The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-03-11

I
But Tennesses is excluded entirely :ror
your legislative halls. True, seats upon il
fioor are grudgingly given her members 9
silent spectators aud a matter of courtesy
while Congress considers whether she is j
or out Of the Union. Three long month
have passed away, aud 1he Committee q
Fifteen have, after intense labor, decide
that her representatives and those Of tbs
rest Of the iusurrectionary States shall no
be admitted until Congress shall say Sc
And yet by the Constitution each House G
! Congress, and not Joint Committee Of I'll
teen, composed Of members Of both Houses
IS 70 judge Of the qualifications of its Owl
members, to admit or reject them as the
may decide. This is a practical recognition
Of secession. It is sn acknowledgment, il
fact, of the success of the rebellion and tn
dissolution of the Union; or it is an expul
sion Of Tennessee, as a punishment for TIT
treason of a portion Of her citizens.
Now, gentlemen, all this is without Law
and against right. It is against the organi
law OF the land, and cruelty unjust to Ten
nessee. ! know the people OF that State
l know them we'll. ! have lived among he
people for more than two years, during tn,
deaOlation and suffering brought upon then
| by this war. / knew them under circum
stances which ELECTED their true traits O
character. l saw among them old men
women, and children, who had never known
q want, turned out Of house and home, strip
ped of their property, and left utterly -desti
tute, and yet 1 seldom heard a murmur. They
accepted it all incident TO the war, and
were brave enough to suffer and be still
They are brave, generous, and chivalriC
people, and any pledge they ever make i.
/ worthy OF implicit trust and confidence, and
they have in every form pledged adhesion
TO the Government.
Yet this is the treatment they receive al
the hands Of these men. And these are the
men who have made war upon Andy John
son. These are the captains of the North
ern seCessIonists or expulsionists - those
who would destroy the Union for party pur-
| poses. Mr.. Sumner, in the United States
] Senate, charged President johnson with
| ''whitewashing" traitors. Mr.. Stevens, in
! the House, charged him with having COM
mItted enough usurpations to have caused
the loss OF the head OF any English monarch
within the last two hundred years. They
| are at the head Of those who denouuce An
| drew Johnson, as q traitor Aye, traitor
Andrew johnson, of Tennessee, a traitor
| Who is Andrew Johnson pu tell you
| He is a man-eYery inch q man In
mense applause. And he who inIimates
that an unpatriOtic sentiment or thought
ever had place in his heart is unworthy Y
the liberty he enjoys, and for which An
drew johnson so long struggled, and is
struggling for still. Long continued ap-
Flsuse. Those who charge him with trea-
son know little what true loyalty Is. And
| they know nothing of what Southern loyal
" cast a Southern man. His love of cOun-
try prompted Andrew Johnson to turn his
back upon his home, his property, and his
friends, whilst those who denOunce him as
4 D.. a
lost nothing. And, after all he has done
ard endured for his country, pet party
scheme (the Freedmens Bureau biliJ, un-
constitutional, outrageous, and oppressive
IN all Its features, was presented 10 him for
his approval, which his conscience, his
Judgment, and his official oath required him
to dIsapprove, and Tor such disapprOval he
is denounced as q traitor II was but an
effort 10 apply the party lash; but he would
not submit TO it. This is clear when We
recOllcct that the agents Of the Freedmen's
Bureau, under a law Of Congress much like
the bill vetoed, and which will not expire
for a year, swarm through every Southern
State 10 Oppress and harass the people and
TO incite a war between the white aud black
races. Ii the Ereedmeu's Bureau is needed
in the Southern States we have it there al
ready, and must have it for year 10 come,
without any new enactment. But because
he would not caress this party pet needless
ly thrust upon him be must be accused Of
treason and scurrilously abused and de
nOunced ali over the land. And these men
thus wantonly threw down the gauntlet to
the President. They deliberately attempted
to rule him, 10 control him, or to break
with him. They essayed to drive him,
but they utterly mistOOk their man. Zap
plause.
NJ, -, g a. OF r,,,,,,, &c gt,,., nh 10, 90,
bitterly denounce the President on account
of the Bureau bill' are prompted by parti
san feelings merely. am sure they do not
understand or appreciate the odious feature
of the bill itself. Indeed, I doubt whether
one in hundred has carefully read 1t; and
because the " COpperheads" approve the
veto, they think, OF course, they should not.
And Union men are econstantly asked If they
will 90 with the 'COpperheads?' and they are
a good deal horrifed at the very thought. So
it was in kentucky at the beginning Of the
war. The pro-slsvery feeling there then
was fierce and proscrIptIye. That instltu-
ton has since gone down, thank God never
to rise again. lApplause.l And we Union
men were asked by the aboltlonists If we
would Join the abolitiOrists in what they
called the subjugation Of the South, Gust
about as hard question as any man could
answer in the affirmative, and say his life
was his OWN, but there were those who
did answer, and we said, "Yes; if the devil
himself will help US in this struggle, let him
come, and we Will take what help he can
give" Laughter and applause And now,
to-day, when some of US say that this Freed
mems Bureau bill is unconstitutional, op-
pressive, and ought not to be passed, men
tell US We are traitors, and ask us if we are
going with the Democrats, the Copperheads,
and the rebels. We say ne! We are going
nowhere; and we tell those gentlemen to
mind that they do not abandon their posi-
tion because the Democrats happen TO agree
with them.
Andrew johnson now occupies the position
he has occupied throughout the long war,
and if those men come to him is it right that
we should leave him2
Indeed, ! wish every man in the United
! States was in favor Of his policy, and we
| should soon have such peace and quiet and
prosperity as we have never seen before.
As great deal is said about this Freed
| mems Bureau bill, wish 10 call your atteu-
| tion to it for a fewI moments; for do not
| think that one man in q hundred, who cor
| rectly understands it and appreciates the
action OF the agents under it, would favor
| its passage The bill is conlessedly uDcou-
| stitutional, admitted and intended to be so.
It confers powers CongressIhas no right to
| give 10 any tribunal, much moro to private
| individuals. II sweeps away and requires
| the agents to disregard the laws and Con-
| stituuons Of every State where it is put in
| force; and any Individual or official who
| denies TO negro, on account of his color,
| any civil right possessed by the whites, is
10 be taken up by the agents OF this bureau,
| and hned or imprisoned, or both, IN sum
| not exceeding $1,000, and imprisonment
| not exceeding one year. And it gives
power TO these agents to Try and determine
an matters relating TO the col1red popula-
| tiou, and places the army of the United
States as pOsse ut their backs to enforce
! their judgments.
A negro who claims a debt Of $50 Of a
1 white man goes TO the agent of this Bureau,
makes complaint, and the agent tries and
| decides the clslm as a court. Now, the
! judicial power of the United States, by the
| Federal Constitution, "sna.l be vested IN
one Supreme Court, and in such inferior
| courts as Congress NAV from time TO time
| ordain and establish" And the Conyiitu-
ton declares that "The judges Of both the
| Supreme and inferior courts shall hold their
Offices during good behavior" And vet
here judicial powers that Congress cannot
confer even upon judges CT courts are con-
ferred upon irresponsible iudividuals-
| agents OF TINS bureau. IN tins the viola
ton of the Constitution is so palpable, so
asgraut. and so bareiaced that no one can
faiI 10 see it, for these agents are empowered
10 hear and determine all matters pertain
ing 70 the colored population.
| Matters of Indebtedness, and all matters
Of tort done or supposed 10 be done 70 the
negroes, such as assaults and batteries, Ii
bel. etc, etc, may be so tried, and without
| a Jury.
II Is slso declared by the Federal Cousti-
tution that Hthe trial OF all crimes, except
I'M cases of impeachment, shall be By iury;''
/ and "that no person shall be deprived o:
life. liberty or property without due process
Of law;" and that in speedy and public
trial by an impartial jury; and that ''suits
of common law, when the value in contro-
versv shall exceed twenty dollars, the right
of trial by jury shall be preserved"
VOW al these provisions are openly snd
hrszenly violated aad held f1 slaught By
ltbis bill; and no man can stand up before
; the people and deny the fact, for it cannot
I he disputed. And yet the President Is de.
/ nounced and traduced eli over the country
= because he would not violate his oath bg
= approving this bill.
D And why complain Of the President foi
not violating his oath? By the laws oi th'
{ / Southern States negroes may not De vi ness
4 | IS In certain cases, which Is wrong, m m.
20 | judgment, but nevertheless lt ls the las
. | but the right % be 8 witness BE- ciyil right
| "a ttes hfU rorfare that rirht upou tn