The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-03-10
rn,ortant Letter from Mr.. Bates-The
Secret Motive"

The National l1,t.Iiigcncsr of yesterday has IN
important letter from Mr.. EDWARD BATES, OF
:, Iouis. Attorney. General under President
LINCOLN Mr.. BATES gives his opinion very
freely on the Freedmen's Bureau bill vetoed
nv President Johnson Wa have not room for
the letter entire; but give below It's main
points. :,
ur. BATES saws ne unders lands the bill well,
also the motives with which ii vas originated.
lie says:
II can see its glaring and defiant breaches
of the ConsIilutiou-a"d MINK cin ST. as"
the hidden ,notire, the secret design, OF NE c""SPt
r1tors ,rdo MANNED the scheme - ocsrtu1'a or
Government u 'L,,o, and set Up IN as steod q
T.i0htfu military oligarcly. And tins wicked
purpose betrayS itself i'll several provisions VI
the bill. which are so arranged III the con 'eH
ne to sem to q nasty olsere1 IL q. Sscv"d"1y an"
sI,1orJi,,at, 10 the ostensible oil iect, the pro-
lection of the freedmen.
Alluding 10 the first section, which spreads
the institution everywhere and over all freed
men and refugees, and also TO the DIVISION VI
the Union into tacelce districts, with an assi't-
ant commissioner for each. he exciai1hs
Twelve districts. That is the exact number
Unto which Cromwell divided the Common
d" wealth of England. and governed each dis
trict despotically, by one OF MS own MAJOR
generals :" and 10 make the resemblance COM
plete, the section further provides that the
Bureau lin the discretion of the President,
nav "be placed under a commissioners and
assistant commissioner, 10 be- detailed from
"rhe army and, MIR. BATES says. without
reference 10 rank or color
Mr.. BATES alludes 10 the enormous Number
Of officers and clerks under the bal, ana the
authority which one and all OF them have
over all casss in which freedmen are con-
cerned and over all offences against the pro-
visions Of the bill and further, over All eases
of discrimination against freedmen ana others'
under, not the Constitution ana laws ou'
under such rules as IN" PRESIDENT OF III"
United States, through the War Depart
.'Inent, shall prescribe
These" says Mr. Bates, are some Oh me
snormitics OF The vetoed bill, framed III 'hr
wantonness OF partisan power, IL contempt 81
the written Cons titution, and in open VIOLA
non of the his turicai opinions ana lfdltionaF!
faith OF the people OF the Cnit"o states.
Recurring TO the thousands Of officers,
under the bill, To be detailed from the army,
with despotic head al WashinSton,) eXhi-
biting its power in every county ana PARISH
against every effort 10 restrain, by lesal ana
civil means the wan tonnes Of heir arbitrary
will Mr.. BATES remarks
think Won that the people of The United
States are already SO Tar degraded mo pas
,iye obedience rs TO submit tamely to such IN
at1rocious outrage, even if sanctioned by The
unanimous voice of II factious Congress and
npproyed by a suhseryent President? NO,
verify They are not yet ready TO ABANDON
their Cons titution and renounce all hole oil
legal liberty by giving over their lives, lloer-
ties and properties, TO be disposed Of III me
caprice of petty ctactrs d1ad agents OF petty
subdivision of The War Department called
bureau
Mr.. BATES expresses his qualification thal
the radical faction is so deInented as 10 pick
4 quarrel with President JoHSsoS,' who re-
fuses 10 be their "instrument 10 overturn the
Government and 10 stake their fortunes
upon the monstrous vices and follies of the
TKUMBrLL bill, for" he says, in doing so
'.they do but insure their own defeat and, con.
"sequently, the restoration OF law, order, ana
"peace, and revival of national respect for
illegal government and a national love for lib
"erty BY law
He concludes by saying that even the eman-
ctpated negro "will not long fail 10 See the
hypocrisy and fraud of the transaction"
While they are cajoled with the pretence of
liberty, the bill subjected them 10 military
oyerseers, and deprived them OF all protection
of law and appeal 10 the courts for redress.
MIR. BATES is not in the habit of speaking i'll
the severe tone of This letter, and the fact
argues that lie must have been highly in
censed at It's monstrous provisions