The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-03-14
Letter from the Federal Capital.
WASHINGTON. March 10, 1866.
III - a.

and honor of their party into TIE pochetS " "
few leaders, and then requiring the rank anu
fla to .oo IL blindn-= In that party the mea-
snre of oleration accorded to free thought and
individual opinion has of late years been
about the same as in the Roman Catholic
Cl,urcb. and the liberty of action such as is
allowed by the drill of the Russian service. To
this perfection otparty discipline the Union Re-
publcans have never attained, OR even aspireJ.
While agreeing perfectly upon the grand and
vital principle of their organization, that 'all
men are created free and equal" they have al
ways differed much in minor matters. So it
very naturally happens that when the repre-
sentative men of the party came together in
Congress last December, they did not think
alike. The task before them was one OF mo-
mentous importance and corresponding dlfil-
Guilty. Had they seen fit, they might, without
thorough investigation or mutual advice nave
hastily framed and adopted ''policy," ana
then regardless of developments, have made Oh
it Procrustean bed, to fit which, every lacC
and event must be hewed or Stretched Ihey
did not do this, however, and l believe the
country. thanks them for not doing it. Ii
there has been any more delay on the part OF
Congress in the work of reconstruction than
is justified by the intrinsic difficulties and ex-
cee,ling gravity of the case, that delay, as was
concusiyely shown by Senator Fessenden the
other evening, is not chargeable to Congress-
How much the failure to obtain, during sew
eral months, information thrice asked for
information Of the utmost Importance in Or
der to correct conclusions respecting the con-
dition of the rebellious States,-has delayed
the action of Congress, need not be set forth
at large. Nor is it necessary to point out par
ticularly, how greatly any inchoatc policy OF
Congress has been cramped and hindered in
its development by policy previously con-
ceived, hard, unyielding, and impinging upon
it at almost every point. That Congress has,
In the popular judgment, done the best it
could, under all the difficulties, necessary and
unnecessary, which it has had to encounter
that the people are satisfied with their serv-
ants and are not to be misled by any carping
criticisms, we have had during the last week
or two the clearest and most gratifying proofs.
While all this is well understood, however.
i; may not be quite so clear to the public
mind to what degree the late amazing devel-
opments on the part of the Executive have en-
HANGED the difficulties and complications by
which Congress has been beset in the work of
reconstruction. So long as the President was
believed to sympathize with the great pro-
gressiye party of the country, legislators went
steadily on, in the confidence that, though
specific features of particular measures might
need to be modified in order to meet his views.
the most important legislation then maturing
would meet his approval; and in the further
confidence that wherein grave difference
might be found to exist, mutual kindness and
confidence, and strict adherence of each CO.
ordinate branch otis own legitimate business,
would avert serious collisions. All this is now
changed. Although the, difficulties of the
new situation are as yet only partially devel-
oped. yet the degree to which nearly all i'm
portant legislation now pending has been dis
arranged and embarrassed can hardly be ex-
aggerated. There are now, to illustrate, five
several Freedmen's Bureau bills before Con-
gress, viz: one introduced by Senator Doolit-
tie, Dec. 10, authorizing the President to ex-
tend the Bureau wherever there are freedmen,
and to withdraw it whenever he shall be salts
fed that "the insurrection has been suppress
ed, the civil authority of the United States
has been re-established," the local laws SO moo :
fled as to secure all civil rights of persons anu
property without distinction Of class, race or
color, and providing that the President may re-
establish the Bureau any time within five
years after its suspension or withdrawal from
any State Or part of a State in which the
above named conditions may have failed, and
also tor submitting the rules and regulations
Of the Bureau to Congress for its approval;
another intro 1uceI by Mr.. Eliot, Jan. s, some
what changing the present Bureau, and ex-
tending its duration till otherwise provided by
law; another still, introduced by the same
Representative, March Z. intended, doubtless,
to take the place OF the former, modifying the
present Bureau, and extending its operations
three years; one introduced by Senator Will
in force two years, and extending it into all
States or parts of States where slaves have
been emancipated by the war or Constitution
al amendment; and finally one by Represent
alive Beanan, extending the care and super
vision of the Bureau to all "loyaI refugees and
freedmen" and continuing in force five years.
Some one of these bills, or one compounded
of parts OF them, will probably pass Congress,
but what measure of protection can be secur-
Ell to the freedmen by Congress, Or how long
they will enjoy what they now have is
matter of the merest speculation.
And here let me say in passing, that al
though some treat this matter of protection
for the freedmen lightly, and seem rather glad
of some pretext for eyading their responsible
ties, yet so long as returned rebel soldier
can tie up a black Unionist in Kentucky, and
for tile crime of having given useful informa-
ton to our troops during the war, deliberate
ly whip him to death in the presence of his
a,onized wife and children; SO long as others
of the like sort can murder and roast inof1end-
ing negroes at will: SO long as the provost
more orderly rebel States, can report week
ly average of four hundred cases coming be-
fore the Bureau, of which one-ifth are cases
of robbery, assault, murder, and attempt to
murder; SO long as many parts of the South
are rife with deeds that would beseem the
vestibule Of hell, and all this with impunity so
far as State courts and local authorities are
concerned,-so long will the guilt of innocent
blood rest upon us as people. The civil
rights bill, which, could it become a law,
would do much to suppress these enormities
and which has more than once seemed near a
vote in the House, has been re-committed.-
Its fate, should it pass Congress, is entirely
uncertain, SO far, at least, as / can learn
though the balance Of opinion seems in favor
of its chances to become law