The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-06-26

Generals STEEDMAN and ,FULLERToN
have issued second installmcntOf their
report concerning the operations of the
Freedman's Bureau They have just
concluded an investigation Of affairs in
South Carolina, and report series of
outrages and fraud perrctrated by the
agents of the Bureau iu that State,
which is only eqnalled by hewron%s set
forth in tho previous report The prac,
tice of employing the negroes to labor
npon hired or coniiscated plantations for
the private benefit of the agent is very
common. Brigadier General Ely had
some eight OF ten plantations cultivated
in this way, the negroes being supported
at Government expense, and is probably
by this time almost as rich q man rs
BEN BUTLER. Soon after STEEDMAN aud
FULLERTON'5 investigation into the nice
little arrangements" of these fearfully
loyal" agents, General Ely resigned
his commission so "a to be no longer
within the clutches of military courts
However, he had made his pile and
conld afford to resign = This business
has become so general in the Southern
States that it has becom common
saying that one year in y Freedman's
Bureau agency is worth moro than The
Presidency.
Instances OF cruelty to tho Freedmen
on tho part Of the New England "patri-
OTIS, who run the machine are of every
day occurrence The condition of the
negroes is worse than whom in slavery,
and their new masters are moro hard
hearted and cruel than the Old The fol
lowing is an instance stated in the re-
port:
Twenty nine colored PERSONS man
women and children suffering from the
small poX, were crowded into one room,
about twenty feet by twenty four, and
placed Oh the bare floor, with NO bed
ding and their only covering was tho
blankets they brought with them These
poor creatures were left in this condit ION !
several days, some suf them dclifipas,
with only one black woman to attend
them, and without any nourihment
but meat aud moal. A number of TO |
spectacle old colorcd people attacked |
with smallpox wero thus taken from |
their comfortable homes and placed in |
this. room to die OF neglect Ono of this |
delegation assured lis that he called to |
see General Ely on several different DAYS |
to Inform him Of the suffering condition |
OF the freedmen in the smallpox hospital |
and was told on each occasion that the |
general could not DO seen, as he was alb
sent attending to his plantations. THAI
neglect of duty by General Ely was
complained of III Il hotter written by |
Beverly Nash, and Published IN a |
Charleston paper, devoted to the inter
ests OF the freedmen after the pablica
tion OF this letter, General Ely told Nash |
he did not like such statements made |
about him, and wished the freedmen to
get up some resolutions downing the
truth of the allegations published, Which
they refused to do. ~
Let it be borne in MUD that the ,,r;,,esi
and the swindliug EXPOSED
by investigation into tho present eon
dition of tho sFreedmeus Burr:iu; have
heen committed while the powers of the
agents were restricted 10y the present
law. What would have been the con
ditlon OF Freodmen's affairs had NOT
President JOHNSON Vetoed tho III Ito
enlarge the powers Of the Freslr,.;:,E. |,
Bureau" which was psssed by Aha .Ra
publican partyin Congress a few moD,h,
lgo, is almost impossible to Imagine Ifl !
'hese things were done in the green tree
what would be done in the dry 3 -