Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-01-18
THE GREAT MEASURE BEFORE CON.
GRESS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE


GRESS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE
FREEDMAN.
The press, the politicians, and the people
of the United States may discuss to any extent
they please our Mexican relations, our com.
plcations with England, or even the final re-
construction of the Southern States, bv the
admission of members of Congress; vet after
all, there is no question of such immediate
and pressing importance as the disposal of
the cOl0red race, since 1t is declared free En-
tering-as this question does-into almost
everything that bears upon the substantial
prosperity of the entire republic, duplicating
its reputation, too, for craftsmanship and
humanity, the freedmen must be disposed of
in some way that will at least not be discredit.
able or disadvantageous to the nation: and
looking upon these matters in this light. we
are proportionably well pleased when we see
at last movement in Congress to fulfil all
desirable conditions, by disposing of these
difficulties in manner the most obvious to n
common sense view of the case.
The bill presented in the Senate by Mr.,
Trumbull, making the Freedmen's Bureau
the great agency for the needed work. pro-
poses to so enlarge its powers and give tin
accordance with the suggestions of General
Grant-a thoroughly military character, that
there would seem no contingency it could not
after awhile meet; and broad to the degree of
the highest enlightenment in its advanced
views, IN the determination to make the col
ored man of use to himself. as well as the
nation, by gicing him an interest in the soil
and chance for education. we hail this com.
ing solution of the difficult problem presented
when he was suddenly made free, with the
highest satisfaction, and the best hopes of the
future for all concerned.
As the beginning corner Of the undertaking.
the whole region occupied by the freedmen is
to be divided into suitable districts. with off.
GERS Of higher or lower grade for every pos,
sible need; and so complete is this intended
to be, that the States may be provided for
even to the case Of each county in the same.
A supervision SO complete must meet every
possible demand; and as the Secretary of War
may issue supplies in all cases of absolute
need and provide for the immediate and tenn
porary shelter Of all refugees and freedmen,
their wives and children, under proper rules
and regulations, there is good reason to be-
lieve that the period-so much feared-of
utter restitution, disease and death-until they
may be able to provide for themselves, will be
gotten over with less Of suffering than has
been anticipated.
But the great provision that is to save the
freedman from going down before the cxtor-
ton or neglect of those who resent the new
condition of things, is that one, which on be-
half of the Government and upon certain con
ditions precedent provides him rith land
rlth q homestead. But for this. he could
have no possible good future But inasmucb
as the Government can appropriate three mil
lions of acres in three, amongst the best cot
ton growing States of the South-Florida
Mississippi and Arkansas-and proposes by
this bill TO allot forty acres each to the loval
refugees and freedmen, first for rent. and
afterwards for easy purchase, and as, besides.
the bill provides for schools and asylums,
there is nothing as it seems to us not looked
to in the plan devised.
There are other clauses in this bill which
provide III the most ample manner for the de-
fence and help Of the dependent class alluded
to; the intention being to throw the amplest
protection around it, where the States fail TO
do it.
And now the thing of the most pressing
need-as we consider tin the legislation at
Washington, is to press this matter to a con-
cluson with all convenient speed. Could this
bill be passed without needless delay, and the
Government through the War Department and
the Freedmen Bureau put the machinery in
motion requisite for good cotton crop. there
Is no telling the beneficial results that would
soon accrue to all concerned The whole
nation needs cotton; and the North does not
desire to continue rations to those who are in
no condition to earn them; whilst our trade
with Europe and the condition of the Treasury.
loudly demand that everything possible should
be done to provide large amount Of the great
staple. Only the passage of bill like this
will ever convince large portion of the plant
ing interest that the negro is not to continue
to the end of time abjectly dependents good
merely for the give dollars per month doled
out to him. 1t is in the interest, therefore, of
both whites and blacks, that enterprise and
labor should be stimulated that the utter
most that can be made out of the labor of
four millions Of blacks should come in TO
benefit every interest.
Finally, remembering that the South never
had population enough, whilst insane for more
territory; remembering that close cultivation
never did prevail down there laf tho ,,Io,,+a,
III they will pursue such policy-drive the
freedman to his ''forty acres" and supply his
place with white labor, and even that would
add vastly to the aggregate productive power
OF that section, because even in the past. the
negro, as rule, made the most of the
patch, great or small, allotted to him ON
the plantation in the olden time. We have
noticed only the leading provisions of the bill
in question; yetwe hope Congress will hasten