Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1866-03-02
CEDAR FALLS, IOWA. FRIDAY MARCH 2 1866

star ,e, his children slain, his own life
pcriffed, and his body bleeding from
many wounds, ever restored the authors
of such calamities, when within his
power, to the rights they possessed be-
fore the conflict without taking some
security for the future?
Sir, the war powers of the Govern
ment do not cease with the dispersion
of the rebel armies. They are to be con-
tinued and exercised until the civil au-
thority of the Government can be es-
tablished firmly and upon sure found
alton, not again to be disturbed or inter-
fered with. And such, sir, is the un-
derstanding of the Government. None
of the departments Of the Government
understand that its military authority
has ceased to operate over the rebellicus
States. 1t is but a short time since the
President of the United States issued a
proclamation restoring the privilege of
the writ ofhabeas corpus in the loyal
States, but did he restore it in the rebel
lious States? Certainly not. What
authority has he to suspend the privi-
lege of that writ anywhere except in
pursuance of the Constitutional provis-
ion allowing the writ to be suspended
"when, in cases of rebellion or invasion
the public safety may require it?"--
Then the President understands that
the public safety in the insurrectionary
states still requires its suspension.
ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES.
Now, the Senator from Indiana says
1t extends all over the United States.--
Well, by its terms it does, though prac-
tically it can have little if any operation
outside of the late slaveholding States.
Ii freedmen should congregate in large
numbers at Cairo, ILL.,, or at Evansville,
Ind, and become a charge upon the
people of those States, the Freedmen s
Bureau would have a right to extend its
jurisdiction over them, provide for their
wants, secure for them employment,
and place them in situations where
they could provide for themselves; and
would the State of Illinois or the State
of Indiana object to that? The provis-
ions of the bill which would interfere
with the laws of Indiana can have no
operation there.
THE EXPENSE OF AGENTS.
Again, the Senator objects very much
to the expense of this Bureau. Why,
sir, rs l have once or twice before said,
1t is part of the military establishment,
] believe nearly all its officers Mt the
present time are military officers, and
by the provisions of the pending bill
they are to receive no additional COM
pensation when performing duties in
the Freedmen's Bureau. The bill de-
clares that the Bureau may, in the
discretion of the President, be placed
under a Commissioner and Assistant
Commissioners, to be detailed from the
army, in which event each officer so
assigned to duty shall serve without
increase of pay or allowances"
The head of the Bureau, Gen How
ar, is an officer of the army. He re-
ceives no additional pay or allowances
in consequence of performing the duties
of Commissioner of the Freedmen 8
Bureau. / see by n report which l
have here that the Assistant Commits
sioners are all, or nearly all of them, of
ficers of the army. The Assistant
Commissioner for South Carolina is
Brevet Maj. Gen. Rufus SaXton, an
officer in the regular army !; for Alaba-
ma, Brevet Maj. Gen. Wager Swayne
for louisiana, Brcvet Maj. Gen. A.
Baird for Georgia, Brig. Gen David
Tillson for Kentucky and Tennessee,
Brig. Gen. &. b. Fisk; for Missouri and
Arkansas, Brig. Gen. }. w. Sprague
for Texas, Brig. Gen. T.. NJ. Gregory
for Virginia, Col. Orlando Brown fol
North Carolina, Col. Il. Whittlesey
! for Mississippi, Col. Samuel Thomas
for Florida, Col. I. w. Osborne; and
| for the District of Columby, Brev. Brig
Gen. John Eaton, jr.; so that this item
of expense, which SO alarms the Sena.
tor from Indiana, it will be seen has
very little in it. 1t was the opinion OF
Gen. Grant that it would perhaps be
better to detail officers from the army
entirely. think he. rather intimates
that opinion in his report; but upon
consultation it was thought better to
leave the discretion to employ civil
ians in some instances. It was
stated that in some of the Southern
States there was manifested DISPOSE
Jion on the part of the people them
selves to take care of and provide for
the colored people. 1t was represented
that the civil officers in some Of the late
slavcholding States had been associated
with the officers of the Bureau, and
had aided materially in carrying out the
provisions of the law; and il was
thought better, therefore, to retain
this provision, allowing the President
of the United States, in his discretion,
to appoint civilians If he thought prop
sparingly exercised heretofore, and new
cr will be exercised, undertake to say,
whenever proper officers of the army
can be found for the performance Of the
duties. .t -s i'#
- THE LEASED LANDS.
The Senator from Indiana admits
that General Sherman had authority,
when at the head of the army ut Savan-
nah, and these people were flocking
around him and dependent upon him
for support, to put them upon the aban-
doned lands; but he says that authority
to put them there and maintain them
there ceased with peace. Well, sir, a
sufficient answer to that would be that
peace has not yet come; the effects Of
war are not yet ended; the people
of the States of South Carolina,
Georgia and Florida, where these lands
are situated, are yet subject to military
control. But deny that If peace had
come the authority of the Government
to protect these people in their POSSESS
ions would cease the moment it was de-
clared. What are the facts? The own
crs of these plantations had abandoned
them and entered the rebel army. They
We're attending against the army which
Gen. Sherman then commanded. Nu-
merous colored people had focked
around Gen. Sherman's army. 1t was
necessary that he should supply them
to keep them from starvation. His
c0mmissarat WAS short. Here was this
abandoned country owned by men ar
rayed in arms against the Government.
He, it is admitted, had authority to put
these followers of his army upon these
lands and authorize them to go 10 work
and gain subsistence il they could
They went on the lands to the number
of forty or fifty Thousand, commenced
work, have made mprovements--and
now, will the Senator from Indiana tell
me that upon any principle Of justice,
humanity or law, If peace had come
when these laborers had crop half
gathered, the Government of the Unit
cd States, having rightfully placed them
in possession and pledged its faith to
protect them there for an uncertain pe-
Eiod, could immediately have turned
them offandin put possession those trait
or wners who had abandoned their
homes to fight against the Govern
ment2 y -
The Government having placed these