Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-07-12
ms ISFAIOUs NANAGEMENT.

ITS INFAMOUS MANAGEMENT
The Washington BepaJiiara publishes tn
following communication:
- S. c., June %, lSG6.-JTr. Editor: -
As it was impossible for Generals STEEDMAH
and FULLERTON to find out and expose al
the frauds and corruption Of the Freedmen
Bureau during their tour, / propose 20 give
you a sketch Of some OF ITS enOrmities
These officers would have found ont NOR,
than they did, but the immense and truly
terrific power welded by the bureau Oficenl
makes both black and white afraid 10 opeI
their lips. We all know that these officer.
exercise an underlined and undefinable au.
thority. Neither the kind nor degree OF
punishment for any kind Of oliense is known
If person commits an oiiense, he does not
know whether he will be fined or imprisoned
or whether the fine viii be one dollar or one
thousand, or whether the imprisonment will
be one day or one year.
Who would dare 70 INFORM against an in
stitution, and that the pet institution Of the
Government, when il yields such terrific
power? In the beginning Of this institution
lts administration was awful. The most sub
ordinate officers exercised authority which
the President Of the United States or the
Gar of Russia would not have thought Of
doing, and the people knew Of no mode or
manner-Of redress These subordinate Off
GERS went SO far a. 10 Danish citizens from
their States, and in hnndfeds Of instances
private property was seized and sold because
the officer believed il to belong to the Gov
eminent, and particularly was this the case
with cotton. One Of my neighbors had sold
a lot Of cotton 10 another neighbor during
the war, for Confederate currency, and the
neighbOr who had sold the cotton, knowing
the underlined authority Of the Bureau Off
GERS, stated the case 20 the officer Of his
District that although he had sold the cot
ton, yet the money which he had long since
received, was now worthless, and if he, the
officer, would return his cotton-he whisper
ed in his ear that the officer might have part
of il.
Accordingly the parties were summoned
The cotton had been bought and paid for,
but as the consideration for the cotton had
failed, the cotton was ordered TO be returned
10 its original owner, which onier was en-
forced. Two Of my neighhors had diff
Guilty about a fence the Bureau officer or
dered them 10 appear before him, and after
having the parties before him for two days,
he told them that he could not settle their
difficulty, but that they must pay him SO
each for his trouble a citizen ,vits impris-
oned for striking freedman for two months,
but after being in Jail for two days he was
informed by the officer that il lac would pay
"a fine Of 500 he should be released The
citizen did not have but $50, and offered his
all TO be released. The $50 was accepted.
Two citizens snapped horses about six
months after the swap one Of them COM
planned 30 the Bureau that lac had been
cheated, and the officer, without summOn-
ing both parties before him, gave the party
who applied for redress an order to take his
horse wherever lac could find him, which he
did. rr.rsrrat
An old lady having official business with
the Bureau, after the business was transact
ed in her simplicity asked what she had to
pay. Give dollars" was the reply. She
said she did not have but two dollars. chat
will do" said the officer A citizen logged
one Of his servants. He was reported by
the servant. The citizen sent his carriage
for the officer. and requested him to come
ont and spend the night which he did. The
next day the freedman came up as directed,
but was informed that his employer had
made il all right, aud that lac must go back
and attend % his work; that he could do
nothing for him Almost every man had an
army saddle IL was a common thing for
the citizen 10 be allowed 10 retain his saddle i
upon paying a small sum Of money. The
officer issued an order that all idle persons
should be put to work upon the streets
There was a certain very distinguished ex-
member Of the United States Congress and |
lawyer, Who it appears, spent most of his
time talking at the corners. He was in
formed that the Provost Marshal wished 10
see him. The eK-member was asked il he
had not seen the order against idiers He
replied that he had. The officer said: "Aly
soldiers, colored, inform me that You have
no employment 81 have profession, but |
business is duh now" "Well, sir / cannot |
make any discrimination between white and
colored in this particular" A great many
planters came 10 this State 10 get laborers
Cor their farms in the West and, as the ne
gro was generally ayerse 10 leaving his old
friends those wanting the laborers paid the 4
soldiers from two 10 five dollars per head for
each negro they could get TO 20 TO the West,
and throughout the months Of January,
February and March, the Bureau seemed 10
have no other business hut 20 hire negroes
TO 90 to the West. 1t paid well but the
dirtiest, most corrupt and most stupendous
frauds have been perpelrated by those off
GERS who have engaged In planting.
The citizens of this country knowing that
the labor of the country was under the con-
troll of the Bureau they have in hundreds,
yes thousands Of instances, made arrange
ments with the Bureau officers to share the
profits of the farm, provided they would as
sist ia furnishing and Coutrolling labor.
And / never knew one 90 decline an offer Of
this nature. And many officers, through
the means Of the Bureau are CARRYING on
the most stupendous farming operations. If
= = ffs,.A
90 reap the results of his plantation for this
wear. he cannot make less than two thousand
bales Of cotton, and all at the expense of the
Government / reported the tyrannical ex-
actions of the officer of my district TO his
immediate suPeriors but as they were guilty
of the same thing no attention was paid 90
my report, so ! wrote directly to President
JoHNsoN. Ny report was ordered 10 be in
vestirated and the officer was relieved from
duty. All persons should make their COM
plaints directly % che Presidents and they
win be attended to otherwise they viii
never be noticed. The officers Of the Bu-
rcau have the entire control of all of our la
bnr. They boast that they have our fingers
in vice. and they can make us do as they
please. r........-..-...t
could multiply instances Of fraud and
corruption, but think itunuecessary. j have
no doubt but thai things ue az bad ~ other
States a. tiie,- are In Sonth Carolina, and
tbe worst feature is that there are no records
kent bv these officers Of their transactions,
which fact iho Generals investigating the
conduct of the Bureau have officially no.
ticcd.
must mention another act of The Bureau.
4 freedman died. His goods and chattels
were taken possession by the oihoers In
few DAYS relative of the deceased called 70
Get the effects owned by the deceased. lie
was informed by the ofioers that he could
get them by paying ten dollars. The money
was maid The next day another person
called to get the effects Of the deceased. He
was informed that they bad been turned over
10 another party; but was informed that #
he would pay five dollars he could get an
order 10 take the goods in question, which
he did and in this manner Is he Bureau
daily administered. d.
GENERAL FrTzHUGH LSE said very
s.,sible thing az Richmond college com
mencement the other day. lie was called
cat and received with great enthusiasm"
by the audience, after which he proceeded to
state has position as follows