Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-03-15
MR.. TRUMBULL ON THE VETO.

! G.D.M.
Mr. TRUMBULL ON THE VETO. "
When the veto message of the President
was taken up in the Senate, Mr.. T'umbull,
who originally introduced the bill, deliver
ed, in reviewing the message and defend
ing the bill, one of the most powerful, CO.
gent, and dlgnlhcd speeches ever delivered
in either house of Congress- The following
summary of its proposition, which no Sena-
Tor attempted to gainsay, is given in Col.
Forney's Washington Coronicle, and are
deserving thoughtful reading:
l. That the bill itself was inspired by
the annual message of the President of the
United States, delivered to Congress at
the commencement Of the present session
That message it will be remembered, ex-
pressed desire upon the part Of the Pres-
dent to secure all men in their rights, and
To protect the freedmen in all the privileges
guaranteed 10 them under the Emancipa-
tinn Proclamation and in the judgement
IF Mr.. Trumhul and hTty-$l.r Senator's achO
Coted Nth him for II on the 25h of January
the provisions of this bill were emlnently
calculated to accomplish these Objects.
ii. That II was not, as the President
AYERS. an original measure, but simply an
amendment to the bill under which the
Frecdmcn's Bureau is now acting, and
which had the sanction of the Executive
himself, az well az the approval of the
great majority of the loyal people of the
country As an amendment, it removes
many of the Objectionable features Of the
Bureau as Eow organized, simplifying its
ramitications and making it more efficient.
Ill That it was not intended ak per
manent part of the administrative policy of
the Government-on of its sections ex-
prrssly stating, on the contrary, that it
shall remain in force "until otherwise pro-
vided by law" just as all other laws of
Congress are supposed to do. The wonder
is that the President ever thought of max
ing such an objection to it as this. No
such idea ever entered the mind of any
person who supported and voted for it.
". Tirat, instead of being an extrava-
giant and unnecessary expense to the Gov
ernment, it has indirectly y saved us millions
of dollars which would otherwise have been
wasted.
v That the Bureau did not contemplate
feeding, clothing and educating the refu-
ded to assist them in doing all these things
for themselves.
VI. That, instead of it being designed
exclusively for negroes, more Whites have,
in some sections and in many instances,
been benefited by it that Blacks, and that
the proportion of Whites still needing it's
assistance is equal to that of the negroes.
VII. That there was an immediate ne
cessity for the passage of the bill, because
the original act creating the Bureau ex-
pires by limitation in the month of May,
1866
VIII That, instead of establishing mill
tary jurisdiction over all parts of the United
States containing refugees and freedmen,
it simply extends it over the officers and
employees Of the Bureau And that in &C
cprdance with the recommendation of Gen.
Grant, in his report to the President Of his
tour through the South, transmitted to the
Senate with message a few weeks ago,
it makes the bureau "a part of the War De-
partment of the Government.
TX Tha the bill did not contemplate
the appointment of agents and other officers
in every county or parish, except the Presi
dent should, in his Judgment deem such
appointments necessary.
X That, what the President terms the
unconstitutional features Of the bill, con-
fering arbitrary powers upon the officers of
the Bureau 60 no farther than the Pres-
dent himself and the officers Of the army
au,;mg uBdcr him nave already aer. and
that j, ir Competent fpr F.HE,@9> h pro
vide al rules aul T-IHiationa Tor sh- gov
rrumonr a. tha army .ui navy g. which ali
are subject, from ihe Commander iu-Chici
to the humbest soldier or sailor.
XI That, if the rebellion is in all res
poets at an end, the President is still ex-
ercising the war power, such as the sus-
pension of the writ of habeas corpus, con-
trary TO the Constitution, which expressly
states that this shall only be suspended in
time of invasion or rebellion and, as we
have no invasion, and the writ is not in
operation in a portion of the States, we
must have d rebellion.
XII That, according to the census Of
1860, there were four millions of slaves
in the United States, and that instead Of
this being measure to feed. clothe and
educate four millions of freedmen, the re-
port of Gen. Howard shows that at no time
was there more than one hundred and forty
seven thousand persons under the care OF
the Bureau, fftyseuen thousand Of Whone
,Oere White refugees
XIII. That, according to the sworn
statement of Gen Fisk before the Comma
tee on Reconstruction, of the twenty-five
thousand persons fed by the Bnreau ii,
Tennessee, seventeen thousand fUe hundred
,oere White refugees.