Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1866-03-02
Speech of Mr.. Trumbull,
of Illinois,
I'm the Senate OF the United States,
February 30, 1866,
believing the Veto Message.

The conclusion Of the speech of Garrett
Davis, of Kentucky, said it had been bis
desire that the various departments of
the Government should harmonize in
the restoration Of all the States to their
full constitutional relations in the Union.
We quote:
WHAT THE FREEDMEN's BUREAU IS.
What is this amendment to the Freed.
mems Bureau bill ? 1t ia not an origi-
nal measure, tits not measure estab-
fishing a Bureau, but it is merely
amendatory Of an act already in exist
ence; nor does il, as seems 10 be sup
posed by some, materially enlarge the
powers of the Freedmen's Bureau as it
already exists. II is an entire misap-
prehension to suppose that such was the
object of the bill, or such its effect. 1t
does little more than give the sanction
of law 20 what is already being done
without any statute authorizing II. The
Freedmen's Bureau, as / have said, al
ready exists. Courts are held by the
Freedmen's Bureau throughout the en-
tire region of country where that Bu-
reau is in operation. Under the military
authority of the United States, laws in
consistent, as is believed, with : the
safety Of the Government, and incom-
patible with military operations, are set
aside at this time in all those States.
The object of the bill was to continue in
existence the Freedmen's Bureau-not
as q permanent institution. Any such
attempt was disavowed during the dis
cussion Of the bill. It is true, no time
is expressly limited in the bill itself
when it shall cease to operate, nor is it
customary to insert such clause in
law; but it is declared that the bill ahall
operate until otherwise provided by law
Il is known that the Congress- of the
United States assemblies every year, and
no one supposed that this bill was to es-
tablish Bureau to be ingrafted upon
the country as a permanent institution
far from it. Nor is il bill that is in.
tended to go into the States and take
control of the domestic affairs of the
States.
The original bill and this amendatory
bin together simply designed to provide,
not for four millions of emaEeipated
slaves aud millions Of refugees, but only
for the indigeHt, for those who we're I'M.
able to take care of themselves, and thai
temporarily, until provision could be
made SO that they could become selfsup.
porting. In. consequence of the war
thousands of Union men had been driven
from their homes all over the South, and
particularly was this the case in Ten~
nessee. They had been stripped of their
property. Women and children had fed
destitute from their homes. They flock
ed around our armies, and during the
whole progress of the war they were fed
by our supplies. So also with the freed
men, Congress at an early day passed
law declaring free all slaves who should
come within the lines of our army. They
came flying within our lines, without
clothing, without hats, oitentimes wound
ed, foot-sore and distressed. Many OF
them entered our ranks 10 fight for the
cause of the country, and others we fed
and clothed.
While the war was progressing, and
while the people were focking around
our army, on the-3d of March, 1865, not
yet one year ago, the Congress of the
United States passed law to systema.
tize the clothing and feeding of thess
destitute people, not take them from the
charge of the military establishment, bul
to create special department of tht
military establishment whose duty i
should be to look to their pressing wants
That was called the Freedmen's Bureau
and officers were assigned chiefly from
the army TO take charge, of it.. Since
that time the conflict of arms has ceased
but there are still on our hands some Of
these destitute people who must be pro-
vided Fora far less number than would
have bean. on our hands if no system
had been devised for taking care of them,
for finding them employment, for settling
them upon tracts of land whenever il
could be done; and / undertake to say
that there has been saved to the Govern
ment millions of money By the estab.
hshment OF a system through which EN-
ployment was procured for these people
and they became self supporting who
otherwise might have been entirely de-
pendent on the bounty of the Govern
ment for support. fR
Since the Freedmen's Bureau was or
ganized, an amendment has been adopt
ed to the Constitution of the Unite,
States, declaring that slavery shall ~
longer exist within the Jurisdiction of tn
United States. By virtue of that enact
ment hundreds of thousands of slave
have become free. They have becom
free in the midst of hottie population
They have become free without any of thi
worlds goods, not owning even the hat
upon their heads or the coats upon thei
backs, without any supplies of any kind
not knowing where to obtain the mex
meal to save them from starvation
Something must be done to take care {
these people, and the Freedmen's Bu
reau has been endeavoring to do tina
something The Freedmen's Burea
has not had the jurisdiction of the fou
millions people formerly in slavery.
has had jurisdiction of but very smal
number of them, as shallshow befor
1 sit down, from the official records; an
this measure, which comes to us de
nounced as unconstitutional, as a grea
public charity, as an institution built u
to cloths and feed, and take care of an
sAknlb1 EDnSCS 6uu MONIES IOr IOur NIL
lion people, il designed only to find EN-
ployment for the destitute, the ignorant
and the unproyided-for people, who ar
few in number compared to the gree
number Of blacks in the country; an
not simply for the freedmen, but for th
white refugees; and before / sit down
snail show that more white refugees, j
many instances, have received supper
and supplies from the Government. an
from this Freedmen's Bureau. than "a
blacks.
ARE WELT WAR Oh HAVE WE PEACE +?
By the terms of the act II was 10 CON
tinue during the present war Of reh 01
lion and for one year thereafter" Gov
when did the war of rebellion cease q
far as the conflict of arms is concernef
vesaH admit that the war of rebellio
ceased when the last rebel army lai
dewuits arms, and that was sometime i
the month of May, when the last arm
in Texas surrendered to the Union force
SO that the present Bureau must, by il
own ahmitaii0Es expire within one yes