The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-02-01

AFsE time this morning, contsias pro
| visions that ought 10 be amended o.
easlifed in some Way in the House
J y To the frst four sections there Is per
haps no OBJ sction, s. they merely an
tend TO open the puddle lands % q.
occupstion of the neE citizens created
D. the release of the slaves. Yet ~
confess that the authorify given 70 ths
Secretary Of War 70 issue fuel, clothing
&c., to destitute refu gees snd freedmen
Is one that may be EASILY abused Il
ought to be restricted b0sh ~ 50 the
Ii a8e and manner in which tie relief /
80 be furnished, and 20 those persons
enly who srs aRable 10 labor, TO save
tlse intended benef Charles from depend.
ing apon the government instead oi
| dspsnding upon shemselpes. The one
CREST lesson 10 s. taught the enamel
psbsd laborsEs nos, Il 20 take care OF
| themselves. Hithssie they have been
/ ike children dependent upon their
masters, but hereafter they are 10 be
uen trusted with their own support
sfd guidancs.ll "a
In view OF this principle, the sixth
section seems to Us of doubtful utility.
Il provides that the Commissioner Of
the Bureau, under the direction of the
President, procure by grant or purchase
such lands ss may be needful for the
support of dependent refugees and
freedmen, and build thereon suitable
asylums and schools This not only
involves q considerable outlay of money,
which we can ill-sfford At this time. bus
il oOntemplates the conversion of the
bureau into an eleemosynary and edu-
catiOnsl establishment But if the
refugees and freedmen are to be sup
ported by the Government, the duty
should be cast upon the State govern
ments, and if they are to be educated,
let voluntary societies be formed for
the purpose Not particle of good is
likely to be accomplished by the bu
resu in this way, while false system
wall be introduced, which it may not be
easy to correct If we issue to the de-
pendent classes of the South fuel cloth
ing and provisions, it would seem to be
enough, and indeed is a great deal
more than we do, or ought TO do, for
the dependent classes Of the North.
The clause, again, confirming the
possessory titles of the negroes TO the
lands taken by them on the Sea Is
lsBds, under General Sherman's special
ailitary order No. Is, deserves a more
mature consideration than it seems to
have obtained Let US see what this
fpossessOry title" is. 1t will be remem-
bered that during General Sherman's
march to the sea several thousand ne
groes, men, women and children, the
larger part of them plantation hands,
joined the eolumns as they marched
along These people, before the army
occupied Savannah, were sent to Port
Royal and consigned TO the care Of
General saxton; the latter was at los
ss to what he should do with so large
an addition to his colony; for the most
Of the plantations within his command
were private property which had been
bought when sold at auction for taxes
His embarrassment was laid before
General Sherman, who, to answer the
uresent need and with the view TO pro-
VIDE for the large number Of negroes
who would be set free by the move
rnent through the Carolinss, which was
already in course of operation, issued
the special order setting apart "the IS
lands from Charleston south, the
abandoned rice fields along the rivers
for thirty miles bsck from the ses, and
tlIs country bordering the St Johns
river, Flogida."
1t will be seen that this covers an in
definite amount OF land. As 8 wsr
measure, and in time of war, Sherman
had no doubt the same right to exc
cute it that he had to remove the citi-
zens from Atlanta. But now that the
rebellion is subdued, the relations of
things have changed. Between Charles
ton and the St Johns river there are
several hundred thousand acres of cot
ton and rice lands upon the islands
alone. In taking possession Of the rice
lands along the Edisto, Ssltkahatchie,
Broad, Savannah, 0geechee, Altamaha,
ST. John, and other rivers emptying
into the sea between the described lin
its, how far TO the right and how far TO
the lefE does Mr.. Trumbul propose to
extend this temporary contiscshonf
What Justice is there in approPrlating
Gov Aiken's land and leaving untoueh-
ed Wade Hampton's, which we will sup
pose, lies Just the other side Of the thlr-
ty-mile line2 If this appropriation is
to last but three years, what is to be
done with the negroes and the land at
the expiration Of that timer While
the negroes are in possession of the
land, are they to be supplied also with
seed, cabins, utensils and other things
necessary to put aud keep them in cul-
tiyation? If so, the powe.s entrusted
to the Bureau are enormous, and the
Government will be really the working
agent Of the plantations.
We trust, then, that the House, be-
fore passing this bill, will, while con-
frmiDg it's main features, scruiinize
carefully the probable eject Of Others,
and their dsnger as a Precedenk-M
7 Evening Post