Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-04-04

mlssloned for that purpose by the President
of the United States and Superior Courts of
the Territories to appoint without limitation,
commissioners who are TO be charged with
the performance of quasi judicial duties
The fifth section empowers the Commission
ers so to be selected by the Court to appoint,
in writing one or more persons, from time to
time, TO execute warrants and other processes
desirable. By the bill these numerous of
cials are to constitute courts of police in adj
dition to the military, and are authorized to
summon a posse comitatLs, and even to call
to their aid such portion of the land and ma
val forces of the United States or of the mil
itia as may be necessary to the performance
of the duty with which they are charged
This extraordinary power Is to be conferred
upon agents irresponsible to the Government
and to the people, to whose numbers the dis
erection of the Commissioner is the only
limit, and in whose hands such authority
might be made a terrible engine of wrong.
oppression and fraud. The general statutes
regulating the land and naval forces of the
United States, the militia and the laws are
believed to be adequate for any emergency
which can occur in the time of peace. Ii it
should prove otherwise, Congress can at any
time amend those laws in such name as,
while subscribing the public welfare, not to
lJNSl@NNA6t ~ AlAAEANok eAAA ~ VIZ VI Nv
people.
the seventh section provides that a fee of
ten dollars shall be paid to each Commits
sioner in every case brought before him, and
a fee of five dollars to his deputies, for each
person he or they may arrest and take be-
fore any such Commissioner, with such 9TH
or fees as may be deemed reasonable by such
other duties as may be required in the prem
ises. All these fees are to be paid out of the
Treasury of the United States, whether there
is a conviction or not, but in case of cOnvic-
ton they are to be r. coverable from the de-
PENDANT. 1t seems to me that under the in
luence of such temptations bad men might
convert any law however beneicent into an
instrument of persecution and fraud.
By the eighth section of the bill the United
State Courts which sit only in one place,
must migrate with the Marshal and District
Attorney, and necessarily with the Clerk,
although he is not mentioned, to any part of
the District, upon the order of the President
and there hold a Court for the persons charg-
ed with a violation of this act, and there the
Judge and officers of the Court must remain
upon order of the President, for the time
therein designated.
The ninth section authorizes the President,
or any person lie may empower for that pur-
pose, to employ such part of the lind or ma
val forces of the United States, or of the
militia, as shall be necessary to prevent vio-
latiOn and enforce the due execution of this
act. The language seems to imply a perma-
nent military force, that is to be always at
hand, and whose only business Is to be the
enforcement OF this measure over the vast
region which it is intended to operate.
[ do not propose to consider the policy of
this bill. To me the details of the bill are
| r.o--IA ,-,4L Ill Tl,n ,-hs+o raoo onl
black race of the South have hitherto lived
together under the relation of master and
slave, capital owning labor. Now that re-
lation is changed, and as to ownership,
capital and labor are divorced. They stand
now each master of itself. In this new re-
lation one being necessary to the other, there
will be a new adjustment, which both are
interested in making harmonious. Each
has equal power in setting the terms and if
left to the laws that regulate capital and la
Dor, it is confidently believed that they will
satisfactorily work out the problem. Cap
ital, it is true, has more intelligence, but
labor is never so ignorant as not to under
stand its own interests, not to know its own
value and not TO see that capital must pay
that value. This bill illustrates this adjust
ment. 1t intervenes between capital and
labor, and attempts to settle the question of
political economy through the agency of
numerous officials, whose interest it will be
to foment discord between the two races, for
as the breach widens their employment will
continue, and when it is closed their occupa-
ton is gone. In all our history, in all our
experience as a people living under Federal
and State law, no such system as that con-
templated by the details of this bill has
ever before been proposed or adopted. They
! psta hlIShad for tho saaT1rIfv of tho aOlOra1
race safeguards which go infinitely beyond
any that the general Government ever pro-
vided for the white race. In fact the dis
~tinction of race and color is by the bill made
to operate In favor of the colOred and against
the white race. They interfere with the
municipal legislation of the State, with the
relations existing exclusively between a
State and citizens, between inhabitants of
the same State. 1t is an absorption and
assumption of power by the general Govern
ment which if acquiesced in must sap and
destroy our federative system of limited
powers, and break down the barriers which
preserve the rights of the States. 1t is an
other step or rather stride toward centraliza-
ton and contraction of all legislative powers
in the national government. The tendency
of the bill must be to resuscitate the spirit of
rebellion and to arrest the progress OF those
influences which are more closely drawing
around the States the bonds Of union and
and peace.
Nv lamented predecessor, in his proclama-
ton of the 1st of January, 1868, ordered and
declared that all persons held as slaves with
in certain States and parts of States, therein
designated, were and thenceforward should
be free; and further that the Executive Gov
eminent of the United States, including the
military and naval authorities thereof, would
recognize and maintain the freedom of such
persons. This guaranty has been rendered
especially obligatory and sacred by the
amendment of the Constitution abolishing
slavery throughout the Uni ed States. L
therefore fully recognize the obligation to
protect and defend that class of people when
ever and wherever it shall become necessary,
and to the full extent compatible with the
Constitution of the United States. Enter
tanning these sentiments, i. only remains for
me to say that I will cheerfully cooperate
with Congress in any measure that may be
necessary for the preservation OF the civil
rights of freedmen, as well as those OF all
other classes of persons throughout the uni
ted States, by judicial process under equal
and IMPARTIAL laws, and conformably With
the provisions of the Federal Constitution
l now return the bill to the Senate and re-
gret that in considering the bill and the
Joint resolutions, forty-twO in number, which
have thus far been submitted for my approx
al, | am compelled to withhold my assent
from a second measure that has received the
sanction of both Houses of Congress.
TSIgned, ANDREW JOHNSON.
Washington, D. c., March p, 1866.
~OS|
The Senate of Iowa on Friday, by a major
ity vote OF 33 10 u, passed a resolution in
structing the Senators and Representatives
in Congress from that State to use their in
hnence in favor of guaranteeing to the South
or, mo- 10 Hack md white full and com.