The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-06-08
The Bureau in this state.

The Bureau In this state.
StWe find the following note in the
New York Herald. of the. I'd instant:
J. CHARLESTON, s. c.. May, 23.-Your
Charleston correspondence, under
date Of the 18th inst, reports as fol-
lows: I'm January last, General
Beecher fouud but two acres sorted
ont for planting on the whole of
Edsto Island. " Your correspondent
unwittingly omits the words. s.sin any
one patch,'' and confouuds Edisto
with Johns and Wadmalaw, adjacent
islands. -
In this connection, it may not be
out OF place to o~offer few sugges-
tions concerning the earlier organiza-
ton of the Bureau of Refugees and
Freedmen under civilian agents and
its present military form. Tho for
mer was made discreditable by the
character of its subordinate agents,
who seem to have been, with q few
honorable exceptions, good nlen with
out Judgment or shrewd men without
principle. .->
The military organization has seem
ed to work damage rather through
failure to establish any definite plan
for permanent arrangement of the
relation between freed people and
whites, and through jealous interfcr-
ence with military endeavors to or
ganize on practical basis. Charges
of malpractice by subordinate agents
have comparatively little to do with
the main issue. They may all be true
or mlsy be exaggerated.
AT present, the question is simply
this, can the two systems work to-
gethcr rs separate organizations? 1t
is evident they cannot. They can be
idle together, but if one works, it
disturbs the other; if both work, they
clash. AS an organizing force for
permanent arrangement, the Bureau
has accomplished little or nothing
here. General Order No. l, January,
1866, from Maori Sicklcs,
did the business, and the execution
of that order by military subordi-
mates settled the labor history of the
State for the present and probably
for coming years.
1t is true the Bureau has it's uses
aud renders some valuable services.
but these are countcrbalanced by the
seeming establishment of separate
sources Of redress to freed people and
whites, and thus nm increase of the
chances for collision and bitterness.
Does 1t not, then, commend itself
as u reasonable proposition, to secure
the benefits of both organizations by
combining them under one head and
hand-elther to add to commits
sioner of the Bureau military com
mand Of his department, or to endow
tue military commander with such
additional powers and duties as arc
now vested in the commissioner?
Thus we shall reduce two systems to
one, and be preparing to dispense
with that at no late day, or when ne
ccssity for it ceases 1t must come
to this sooner or later, and the sooner
the better.
AS q personal matter, l regret ex-
cecdingly to even seem to be in ante
gonism with an institution whose
object and aim is the welfare of the
freed people; but I know its object
cannot be attained except by cstab-
fishing them upon u basis of active
industry and Of mutual good will be-
tween themselves and their white
neighbors. l believe the chief work
crs Ill the Bureau to be honest and
sincere; but for six months past have
seen the failure to do what must be
done Hence, In no party spirit,
but simply rs one who has worked
hard during year past for the same
object for which the Bureau is estab-
hshed, l think it better to state Just
where the trouble now lies. Respect
fully yours,
JAMES G. BEECHER,
Brevet Brig. Gen Vols.