American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1866-03-07
MIR. Trumbull's Review of the
Veto.

either House OF Congress than Mr.. Trum-
bulls review OF the Presidents Message
vetoing the Freednicu's Bureau BILL
Col. Forney's Chronicle gives the follow.
ing summary of its propositions
|. That the bill itself was inspired by
the annual message of the President Of
the United States, delivered to Jongres.
at the commencement of the present ses-
sion. The message, it will! be remember.
ed, expressed desire upon the part of
the President to secure all men in their
rights, and to protect the freedmen in all
the privileges guaranteed to them under
the Emancipation Proclamation aud, in
the Judgment of Mr.. Trumbull and hir-
ty-s,r Senators ,oho Uoted ,cith hin, tor 1t
IN the 18th Of .Johuary, the provisions of
this bill were eminently calculated to ac-
complish those objects.
III. That it was not, as the President
AYERS, an original measure, but simply an
amendment to the bill under which the
Freedmen's Bureau is now acting, and
which had the sanction of the Executive
himself, as well as the approval OF the
great majority of the loyal people of the
country. As an amendment, it removes
many of the Objectionable features of the
Bureau as now organized, simplifying its
ramifcations and making it more eff
cient.
III. That it was not intended as a per-
manent part of the administrative policy
of the Government--one of its sections
expressly stating, on the contrary, that it
shall remain in force "until otherwise pro.
vided by Law" just as all other laws Of
Congress are supposed to do. The won
der is that the President ever thought of
making such an objection to it as this
No such idea ever entered the mind of
any person who supported aud voted for
it.
~. That, instead of being an extrav.
agant and unnecessary expense to the
Government, it has indirectly saved us
m II ons of dollars which would other
wise have been wasted
V. That the Bureau did not contem-
plate feeding, clothing and educating the
refugees and freedmen, but was rather
intended to assist them in doing all these
things for themselves.
vi. That, instead of it being designed
exclusively for negroes, more Whites
have, in some sections and in many in
stances, been benefited by it than Blacks,
and that the proportion of Whites still
needing its assistance is equal to that Of
the negroes.
VII That there was an immediate ne.
cessity for the passage of the bill, be-
cause the original act creating the bureau
expires by Limitation in the mun b Of
May 1866.
VIII. That, instead of establishing
military jurisdiction over all parts of
the United States containing refugees
and freedmen, it simply extends it over
the officers and employees of the bureau.
And that in accordance with the recon-
mendation of Gen. Grant, in his report
to the President of his tour through the
South, transmitted to the Senate with a
message few weeks ago, it makes the
Bureau pais of the War Department
OF the Government.
TX. That the bill did not contemplate
the appointment of agents and other ofi
GERS IN every county or parish, excepi
the President should, in his judgment
deem such appointments necessary.
n That what the President terms the
unconstitutional features of the bill, con
ferring arbitrary powers upon the officers
of the Bureau, go no further than the
President himself aud the officers of the
army acting urder him have already
gone aud that it is competent for Con
gress to provide all rules aud regulations
for the government of the army and na-
Wy, to which all are subject, from the
Commander in Chief to the humblest
soldier or sailor. fa,N l!4ft. a. -
Xl. That, If the Rebellion is in all
respects a: an end, the President is still
exercising the war power, such as the
suspension OF the writ OF habeas orpus,
contrary to the Constitution, which ex-
pressly states that this shall not only be
suspended in time of invasion or rebel
lion; aud, as we have no invasion, and
the writ is not inoperation in portion of
the States, we must have a rebellion. =
Nil That, according to the census of
1850, there were not four million of
slaves in the United States, and that in
stead of this being measure to feed,
clothe, and educate four millions of freed
men, the report of Gen. Howard shows
that at no time was there more than. one
hundred and ferty-seven thousand per.
sons under the care or the Bureau, ffty-
seoen thousand Of achom ,oere White refu-
gees. 7-J-eA- -N e-'.s g
XIII. That, according to the sworn
statement of Gen. Fisk before the Com
mittee on Reconstruction, of the twenty.
five thousand persons fed by the Bureau
In Tennessee, seventeen hausdnd fre
hundred ,cere White refugees.
XIV. That, instead of the freedman
receiving protection from the civil Courts
OF the Southern States, aud being secu
red by them in his rights, these States
nave, almost without exception, enacted
through their legislatures laws with ref
erence to the freedman as Infamous and
oppressivess as the black code Of glsrery