Mr. ELIOT. Thy, no sir, Igcannot exactly do that; but the gentleman shall have an opportunity to present his views upon his amendment. Mr. Speaker on the 3d day of last March the bill establishing a Freedmens Bureau became a law. It was novel legislation, without precedent in the history of any nation, rendered necessary by the rebellion of 11 slave States and the consequent liberation from slave of 4 million persons whose unpaid labor adenriched the lands and impoverished the hearts of their relentless masters. No thoughtful man could have observed the early successes of our Union armies without discerning the rest work which final triumph would rendernce ful. The rebellion miserably failed; but its failure has effecteda revolution greater than its success could have achieveda revolution in the industrial and secial systems of all the southern States. So it is that good is educed from evil. That is a revolution that cannot go backward, nor can its farextending influence be bounded by the States where it began. The South was poisoned by slavery, but South and North will be braced to fresher health and ins ired to higher life by freedom. Already we eel its lifegiving impulses. The slave becomes freedman, and the freedman man, and the man citizen, and the citizen must be endowed with all the rights which other men possess. Say not, in friends“, this must not be, for truly it must bel lgesist it notl Fight not against it, lest you too hear the voice as of old, “Saul! Saul! why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. The great objects of humanity are best attained when conormed to His laws in the formation of Governments as well as in all things else.” That is what the rebel VEEP Stephens said. “Our confederac, be continued, “is founded upon principles in strict conformity with those laws. This stone which was 1st rejected by the builders is become the chief stone of the corner in our new edifice.” That blasphemy has been punished. But do you not see that in a sense far other than that which he intended, that rejected stone is yet to be and forever to remain the foundation stone? But itwill be the rock of freedom and not of slavery on which our Republic will rest. At an early day, when the fortunes of war had shown alternate trium ha and defeats to loyal arms, and the timid cared and the disloyal hoped, it was my grateful office to introduce the 1st bill creatin abureau of emancipation. It was during the “hirty7th Congress. But although the select committee to which the bill was reerred was induced to agree that it should be reported to the House, it so happened that the distinguished chairman, Judge White, of Indiana, did not succeed in reiorting it for our action. At the beginning of the 38th Congress it was again presented, and very soon wasreported back to the House under the title of “ A bill to establish a Bureau of I"rcedinens Affairs.” It was fully debated and passed by the House. The vote was 69 in favor and 67 against the bill; but of the 67 who opposed 56 had been counted against it, because of their political ailinities. On the let of March, 1864, the bill went to the Senate. It came back to the House on the 30th of June, 4 days before the adjournment of Congress. To my great regret the Senate had passed an amendment in the nature of a substitute attaching this bureau to the Treasury Dept. But it was too late to take action upon it then, and the bill was postponed until December. At that time the House non-concurred with the Scuute, and a committee of conference was chosen. The managers of the 2 Houses could not agree as to whether the War Dept or thelreasury should manage the affairs of the bureau. They therefore agreed upon a bill creating an independent Dept neither attached to the War nor Treasury, but communicating directly with the President, and resting for its support upon the arm of the War Dept. ITiat bill was also passed by the House but was defeated in the Senate. Another conference committee was chosen, and that committee, whose chairman in the House was the distinguished Gentfrom Ohio, then and now at the head of the military Committee, eed upon a bill attaching the ureau to the ar Dept and cmbracin refugees as well as freedmen in its terms. that bill is now the law. Now, Mr. Speakcr, I desire to ask the attention of the case to what has been done in organizing and conducting the affairs of this bureau since the passage of the not and I will do it as briefly as I can From the official records which have been procured at the Dept. The law was approved on the 3d of March, 1865. 9 months have not yet elapsed since its organization. The order from the War Dept under which the bureau was organized bears date on the 12th of May, 1865. GenlHoward, who was then in command of the Dept of Tennessee, was assigned as Commissioner of the bureau. The bill became a law so late in the session that it was impossiblefor Congress to legislate any appropriation for its support. It was necessary, therefore, that the management of it should be placed in the hands of military officers, and fortunately the provisions of the bill permitted that to be done. GenlHoward was, as I stated, in command of the Dept of Tennessee when he was detailed to this duty. But on the 15th of May. that is to say, within 3 after the order appointing him was issuedd, ogs a assumed the duties of his office; and when he did so, I take occasion to state that while he intended as the Commissioner of the bureau to provide as much uniformity as he could in the matter of the employment and of the education of the freedmen, he solicited the cooperation of all. Officers then in the field, under appointment from the Treasury or from another quarter, to aid him in his work and I elieva it has been his policy throughout, that while the freedman should understand that he was truly free, he should not, if he was able to work, entertain the thought that the Government. by reason of the existence of this bureau, was disposed or intendedto supporthimini 514 January 30, In the course of a few days the Commissioner of the bureau announced more particularly the policy which he designed to pursue. The whole supervision of the care of freedmen and of all lands which the law placed under the charge of the bureau was to be intrusted to asst commissioners. It was stated, as has been found to be correct, that the demand for labor would be sufficient to afford occupation to nearly all those classed as freedmen who were able to work. The asst commissionerswere enjoined to effect as ra idly as they could complete organization for abor, and to provide that that labor should be fairly compensated. It was not found practicable to determine the rates of wages, but the otheers of the bureau were instructed care fully to inquire, and having ascertained what amount of compensation had ordinarily, at the places where inquiry was made, been previously paid to masters who had hired out labor, they would be able from that to form a retty correct opinion as to the true value of it, and that the wages fixed upon for freedmen should be determined somewhat by the result of such inquiry. before a month had expired, headquarters had been established for asst commissioners at Richmond, Raleigh, Beaufort, Mont omery, Nashville, StLouis, Vicksburg New rleans, and Jacksonville, and very shortly afterward asst commissioners were dengnated forthose posts of duty. They were required to possess themselves as soon as practcable with the duties incident to their offices, to quicken in every way they could and to direct line industry of the freedmen. Notice was given that the reief establishments which had been created bylaw under the operations of the War Dept should be discontinued as soon as they could be consistently with the comfort and proper protection of the freedmen, and that. every e ort should be made and I call the attention of gentlemen to the fact that that policy has been pursued throughout that every effort shorild be made to render the freedmen at an early day selfsupporting. The supplies that had been furnished by the Government were onlyto be continued so long as the actual wants of the freedmen seemed to require it. At that time there were all over the country refugees who were seeking their homes, and they were notified that, under the care of the bureau, they would be protected from abuse and directed in their efforts to secure transportation and proper facilities for reaching home. Wherever there had been interruption of civil law, it was found impossible that the rights of freedmen could be asserted in the courts, and where there were no courts before which their rights could be brought for adjudication, Military tribunals, provostmarshals courts, were established for the purpose of determining upon questions arising between freedmen or between freedmen and other parties; and that also has been continued to this day. The commissioners were instructed to permit the freedmen to select their own employers and to choose their own kind of service. All agreements were ordered to be free and mutual, and not to be compulsory. The old system that had prevailed of overseer labor was ordered to be repudiated by the commissioners who had charge of the laborers, and I believe there has been no time since the organization of the bureau when there have not conreports made to headquarters at Washington of all labor contracts; and wherever any provisions had been inserted, by inadvertence or otherwise, that seemed unLustly to operate against the freedmen, they have been stricken out by direction of the Commissioner here. perhapsI may say that the other day a resolution o inquiry was directed to the select committee whether certain contracts had been permitted that were offensive to our sense of right and oppressive to the lreedmen, and the committee, in the course of “itll investigation, ascertained that in no in tance had any such contract, if made, received “(3assent of the Commissioner here, but that, without exception, all contracts which had been reported here at Washington had been so altered as that the were free from any oppressive provisions an left to the freedmen all the rights which as a citizen he ought to have in contract in for his work. n the course of the next month action was taken by the Commissioner respectin a provision of the law as it was passed in arch, authorizing the SecyWar to make issues of clothing and provisions, and the asst commissioners were required carefull to as certain whatever might e needed under that provision of the law, and to make periodical reports as to the demands made upon the Government through the Bureau. Directions were given by the Commissioner to his asst commissioners to make reeated reports to him upon all the various subjects which had come under his charge with regard to the number of freedmen, where they were, whether in camps or in colonies, or whether they were emplo edupon Government works, an stating. if they otained supplies, how they were furnished, whether by donations or whether procured by purchase. Reports were also required as to all and s which had been put under the care of the bureau; and statements were called for showing descriptions of the lands, whether, in the language of, the law, “abandoned” or “confiscate, ” so that the bureau here could have full and complete information of all action of its agents throughout these States, and upon examination it could be determined where any specific lgnds which were under the charge of the bureau came from, and how they were derived. In the course of the summer it became necessary to issue additional instructions. The commissioner found that his way was beset with difficulties, he was walking upon unknown ound, he was testing here and there questions involved in doubt. lt was hardly possible at once and by one order to designate all that it would be needful for him to do, and therefore different instructions were issued from time to time from his office. The asst commissioners were called upon thoroughly to examine, either by themselves or their agents, the respective districts allotted to them, to make inqduiry as to the character of the freedmen under their charge, their ability to labor, their disosition to labor, and the circumstances under which they were placed, so that the aid, the care, and the protection which the law contemplated might be afforded to them as quickly and as economically as possible. The Commissioner continually repeated his injunctions to his assts to be sure that no compulsory or unpaid labor was tolerated, and that th the moral and intellectual condition of the freedmen should be improved as systematically and as quickly as practicable. It was manifestly impossible for this bureau to undertake this work and to carry it on successfully alone, and so the Commissioner called upon the various benevolent associations organized throughout the North and the West to render that aid in the future which they had rendered in the ast, and to conperate with him in the work which e had in hand and especially in the matter of schools it was found important for the bureau to avail itself of the experience gained before its organization by the benevolent associations of different parts of the North and the West. other instructions were also given connected with the medical Dept of the bureau; and if gentlemen will take the trouble to look into the report which has been furnished by the bureau, they will find that it required no little care and thoughtto organize and carry out the medical Dept of the F freedmens Bureau. All the alfairs of the bureau have been conI ducted by 4 general Deptsof finance, of lands, of records, and of medicine. To each of these Depts competent officers were assigned and from the report made by GenlHoward, and which has been lai upon the tables of members, every gentleman will be able to ascertain what has been done and how it has been done. When the burc. u was 1st organized, indeed when it was fir rged upon the attention of this House, it wasted and it was believed that the bureau would very shortly be selfsustaining and yet i is report GenlHoward ca ls for large propriations, and undoubtedly at the properthe we shall hear a response to that cal he ComAppropriat. Now, 1 r1ghtenou hthat gentlemen who are called p611 to legislate here should understand thg figcts in this case. One fact is perfectly obvious; that the bureau, if it is to be selfsustaining, must be supported by labor. That was the idea. from the beginning and when it was stated here in debate that the bureau would probabl be selfsustainin, it was supposed that from the lands abandoned, confiscated, sold, and the lands of the U.S., which by the provisions of the bill had been placed under the care of the Commissioner, these freedmen would be given an opportunity to earn substantiall enough for the conduct of the bureau and have no doubt at all that. such would have been the case had the original expectation been carried out. There were large tracts of land in Virginia and the other rebel States which were clearly applicable to this purpose. There was the source of so plythe lands and the labor. There were laborers enough, and there was rich land enough. Now, how does it happen that so large a call has been made upon Congress? It must. be observed that up to this time Congress has notappropriated one dollar from the Treas u of the U.S. for the support of this bureau. There have been large uses made of Government stores, clothing, medicine, and food, but nodirect appropriation of money by law has been made. At a very early day the abandoned lands were turned over to the care of the commissioners, and I supposed, and probably we all supposed, that the lands, which in the language of the law were known as “abandoned lands, ” and those which were in the possession of the U.S., would be appropriated to the use of these freedmen. “iithin a week afler the Commissioner assumed the duties of his of fice he found it necessary to issue an order substantially like this: whereas large amounts of lands in the State of Virginia and in other States have been abandoned, and are now in the possession of freedmen and are now under cultivation by them, and whereas the owners of those lands are now calling for their restoration, so as to deprive the freedmen of the results of their industry, it is ordered that the abandoned lands now under cultivation be retained by the freedmen until the growing crops can be secured, unless full and just compensation can be made them for their labor and its products.” The aboveorder” This is the part about which it appeared that some difference of judgment existed between the Executive and the Commissioner of the bureau: “The above order will not be construed so as to relievo disloyal persons from the consequencesof their disloyalty: and the application for the restoration of their lands by this class of  persons will in no casebe entertained by any military authority.” It was found, notu great while afterward, that: the views which the President entertained as to his duty were somewhatin conflict with the provisions of this order; for it was held by the president that persons who had brought themselves within the range of his pardon and had secured it, and who had taken or did afterward take the amnesty oath, would be entitled, as one of the results of the pardon and of their position after the oath had been taken, to a restoration of their lands which had been assigned to freedmen. In consequence of this, an order was subsequently issued