The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-03-13

RESPECTING THE FREEDMEN's BUREAU BILL.
( Mr. Vallandigham remarked the other day,
at meeting Cf the citizens of Dayton, Ohio,
that sit seems to devove upon the Democracy
exclusively to endorse the President in his
patriotic course" The eminent patriotism OF
Mr.. Vallandigham is known TO the country.
The tendency of the course which he would
call patriotic" can hardly be. misunderstood.
And his statement is entirely true. 1t does
deyolve exclusively upon the Democracy to en-
dorse the President in his tortuous course q
.Gl In pursuit oftllfs vocation of endorsement
the Argus takes occasion to controVert our re-
I cent statement, that ut appears that the
President at one time approved the Freed
mems Bureau Bill" The A,yls with its usu-
al felicity of style, calls this statement @foW
fabrication of the Radical leaders, invented by
them and sent by telegraph over the country
2 within an hour after the speech had been de-
Ivered." The argus is mistaken--if it is
proper to call that "inistake" which is in fact
mere assertion with the slightest possible or
probably no regard for truth. 4. 9..s ,g5s
The truth is the evidence on this point is
cumulative and very strong. A correspondent
of the New York Tribune announced week
before the bill vas vetoed, that the President
had informally approved it. Gen. Howard
lett Washington at still earlier date, with
fixed conviction that the bill was safe fit
could be got through Congress. To friend
expressing doubt about the Presidents posi-
ton, he is said to have replied, any dear sir,
that bill has been approved by the President,
over and over again." Gen. Towards aston
lishment and depression after the veto, may be
imagined. Stili another correspondent of the
New York Tribune writing after the Presi-
dent had acted, confirms the rumor that Mr.
Q johnson had previously declared himself salts
fed with the bill. Finally, the Washington
correspondent Of the Chicago Tribune asserts
aration, he had long consultations with the
President as to the provisions to be incorpor-
ated in them, and strove to conform to the
suggestions of the Executive, in order to make
sure of his appreciation Of the measures after
passage through Congress Mr.. Trumbull was
fully satisfied, by the Presidents assurances to
8 him, that he had succeeded in this, and that
2 they would receive the formal Executive in
dorsement at the proper time. 5 nada q
Yol Now if anybody chooses to sneer at this, as
the testimony OF newspaper correspondents,
! il must be remembered that Gen. Howard and
Senator Trumbull are made indirectly respon-
sible for its truth. We do not believe that
either of these gentlemen would suffer an un-
founded report of this nature to go uncontra-
dicted. 1t is significant fact too, that the
Presidents special friends in the Senate,
Messrs. Cowan, Dixon and Doolittle, voted
for the bill, and doubtless in accordance with
their latest information respecting the Presi-
dents views. After the Veto, they promptly
voted against the measure. ~. 3.
~ This cumulative weight of evidence seems
to us very unlike "foul fabrication" Ii the
President did change his opinion, as seems
almost certain, it would be very interesting to
learn when and why. .siele ~ ag a