Year: 1866

/ Bureau. i desire W dSOuco ~ mdn-


believe the head of the Bureau in ny


section is gentlemen and clever man


and wishes to do right, I may be allow.
ed to name the gentlemen. to whom al
] lude: | mean General Fisk. But he is
| not always present to look after these
things. and do not know what he would
do if he were present. Men whose minds


are preiudiced on this subject ars not to


be trusted. We are not to be trusted;


nobody is to be fully trusted ALI OIL us
reuuire to be watched; and that is what
/ would have this Bureau to do, to look
! after the interests,of the people and to
| take care of them. Bat in doing that let
| us not destroy the liberties OF the com
| mnnities in which this race reside,


Now, | wish to state fact that came
| within my own knowledge, for the in
formation of this House In my town,
the city of Louisville, the commercial
metropolis of the State, we had man
placed at the head of the bureau there
who had some queer notions, which men
generally get who have a particular
duty to perform, duty involving preju-
dice, hate and bitterness. He considered
every man in the country who did not
believe as he did to be his enemy, the
enemy of the Government, and the enc
my of the negro What was the result
of his course He would arrest any
man, no matter whom, the most inotfen-
sive and the most loyal, on the &c parte
statement of negro. And when the
man was brought into his presence, he
would turn to the negro making the
statement, and say Brother" or sis
ter, as it might happen. what has this
man been doing to you!" And then lie
would take the testimony or the negroes
against him, and sitting as a court, he
would punish him by fine and imprison-
meut, or by fine alone, ordering him to
be imprisoned unless the fine was paid. :"
Now, these are things have from the
most reliable authority. .g &C.,


And | will mention anothercase. A
man by the name of Bleyins, in my town,
came home one evening, and found his
wife engaged i'll some controversy and
collision with negro woman who had
been her servant; not one who had be-
longed to her as hel slave. He took part
with his wife, rs | think any gentleman
ought to have done, whether his wife
were right or wrong The negro woman
complained to this agent of the bureau,
aud 4 couple of negro soldiers were sent
there to arrest him and his wife And
because one of his little girls had said
something in the matter, an order was
also sent for her arrest The man caEle
to me, supposing that | might be able to
assist him. | asked the post commander
how it happened such things were al
lowed He said: This Freedmen's Bn.
reau, il is said, is over us all; what can
do!" replied, If | commanded this
post would know who it was who or
dered the military to arrest the people
without my knowledge, and would stop
it. While | was commandant, would
do my duty If the authorities did not
like it, they could send me away -
Early the next morning, 1 went to the
cOmmahdant's headquarters, anu there
found Mr. BleVins aud his wife, and
children, seeking protection against the
Freedmen's Bureau, acting on the COM
plant OF the negro woman.


Now, sir, | told the agent of that bu-
reau then just what l thought and felt
in reference to this matter. | said to
him IfyOu want 70 protect the freed
men Of the community ] am with you
heart and soul; | will stand by you IN
all Just measures; but if ron intend to
arrest white people oh the CT partc state
ments OF negroes, and hold them to suit
your convenience for trial. and fine and
imPrison thom. then say that / oppose
you: and if yeu should so arrest aud pun
ISL me- would kill you when you set
me at liberty; and / think that you
would do the same to man who would
treat you IN that way. it you are the man
think you are, and the man you ought
to be to fill your position here
, tell you, sir. that no community OF
the United States can endure system
of this sort Such have been the oper-
ations of this bureau under the old
law What will be its operations under
this bill Heaven only knows.


If you get on the cars with Your wife
ard daughter. and if there be spare
seat. and drunken negro comes forward
to take it. and Won ask him if he pleases,
to move little further of, and he takes
notion that he will not do it, and should
report to the Bureau that, because he
was a negro, he was not allowed to take
that seat. this Freedmeu's Bureau may
at once arrest you and your daughter,
and fue and impr;son both. say this
bill authorizes that thing, and L DEFY
any one OF its friends to successfully
combat that position If you go to
theatre in place where the Freedmen $
Bureau is established, and, not because
they are negroes, but because they are
unfit and ignorant persons they are told
they have no right to 60 and take seats
with your family, aud you prevent it,
the Bureau may arrest and imprison you.
If Judge decides that negro cannot
be sworn il a cause being tried in his
Court, under the laws OF State which
be has sworn to administer, why sir,
before that decision is cold upon his lips,
they may arrest and take him of to the
agent of the Bureau aud punish. him Is
before stated.


Mr. Speaker, ask members here, and
especially the Union men OF this House,
TO answer and tell ME whether they
would submit to such outrages Ii
they would not submit to them, will
they then ask the Union men of the
South, who have stood by the govern
ment to submit to them Ii they do,
all.I have to say is, that we can not and
will not submit to them


But, sir, there is no necessity for these
outrages Laws should he provided,
ample in their character, to protect that
race, il they ATE not now sufficient, and
think they are not And, as | have