Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1866-06-08
GENERAL STEADMAN AND THE
FREEDMAN,S BUREAU.

dent, In North Carolina, of the Freedman
Bureau, has written reply to the charges
of misconduct made in the report of Gener-
ais Steedman and Fullerton, in which be GER
tlinly shows that these examining officers
made imprudent haste with their work. and
were in several instances more jealous TO fix
blame upon officers of the Bureau than dis
Greet and patient in their investigations.
General Whittlesey sums up his reply thus:
They made neither a thorough, nor an
impartial investigation. They visited only
SIX Of the forty one districts and sub districts
and sub-districts under the charge Of this
bureau They made no inquiries respecting
It's finances or the government property in
its possession. They say nothing about
more than $2,000000 worth Of abandoned
lands which were held fora season and re-
stored to their owners.
They make no mention of more than
ten thousand cases Of difficulty between
freedmen or freedmenand whites chat have
been adjusted They give no credit to the
officers who have found employment for
many thousands oil destitute refugees and
homes for many hundreds of orphans, and
medical attendance and comforts for more
than 10000 persons. They say nothing Of
the protection and assistance afforded in or
l52 teachers and l0,606 scholars.
The real work of the Bureau, which has
taxed the energy and the patience of all con-
nected with it to the utmost, they rass by
unnoticed, and direct their entire efforts to
the discovery of faults and after all of their
tancled discoveries, they make no distinct
and open charges. but content themselves
with insinuations and conjectures which
seem intended to defame officers whose rec
ord has hitherto been honorable, and who
in no respect are inferior to the Commission
ers but in rank
In several particulars the charges made
by General Steedman are fatty contradicted
For instSnce, he reported, as a gross outrage
practised by the Bureau officers, that they
put negroes in chain gangs, by way of pun
ishment General Whittlesey replies:
''It is greatly to the credit Of the freed
men that in but very few instances has it
been necessary to make arrests for violation
of contracts. The only place, so far as |
have been informed where chain gang
has been organized, is Salisbury in the ives
tern district, which is described in the re-
port as a bright exception. There at the
time of their visit, Generals Steedman and
Fullerton might have seen such gang at
work upon the streets. Colonel Cilley ass
ures me that he told General Steedman that
he had such an organization and that Gen
erol Steedman expressed his entire appro-
val
In this connection / will quote a SEN
tence from the conversation of the commits
sioners with freedmen at Wilmington,
phonographically reported by Mr. NJ. L.
Wiliston: Steedman-It has been named
that some of the Bureau officers have been
I
ed black men to labor for them have
been told that If colored men would not
work for them they forced them into chain
Cries of Not So No. no, from all parts
Of the house. Nixson--'I have never
heard of one instance of the kind
The concluding remarks of the report
under the heads of Evils of the System,
and Arbitrary Power Of the Bureau con
tain coniectures rather than facts 1t is not
charged but hinted, that the assistant COM
missioner made the most stringent labor
regulations, and has attempted to secure a
low rate of wages, to the great detrilnent of
freedmen.
ere this true it would be difficult to
see how such action would bring them into
'competion with citizens who are employing
freedmen But the facts are directly the
reverse of these hints Though Emporium
ed by citizens to make labor regulations and
to Fix the rate Of wages, ] have steadily re-
fused to issue any orders on that subject be-
yond the requirements that freedmen should
be taught everywhere the nature and obliga-
tions OF contracts The rate Of wages, it
has been constantly affirmed, must be gov
erued by the law of supply and demand. In
some parts of The State labor is worth more
than in other sections No rule or order
would be Just to all sections alike.
1t is proper and necessary that the opera
tons Of the Freedmen Bureau should be
frequently and vigorously Investigated 1t IS
necessarily, from It's constitution, depart
ment. extremely liable to abuses. The sub
ordinates and agents have in many cases ar
bitrary power; they have to be greatly
trusted; it is right that their work should
be strictly examined. But as this is true,
it is the more necessary and important that
the examiners should be careful, painstaking,
exact,
1t is uncomfortable that officers occu-
pving such positions of trust and RESPONSE
bility should be wrongly accused of miscon-
duct or corruption. We hope the future
reports of Generals Steedman and Fullerton
will be more carefully made; but we are
sure they will receive little attention or con-
fidenoe from the public hereafter unless they
are supported by evidence The President
would do well to recall these two agents and
send out in their places more careful men,
Eceni1to Post.