Mr. STEVENS. I move to amend by striking out all after the word “Commissioner” in the 5th line of the 6th section, and inserting in lieu thereof the words “shall refuse to suraender the land, " so that the section will tea: That.whenever the former owners of lands occupied under GenlSherman s field order. dated at Savannah. January 16.1865, shall anpl for restoration of said lands. the Commissioner shall refuseto surrender said land. This will leave the question of law that may arise to be decided by the courts. Mr. Speaker, l am not going to delay the passage of this bill by any extended remarks. The Gentfrom Massachusetts asks me to call the previousquestion, and I will do so in a few moments. wish to so. that by the act of 1862 this Congress orders that the lands, not of rebels for under the 4th section that applied only where they were convicted but of belligerents, servingiin the army of the belligerent government, 5 feited for the benefit of the U.S., the title to be vested in the U.S., and the proceeds of the land when sold to be paid into the Treasury. By our Freedmens Bureau law the abandoned lands were ordered to be seize and allotted among the freedmen. This has been done. The order of GenlSherman , under the sanction of the SecyWar, indeed by his orders, allotted the lands thus seized to 6,000 freedmen, who have built homes upon them, of 40 acres each, running to the water. They have built upon those lands comfortable dwellings, and they remain there at the present time. It is now sought to allow the rebels whose lands we thus seized to come back and expel the men to whom the Government allotted these freeholds, as it was bound to do in honesty and in law. Those freedmen are to be turned out. It does not do to say that the Government shall exend 25 dollars an acre for land fort e purpose of placing these freedmen somewhere else, where they have no homes and no plantations to work. I say that would be cruel and unjust. As I promised my friend to call the previous question, I now do so.