The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-03-12

expenses 10 be betrayed from the Treasury of
the whole people. The Congress of the Unit
ed States has never heretofore thought it4elf
empowered to establish asyiums beyond the
limits of the District of Columbia, eyceDt for
the benefit of our disabled soldiers and sailors.
1t has never founded schools for any class of
our own people; not even for the orphans of
those who have fallen in defence ofthe Union,
but has LETT the care Of education to the much
more competent and efficient control of the
States, ofcommunities of private associations,
and OF individuals. 1t has never deemed it.
self authorized to expend the public money for
the rent or purchase OF homes for the thou
sands, not to say millions, of the white race
who are honestly toiling from day to day for
their subsistence. A system for the support
OF INDECENT persons in the United States was
never contemplated by the authors ofthe Con-
stltutlon: nor can any good reason be adyane-
Gu Wny, as permanent establishment, it
should be founded for one class or color more
than another. Pending the war many refu-
gees and freedmen received support from the
Government, but it was never intended that
they should thenceiorth be fed, clothed, edu-
Gated and sheltered by the United States"
have read that whole paragraph in order
to do no injustice to the views of the Presi-
dent The objection which the President
makes is that it has never heretofore been
thought that Congress was empowered to pass
provisions of this character. The answer to
that is this: We never before were in such a
state as now; never before in the history of
this Government did eleven States of the IN
ion combine together to overthrow and de-
stroy the Union; never before in the history
of this Government have we had a four years
civil war; never before in the history of this
Government have nearly Iour million people
been emaneipated from the most abject and
degrading slavery ever imposed upon human
beings; never before has the occasion arisen
when 1t was necessary to provide for such
large numbers of people thrown upon the
bounty ofthe Government, unprotected and
unprovided for. But. sir, wherever the neces-
sity did exist the Government has acted. We
have voted hundreds of thousands and mil
lions OF dollars, and are doing it from year. to
year, to take care of and provide for the desti-
tute and suffering Indians. We appropriated
years ago, hundreds of thousands OF dollars to
take CAFE OF and feed the savage African who
was landed upon our coast by slayers. We
provided by law that whenever savages from
Africa should be brought to our shores, CT
whenever they should be captured on board
OF SlavcrS, the President of the United States
should make provision for their maintenance
and support for five years on the coast ofAfri-
ca. He was authorized by law to appoint
agents to go to Africa to provide means to
feed them, and we have the money to DO it.
And yet, sir, can we not provide for these AT
ricans who have been held in bondage all their
lives, who have never been permitted to earn
one dollar for themselves, who, by the great
constitutional amendment declaring freedom.
throughout the land, have been discharged
from bondage to their masters who had hithi-
erto provided for their necessities in consider
alton of their services? Can we not provide
for these destitute persons of our own land on
the same principle that we provide for the In
dams, that we provided for the savage Ari-
can? Sir, they cannot provide for themselves.
What are they to do? In one part OF his mes
sage the President says they are permitted to
go where they please. will show by and by
that by local legislation this privilege is not
permitted them.
But what sort of protection would that be
to the negro if it were so? Here are hun
dreds aud thousands OF these poor, ignorant,
degraded human beings who never went off
the plantation where they were born in their
lives. They do not know how 10 travel
They do not know where to go; they have no
means 20 pay for subsistence by the way; they
do not know whittier the railroads lead the
railroads would not carry them if they did,
and were able to pay. As friend suggests,
they cannot read the finger-boards by the way
side; and where are they to 90, and what is to
be done with them? They are to go to the
same place, and the same is to be done with
them InaG would have been done with the
hundreds of natives from Africa who few
they are to be taken and reduced INTO slavery
again, or they are to perish and die for want
OF subsistence, or somebody must temporarily
look after and provide for them.
But we have never rented lands, the Presi-
dent says, for the white race; we have never
purchased lands for them. What do we pro-
pose to do by this bill? Does this bill provide
for purchasing any land? Let us see:
"SEc. 6. And be it further enacted, That
the commissioner shall, under the direction of
the President, procure in the name of the
United States, by grant or purchase, sucli
lands within the districts aforesaid as may be
required for refugees and freedmen dependent
on the Government for support; and he shall
provide or cause to be erected suitable build
ings for asylums and schools. But no such
purchase shall be made, nor contract for the
same entered into, nor other expenses incur
red, until after appropriations shall have been
provided by Congress for such purposes"
This authorizes, ii the President thinks prop
er to do tit is in his discretion-the purchase
or renting OF lands on which to place these in
digent people; but before any land can be pur-
chased or rented, before any contract can be
made on the subject there must be an appro-
priation made by Congress. This bill contains
no appropriation. If the Pre- 5ident is opposed
to the rent or purchase of land, and Congress.
passes bill appropriating money for that pur-.
pose, let him veto it if he thinks it unconsti-
al in this bill. This bill does not purchase any
land; but it prevents even a contract on the
subject until another law shall be passed ap-
propriatin9 the money for the purpose.
But, sir, what is the objection to it if it di
appropriate money? l have already unds =
taken to show, and think have shown II Iat
it was the duty of the United States as an in-
dependent nation, as one of the Powers of the
earth, whenever there came into its poss ession
an unprotected class OF people who mu st suf-
fer and perish but for its care, to PROV de for
and take care of them. When an 6 zmy is
marching through an enemy's count ry, and
poor and destitute people are toun W thin its
lines who must die by starvation If hey are
not fed from the supplies of the al my, viii
anybody, show me the constitutional revision
or the act of Congress that authorizes the gem
eral commanding to open his comnissariat
and feed the starving multitude? And has il
not been done 10y every one Of your command
ers all through the South? Whenever starry
ing human being, man, woman or child, no
matter whether white or black, rebel or loyal,
came within the lines of the army, to perish
and die unless fed from our supplies, there has
never been an officer In our service, and thank
God there has not been, who did not relieve
the sufferer. If you want to know where the
constitutional power to do this IS, and where
the law Is, l answer, 1t is in that common hui
manity that belongs to every man who is fit
W DEAR Ine ndIle, anu IL Is III Inat power tnaL
belongs to us as Christian nation, carrying
on war upon civilized principles.
If we had the right then to feed these peo-
pie as we did, have we rot the right to take
care of them in the cheapest way we can? III,
when General Sherman was passing through
Georgia he found the lands Abandoned; il their
able-bodied owners had entered the rebel ar
my to fight against us, if the women and chill
dren had fled and left the land waste, and he
had, as is the fact, thousands of persons hang
ing upon his army dependent upon him for
supplies, ask you Mr.. President, il it was be-
lieved that it would be cheaper to support.
these people upon these lands than to buy
provisions and feed them, might we not do SOP
ATau