu
sion as to the policy to be adopted il
time of peace, have, with Congress
the. strongest desire to secure to the
freedmen the full enjoyment of Their
freedom and their property, and theil
entire independence and equality. il
making contracts for their labor. But
lie bill before me contains provisions
which in my opinion are not warranted
by The Constitution, aud are not wei
suited to accomplish the end in view.'
I'' The bill proposes to establish the au.
thority of Congress over all parts of the
United States containing refugees and
freedmen. 1t would in its very nature
apply with most force to those parts Of
the United States in which the freed
men most abound, aud it expressly ex.
tends the existing temporary iurisdic
tion of the freedmen's bureau will,
greatly enlarged powers over the States
in which the ordinary course of judicial
proceedings have been interrupted By
the rebellion. The source from which
this military Jurisdiction is to emanatc
is none other than the President of the
United States acting through the War
Department and tie Commissioners oI
The trecdmeu's bureau. N.
The agents to carry out this military
jurisdiction are to be selected either from,
the army or rom civilians. The coun.
Try is to be divided into districts and
sub-districts, aud the nuhlber of sa'a
| ried agents to be employed may be equa
to the number of counties or parishes ir
all the United States where freedmen
aud refugees are to be found. The snb
ects over which this military jurisdic
,,on is to extend in every part of the
United States include protection to al
employees, agents and officers of this
bureau, in the exercise of the duties
imposed upon them b., the bill.
La eleven States it is further to ex
tend over all cases etfecting freedmen
aud refugees, Disseminated against by
local law, custom or prejudice. IL
those eleven States, the bilf subjects
any white person, who may be charged
with depr:ving freedman of any civil
rights or immunties belonging to 4
white person, however, defining the
civil rights and imInunities, which arc
thus to be secured to the freedmen by
military law. This military jurisdiction
also extends to all questions that may
arise respecting contracts. The agent
who is thus to exercise the office of a
military judge may be a stranger ell.
tirely ignorant Of the laws of the place,
and exposed to the errors of Judgment
10 which all men are liable. The ex>
crcise of power over " hich there is no
legal supervision, by SO vast number
"f agents as is contemplated by the bill
must by the very nature of man, be at
tended by acts Of caprice, injustice and
passion. u #.u.... .0... .a.s'. .......,.
The trials having their origin under
this bill a'e to take place without the
intervention of a jury, and without any
fixed rules of law or evidence. The
rules OH which offences are to he heard
and determined by the numerous agents
are such rules and regulations as the
President, through the War Depart
men', shall prescribe. No previous
prcsentmenti is required, nor any indict-
mcnt charging the commission of crime
against the laws; but the trials must
proceed on charges and specifications.
The punishment will not he what the
law declares, but such as a court mar
tial may think proper, and from these
arbitrary tribunals there lies no ap-
cal, no right of error, to any of the
courts in which the Constitution of the
United States vests exclusively the ju-
dicial power of the country. While the
territory and the class of actions and
Offences that are made subject to this
measure are SO extensive, the bill itself
should it become a law, will have no
limitation in point of time, but will form
a part OF the permanent legislation of
the country. ~. .r ....t-. ......
| cannot reconcile a system of mill.
tary jurisdiction of this kind with the
words of the Constitution, which de.
clare that "no person shall be held TO
answer for a capital or otherwise in :,
famous crime, unless on presentment
or Indictment of a grand jury, except
III cases arising in the land or naval
forces, OF in the militia, when in actual
service in time of war or public danger
and that in all criminal prosecutions,
the accused shall enjoy the right to a
speedy and public trial by an impartial
jury of the State or district wherein
the crime shall have been com mitt, d."
The safeguards which the wisdom and
experience of ages taught our fathers
to establish in securities for the protec
ton OF the innocent, the punishment of
the guilty and the equal administration