The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-12-28
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The affairs of tue Freedmen's Bureau ex-
cept for special purposes will be closed up the
present week and Gen. Howard will retire
from the position he has filled with so much
honor to himself and undeniable advantage
to his country. The New York Tribune, in
reviewing his work, sccords him praise which
is generous but not sxtravagant. Gen. SHEER
man in writing to him at the commencement
OF his laborS expressed but little confidence in
the power Of any man to carry out the pur-
poses OF the government successfully, saying,
Il believe you will succeed as well as any off,
Ger can in doing what is really an impossible
task" Indeed the task was enough to daunt
any man, since at the time the Bureau was es-
tabtished the wards of the goyernmenG were a
people just freed IRON slavery that had the
natural and inevitable effect upon their NOR
ais and intelligence and were the victims of
the iinpiscabie vindictyeness of their late
masters. Three hundred and :orty thousand
of them were refugees from their homea. The
industries which had given them employment
IS slaves were PROSTATE and yielded them AL
most nothing as freemen. Under these dis
couraging circumstances Gen. Howard AID
his s1bordinates went to work. and the Tri-
bune does well to congratulate them upon
their success in bringing about the following
results:
First, the Bureau secured justice to the
freedman by obtaining for him fulfillment of
the contract between him and his master
Second. it secured the revival Of industry
by encouraging the negro to work, and by
promptly discussing his mind of the idea that
reedom meant exemption from toll.
Third, The terrible restitution among both
black and white at the South was relieved
The odium of this tax upon the revenues of
the country has rested upon the negroes; the
benefit went largely to the whites, and manly
to rebel whites or their famil es. In the first
months OF confusion after the cessation of hos
tilities, the number thus relieved was i'm
mense. Even as late as August, 1865, there
were 14S,120 persons supported by issues of ra-
tions from the army commissariat. The Blu
reau gave system to these issues, sent away
those able to support themselves, and limited
the charity of the government 10 the sick, in
firm and orphans. The burden thus assumed
was gradually reduced, as families were
taught to take care of their own helpless ones,
till. for the year 1866, the daily average was on
ly II 1858 for the entire territory of the South
ern States.
Fourth, it encouraged the feedom to acquire
homes of their own by taking advantage of the
homestead act In Florida alone three thou
sand have secured farms under direction of
the Bureau.
Fifth, The Bureau has been of great SER
vice in protecting the colored soldiers from ex-
their bounties.
Sixth, the Bureau has been and will contin-
Ne to be Of the greatest possible service in ed
ucatlng the freedmen. Thousands of them
have acquired the rudmerfts of learning under
the auspices of Bureau agents, and the schools
established are the main reliance of the coun-
try for the continued improvement of the So
cial and moral condition of the Southern peo-
pie.
The Tribune closes its review of this noble
work as follows:
1t vas the original intention that the ex-
penses of the Freedmen's Bureau should be
met out of the proceeds of abandoned property
in the Rebel States. Mr.. Johnson's orders
soon defeated this intention; and the humane
work thus became a burden upon Northern
taxpayers. 1t has cost but trihe compared
with the good it has accomplisned-ess than
Ave millions in ail-for this guardianship of
three millions of men through their passage
from besotted Slavery to self.snpporting and
Intelligent Freedom. But it is now ended.
U1der existing laws the Freedmen's Bureau.
save as an agency for collecting the lew sol.
diers' claims still outstanding, and for keeping
up the schools in which the Government has
interest, ceases TO exist on the first of Janu-
airy next. Looking back over its history we
see the racord of great work, marred, indeed
b. human imperfections, and liable to many q
criticism. but always prompted by noble
aims, and generally guided to wise ends
There baye been some unfaithful officers, some
corrupt expenditures, not little of self-seek-
ing. Subordinates did not always act Judi
ciously, even when they had honest aims;
sometimes they became the mere tools of the
rebel planting INTEREST," at other times they
believed nothing that'a planter told them, and
everything that 2 negro claimed; at others
they used their positions only as a means of
speculation. These were the inevitable de.
facts of system SO large aud so suddenly es-
tablshed but, with all its drawbacks, it passes
into history as great work of national benefi-
oence, judiciously devised, and fruitful in the
happiest results.