The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1866-08-24

States army, being about to bemuster-
ed out of service, wrote TO his wife, re-
ouesting her not to contract for more
than month or two al time, as ne
intended to return home as soon as ne
was mustered out, and set up shop and
90 to housekeeping. His wife accord
ingly declined at first to make a long
contract, but was finally compelled to
engage herself for a year. The soldier
on his return, went to the plantation
where his wife was working and ap-
piled for her release, bot failed to get
her. He then sent a written statement
Of the case to an agent of the. Bureau,
who forwarded it to the Assistant Com
missioner of the state. 1t was return
ed from headquarters with the follow
ing endorsement:
''Inasmuch as the wife of VIM. Car
ter has made Il contract for the year
1866 she must observe its requirments.
fhcsub-c0mmiSsiOner will infUrnI VIM.
Carter that the interests Of the freed peO-
pie religiously observing their agree
ments are paramount to the wishes of
individuals, and that the power Of the
Bureau will only be used to protect
hem from manifest injustice. There
leing no positive evidence of such in
Justice in this ease the Bureau has no
interference to maken
Ii is evident that this officer cOnsid-
ers Il labor contract more sacred than a
marriage contract.
The system Of contracts now existing
in the South, and enforced by the Bu-
eau is simply slavery in a modified
.orm. What is the difference to the ne
gro whether he is sold foriiv dollars or
.ortive thousand; for thirty years to
thirty masters, or for thirty years to
one master? Itis involuntary seryitude
in either case, and a practical defeat Of
The Emancipation proclamation of the
.amented President Lincoln. If the
freedman leaves work to seek employ
ment at better wages he is arrested asa
vagrant by order of the Freedmen's
Bur an, and pat to labor on the roads,
with balIaud chain, as is provided by an
order recently issued byGeneral Scott,
Assistant Commissioner for South
Carolina. If fatigued from overwork
he desires rest for a day; if he leaves the
plantation toViSit relative orfriend it
is made penal offence, and a fine of so
is imposed, as will be seen by Circular
No. II of General Kiddoo, Assistant
Commissioner for Texas, hereto annex
ed and marked f. Ifhe refuses to con-
tract at all he is arrested by the Bureau
Provost Marshal and sold for Il few dol
lars to the nearest planter, as in the
case Of Captain Morse of New Orleans,
already referred to. The coercive pol
icy adopted by the Bureau in this and
other respects has been made a justili-
cation for the discriminating legi~Ia~
ton Of some of the Southern States. The
only remedy against a white man fora
breach of contract is suit for damages,
and we can see noreason why the same
remedy should not be applied and con-
ceded in the case of the black man. The
freedman has nothing to sell but his la
Dor, and we are strongly of opinion
that he ought to be permitted to obtain
for it the highest price it will bring. If
ne a freeman it is neitherjustnorIaw-
him and certainiynot just or law
ful for an officer of the Freedmpn's Bu-
reau 10 do so than for Southern plan
ter.
JAS. B. STEEDMAN, ! Con,,rs
J. \. FULLERTON, o'ih 10