Evening star., 1911-05-28
Unclaimed Freedmen's Bureau Fund.

The money now lying in the Treasury
representing unclaimed pay. bounties and
prizes of colored persons in the service
Of the United States during the civil war
might appropriately be applied, as Sera-
tor Curtis of Kansas contemplates for the
erection in the District of Columbia of a
home for aged and infirm negroes. The
money in the Treasury is money that
was due the estates OF negro soldiers and
sailors Of the Union during the civil war.
The Freedmen's bureau, being unable to
dispense this money by reason Of the fall
ure OF claimants to establish legal right
to 1t, turned 1t In to the United States
Treasury by order of Congress. The
proposition which Senator Curtis conte.n-
plates has appeared in Congress before.
and bill to establish a home in the Dis
trict for old and infirm colored people was
favorably reported by the committee on
military affairs Of the House in the Fifty
third Congress.
The frequent references now being made
in the press to the Freedmens bureau
incidents and discussions that enIivened
the older Washington. The Freedmen 8
bureau was created on the last day OF
reason OF the act. which was among the
last acts to be approved by Mr.. Lincoln.
was to protect the freedmen of the south
and also that class of whites driven from
their homes on account of loyalty to the
Union who were called refugees The act
provided that the bureau should have
supervision and management OF all
abandoned lands and the control Of oil
subjects relating TO refugees and freed
men from rebel states or from any dis
trict or county within the territory en-
braced In the operations OF the army
under such rules and regulations as may
be prescribed by the head Of the bureau
and approved by the President THE Sec
retary Of War was to direct such issues
OF provisions, clothing and fuel as should
be deemed needful for the immediate
and temporary shelter and supply of des-
titute and suffering refugees and freed
men and their wives and children under
such rules and regulations as he might
direct. Maj. Gen. O. O.. Howard, May
20 1865. was appointed commissioner of
tho Freedmen's bureau. He devoted great
attention to the subject Of negro educa-
tion and planted schools for the freedmen
throughout the south, so that in 1870,
according to a report which he made
then, he had within the Ave years estab-
ltshed 4.239 schools. employing 9.3O7
teachers. and in which PAT 1893 pupils had
received instruction. Supplementary
Freedmen's bureau bills engaged much
Of the attention of Congress in 1868 and
figured In the dispute between Congress
and President Andrew johnson. Two of
these supplementary bills were vetoed by
President Johnson. and one was passed
over his veto.
1t was the aim OF the creators Of the
Freedmen's bureau to help along the re-
demption or uplift Of the negro race in
America. 1t was In 1867 that Congress
enacted that all moneys due colored SOL
diers and sailors should be paid to the
commissioners Of the Freedmen's bureau
for transfer to the proper claimants. AS
nearly all those entitled to this money
had been slaves. heirs to these people had
to prove marriage according to the rules
OF evidence. and this was not possible In
largo number of cases. Tho result was
that the Freedmen'e bureau turned back
into tho Treasury a large fund for which
claimants could not establish @ right