Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1865-1872, 1866-03-02
THE FREEDMEN's BUREAU BILL.
Vetoed by the PresIdent-His Mes
sage 10 The Senate.
WASHINGTON. Feb. 10.
10 he S.note ofMe United States:

To The Senate Of he United States:
have examined with care the bill which
originated in the Senate, and has been
passed by both Houses of Congress, TO
amend au act entitled "An act to cstablsh
bureau for the relief of freedmen and
refugees, aud for other purposes"
Having with much regret come to the
conclusion that il would not be consistent
with the public welfare to give my approval
to the measure, | return the bill to the
Senate with my objections to It's becoming
law. / might call to mind, in advance of
these objections, that there is no immediate
necessity for the proposed measure. The
act to establish bureau for the relief of
freedmen and refugees, which was approved
in the month Of March last, has not yet
expired 1t was thought stringent and
extensive enough for the purpose in view.
BEFORE it ceases to have effect, further
experience may assist to guide us TO wise
conclusion assto the policy to be adopted
in time ofpeace.
| have, with Congress. the strongest
desire TO secure to the freedmen the full
enjoyment Of their freedom and their prop
erty, and their entire independence AID
equality, in making contracts for their
labor. But tho bill before me contains
provisions, which, in my opinion, are not
warranted by the Constitution, aud are not
well suited to accomplish the end in view.
The bill proposes to establish, by authority
of Congress, military jurisdiction over all
parts Ct the United States, containing
refugees and freedmen. Ii would, by its
very nature, apply with most force to those
parts Of the United States in which the
freedmen most abound, and it expressly
extends the EXISTING temporary jurisdiction
Of the Fres}lben.s Bureau, with greatly
enlarged serss9ver those States in which
the ordinary nGRTe ofjudicial proceedings
haze been<lNeffupted by the rebellion.
The source from which this military juris-
diction is to emanate is none other than
the President Of the United States, acting
through the War Deportment, aid the
Commissioner of the Freedmen's Bureau.
The agents to carry out this military
| Jurisdiction, are to be selected either from
the army, or from civil life. The country
is to be divided into districts and sub-dis-
tricts, and the number of salaried agents
to be employed may be equal to the number
of counties or parishes in all the United
States, where the freedmen and refugees
are to be found. The subjects over which
this military jurisdiction is to extend in
every part Of the United States, include
protection to all employees. agents, and
officers of this bureau in the exercise Of
the duties imposed upon them by the bill.
In eleven States, il is further to extend
over all cases affecting the freedmen and
refugees, Disseminated against by the local
law, custom or prejudice. In those eleven
States the bill subjects any white person
who may be charged with depriyiDg a
freedman Of any civil rights or immunities
belonging to white persons, to imprison-
ment or fine, orsbolh,. without, however,
defining the civil rights and immunities
which are thus to be secured to the freed