Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1866-02-24

I
& They report the cotton frauds as enor-
r NOUS, aud say it viii require a special
investigating comm tee TO consider
. them. They say that cotton agents and
their associates have converted, in many
instances, very large sums 70 their own
use, which belonged, in fact, either TO
= the United States OF TO the people, from
r whom, under one preteXt and another,
Z the cotton was obtained.
SENATE PROCEEDINGS On THE VITO
BsT.L-
wAsHrs5roS, Feb. %.
At ] o'clock the Chair announced that
/ the morning hour having expired, the
! unfinished business of yesterday, which
! was the bin returned by the President,
! with his exceptions to it, was before the
Senate.
M Davis took the floor, and read a
/ long argument in opposition to the bill.
The Senate failed to repass the Freed
mems Bureau bill over the veto, not hay-
ing the required twO-thirds vote. The
vote wss 80 10 IS.
When the Presidents veto message
, was called up at ] O'Clock, Mr.. Davis IN
a written document, reviewed the main
features of the bill. reiterating his obiec-
tions, heretofore presented at length, and
compiimentiug the President upon his
. action I'm returning the bill deemed TO be
unconstitutional, sUhversive of early re-
] construction, irritating, unWise and eX-
pensiye. He produced authorities and
considerations, showing the prOpriety in
circumstances Of Presidential vetoes, and
declared his firm conviction of the ne
cessity of such action in the present case. /
AT the conclusion of Mr.. Davis Te-
marks, Mr.. Trumball the originator Of
the vetoed bill, took the floor He eE-
. IA = - Of arsl 4
il had been his desire that the several
departments Of the Government should
harmonic in an effort for the restoration
: of the States. He claimed that his only
! purpose had been 10 carry out such
measures as should protect loyal refu-
! gees and freedmen in the rebelli0Us /
. States, and supposed such measures
/ would harmonic with the views Of the
/ Execltiv who had declared in his mes .
/ sage that Congress should do its duty in
/ according equal and exact justice 10 all .
men.
AIr Trumbuu was greatly surprised .
I that the bill designed for such purposes /
should be returned as unconstitutional.
Having taken an active part in the pas
I sage Of the bill, he felt called upon to .
viudicate himself from having urged a
bill so unconstitutional and at variance
with the condition of the country as this 1
is declared 10 be. He said the bill was
not an original measure, and did not en-
large the powers of the Freedmeu's Bu-
reau. II was merely amendatOry OF an
act already existing il does bat little
more than give the sanction of law to
what is already being done without any
statute OF provision. The Freedmen's
Bureau already exists. Courts are held
by the Freedmen's Bureau throughout
the entire country where that
bureau has any operation under
military authority. Laws inconsistent,
as is believed, with the safety Of the
Government or Incompatible with the
military operations, are set aside at this
time in all these States. The object of
the bill wss to continue in existence the
Freedmen's Bureau-nOt permanently.
All such intent was disavowed during
the discussion Of the bill. No time Is
specified in the bill as TO when it shall
cease to operate, nor is it customary To
insert such q clause in any law. But ID
was declared that ii should operate until
otherwise provided by law L is not in ,
tended that the bin shall 60 into the
States and control the domestic affairs Of
these States. II Is simply a bill designed
10 provide not for four millions Of em8n- {
cipsted slaves, out only for the INDECENT, /
so that they could become eself-suppOrting. |
Thousands 0funicu men were driven from !
homes all over the south. This was par
ticularly the case in Tennessee. They ,
had neither food nor clothing. They
llOcked 8nOUnd our armies during the |
whole progress Of the war, and We're fed
by our supplies; so also with the freed
men, while these people We're fiOcking
around our armies. On the third Of
NSrch, 1865, Congress passed a law % {
systematic the clothing and feeding OF ,
these destitute negroes, and place them I
under charge Of a special department of {
the military establishment called the ]
Freedmen's Bureau. There are still on :
our hands some Of these destitute people {
who must be provided for. There has
been saved to the Government millions {
of money by the establishment Of this I
system, through which employment has /
been found for these people.
An amendment has been adopted % J
the Constitution, declaring that slavery 1
shall not exist by virtue OF that enact a
ment. Hundreds Of thousands of lives {
have become free in the midst Of a hos {
tile population, without any Of the worlds |
goods, without any supplies Of amy kind. ! {
Something must be done to take care Of I
these people The freedmeu's Bureau "
has not had Jurisdiction over these four =
millions Of people. Its work has been
confined TO a very small compass, and
this measure, which comes TO us de-
noUnced as unconstitutional, as a great I
public charity is designed only 70 find j
employment for these destitute, ignorant,
unproyided people, who are few ia num- 3
Der compared with the great num- /
Der Of blacks in the whole coun- e
Try, and not simply for freed Z
men and for refugees. More white h
in many Instances, have re- I
ceived support and supplies from this i
Freedmen's Bureau than blacks have. :
The President in his veto message saws 5
the act which was passed to establish the il
bureau for the relief OF freedmen and Z
In the month Of March last, has a
not Yet expired, as by the terms Of the n
act il was TO continue during the war Il
and one year after. So far As the conflict i
of arms Is concerned, all admit the war I,
closed when the last rebel army laid a
down their arms, That wss some time q
in May, when the rebel army in Texas %
surrendered. do not hold that the con-
sequences Of the war are over. But the n
war Of rebellion is over, and the Bureau /
must expire in May next, accord 4
ing 20 the terms Of the act of Y
March, 1865. The President says il was %
thought stringent snd extensive enough Il
for the purpose in time Of war. At that 2
time most of these States We're under rebel %
control, and the Freedmen's Bureau
could only take jurisdiction OF such
freedmen and refugees as came within z
the lines OF the army. When the war !
and the slaves Of Texas, Mis- i
-issippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Nir- q
Einia and North Carolina were made :
free by the Constitutional Amendment, Il
was il not proper that the Freedmen's q
Bureau should be so framed as 20 en- .
brace the destitute Oi those States, s. i
well as the few who had come within '
our lines when the bill wss enacted q? 3
The President SAYS the bin proposes to o
military jurisdiction over all .
parts Of the United States containing ref Y
ucees and freedmen. The bill contains IA
no such clause. II is q misapppre- v
henslon Of the bill Jt says the p
President shall extend military jurisdic- 4
ton ana protection over all employees u
and officers Of this Bureau tn tie eXer- .
else Of duties imposed by this act. This L
bill makes the Freedmen's Bureau part u
Of the War Department It makes its Il
officers and agents amenahle % the rules =
and articles Of War. Does that extend =
military jurisdiction over the whole
country Did any body ever suppose
the whole country where they were was r
under military jurisdiction The bill :
extends military jurisdiction no where. a
lt merely places under military jurisdic-
ton those persons belonging 20 the q
! feedmeus Bureau who nearly an Of -
them are now under military jurisdiction. 4
The next objection Of the Presidents -
which Mr.. Trambull noticed was that
the country i 10 be divided into districts
and suo-districts, and number Of salaried ~
agents 10 be employed, which may be v
equal 70 the number Of counties and II
parishes IN the states where freedmen
and refugees are 10 be found. He denied
that 10 was necessary TO appoint anv $
such number, Notwithstanding II was G
provided in the bin that they might be 81
appointed To appoint such a number Of
he said would be an abuse Of the power b
intrusted 70 the President.
NIr. Trumbull continued In reply 20 the
objection that this bin establishes milf o.
tary jurisdiction in civil cases, and de- u u
nying that it created any military a
jurisdiction whatever not now eX- :,
isting. Officers Of the Bureau were Of Il
hcers Of the army now, holding mill
tary commissions by authority Of the y