Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1866-03-30

HE LIE DAiA dPPiE@ &AN4C " asa " sncDs
as well as to thosshhat have, a 70 those
Cd Vi have rot beea eaHaged in Eebebion.
|. may be assumed tha Ahis AathoEity
IS incident to the power granted to Con-
gress by the Constitution, as recently
amended, to enforce by appropriate Leg
isle.ion the article declaring that neither
slavery nor involuntary servitude, ex~
cept ~ punishment for crime, whereof
the. party shall have been duly convict
ed, shall exist within the United States
or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
1t cannot, however, be justly claimed
that, with view to the enforcement of
this article of the Constitution, there is
ct present any necessity for the exercise
of all the powers which this bill confers.
Slavery has been abolished, and at pres
ent nowhere exists within the jurisdic-
ton of the United States, nor has there
been, nor 10 il likely there will be, any
attempts to revive il by the people ofthe
States. However, if any such attempt
shall be made. il win become the duty
of the General Government to exercise
any and all incidental powers necessary
and proper to maintain inviolate this
law
The fourth section of this bill provides
that officers and agents of the Freed
mems Bureau shall be empowered to
make arrests, and that other officers may
be specially commissioned for that pur-
pose by the President of the United
States. 1t also authorizes the Circuit
Courts of the United States, and.the Sus
perior Courts Of Territories, to appoint,
without Limitation, Commissioners, who
are to be charged with the performance
of quasi judicial duties.
The 9th section empowers the Com
missioners 40 to be selected by the
| court, to appoint in writing, one or more
suitable persons from time to time, to
| execute warrants, and other processes
! desirable by the bill. These numerous
officials and agents are made to consti-
tute sort of police in addition to the
military, and are authorized to summon
posse conaitatis, and even to call to
their aid such portion of the land and
naval forces of the United States, or of
the militia, as may be necessary to the
performance of the duty with which
they are charged This extraordinary
power ia to be conferred upon agents ir-
responsible to the Government and the
people. The general statutes regulating
the and land naval forces of the United
States, the militia aud the execution of
the laws, are believed to be adequate for
any emergency which can occur in time
of peace. III ii should prove otherwise,
Congress can at any time amend those
laws in such manner as, while snbserv-
ing the public welfare, viii not leopard
the rights, interests and liberties OF the
people.
The seventh section provides that a
fee of ten dollars shall be paid to each
CommissioneEin every casa brought be-
fore Kim, and fee Of five dollars to his
deputy or deputies for each person be or
they may arrest and take before such
Commissioner in general for performing
such other dnties as may be required in
the premises. All these fees are to be
paid out of the Treasury of the United
States, whether there is conviction or
mot; but, in case of conviction, they are
to DO receivable from the defendant It
seems to me that uIder such TEN ptation
bad men might convert any law, howev-
err beneicent, into an instrument of per.
secution and fraud.
By the eighth section of the bill the
United States Courts, which sit only in
one place for white citizens, must mi
CRATE with the Marshal and District At
torney, and necessarily with the Clerk,
although he 10 not mentioned, to ary
part of the District, upon the order of
the President, and there hold court for
the purpose of the more, speedy arrest
and trial OF persons charged with vio-
lation Of this act, and there the Judge
and officers of the Court must remain
upon the order of the President for the
time therein designated.
The 9th section authorizes the Pfesis
dent, or such person as he may empower
for that purpose, TO employ such land or
naval forces of the United States, or of
the militia, as shall be necessary to pre-
vent the violation, and enforce the due
execution Of this act. This language
seems to imply permanent military
force, that Ia to be always at hand, and
whose only business 10 to.be the enforce
ment of this measure over the vast re-
gion where ID is intended to operate.
do not propose to consider the policy
of this bin. 10 me the details OF the
bill are fraugHt with evil. The white
race and black race of the South have
hitherto lived together under the relation
of master and slave, capital owning
labor. Now that relation is changed,
and as TO ownership, capital end labor
are divorced. They stand now, each
master of itself ID this new relation,
one being necessary to the other,
there will be new adjustment,
which both are deeply interested
in making harmonious. Each has
equal power 10 settling the terms, and
if left to the laws that regulate capital
and labor, it 10 confidently believed they
will satisfactorily work ont the problem.
Capital, it is true, has more intelligence,
but labor is never 30 ignorant as not to
understand its own interests, "a not to
know it's own value, as not to see that
capital must pay that value. The bill
illustrates this adjustment Itinteryenes
between capital and lobor and attempts
to settle the question of politica econ
omy through the agency Of numerous
officials who0e interest it will be to fer
ment diseord between the two races; for
as the breach widens, their employmenk
will continue, and when 1t is closed, their
occupation will end. In all our history,
in al our experience as q people living
under Federal and State law, no sueh-
system as that contemplated by the
details of this bill has ever before
been proposed or adopted They estab-
lish for the security of the colored
race safeguards which go infinitely be-
yond any of those which the General
Government has ever provided for the
white race. In fact, the distinction of
race and color 10 by the bill made to
operate in favor Of the colored against
the white race They interfere with the
municipal legislation Of the States, with
relations existing exclusively between
State and its citizens, and between in
habitants of the same State, and the alb
sorption and assumption of power by the
General Government, which, If acqui-
esced in, must sap and destroy our fede>
rative system of limited powers, and
break down the barriers which preserve
the rights of the States. It is another