Mr. STEVENS. I have moved to strike out all that it says about 3 years, and about their possession being confirmed until a satisfactory arrangemeat between them and the former owners of the land. That is the 1st and most material amendment. The bill provides that lands shall be rented to them at a price which they brought as a rental before the war upon a valuation. What boon is that too. freedmen 1 Italso provides that they acquire title to the public lands of the Government at a price not less than their valuation. What advantage is that to them? There are no public lands in these States except the over lades which are referred to. I have provided in my amendment that they may acquire title to the public lands and the confiscated lands of the enemy, so as to give them an opportunity to settle u. on both. I have a “ so proposed to strike out the words unless convicte of crime, “&c., in that clause. I beg the gentlemans, I know that men are convicted of assault and battery and sentenced to slavery down there. I have authentic evidence of that fact in several letters, and therefore I propose to strike out those words. Now, sir, if I had time, I could show the House that these freedmen have a right under our laws to the confiscated lands to the amount of 40 acres each, on the lands where they are, assigned to them by the Government, under Order No.11, that they should have them for homesteads. I would like also to have time to show how much land we have there. we have lands there to the extent of more than 100,000 acres, and of more than 100 million dollars in value and yet, notwithstanding this, the freedmen have been and are being driven from lands which have been ordered to be confiscated as enemys property, and which are covered over now with freedmen and vil lages, schoolhouses and churches, which they have built. Wh, sir, General Fisk told me that within the Inst 4 weeks he had been compelled reluctantly to return 22 million dollars worth of property in his district, which had been confiscated and was in the possession of the U.S. Government and I would also like to show ifI had time, that the Government has no such power. The portioningI power does not give it any such power. o power but the power of Congress can reach it, so that these lands can he returned to their former owners. I should like also to show that the freedmen on the Sea Islands, who have gone there upon the faith of those 4 acre grants, and have H built for themselves comfortable houses and established communities there, have the right to retain those lands forever; and that it is a burning cruelty in us, by a provision of this kind, to allow them to be turned off in 3 cars. y I shouldlike also to show, as I can show, that there are 16,000 freedmen on the Peninsula between Fortress Monroe and Williamsburg, occupying lands seized by the Government, and which has become the property of the U.S. under our confiscation act taken not as the property of traitors, but as enemys property, on confiscated as the property of belligerents, not to be reached by any pardon on earth except the pardon of this congress. Those 16,000 freedmen who are there in communities, who have built their houses, their churches, their schoolhouses, and who have over 200,000 dollars in saving s banks, now receive notice to turn out, an reeking rebels are to be brought back and take their places, under the pretense that a ptiidon can restore to them lands which belonged to us and which we have given to these freedmen. God forbid that I should ever vote for such a bill as that. Why, sir, asmy friendfrom Iowa [Mr. GRIN FELL] said, when that wise man the Emperor of Russia set free 22 million serfs, be comclled their masters to have them home stca s upon the very soilwhic they had tilled homesteuds not at a full price but at a nomina rice; “for, ” said he, in noble words, “they have earned this, the have worked open the land for ages, and they are entitled to it.” But, by this bill, we propose to sell our land at not less than the Government price, or to rent it at prices which these poor people can never pay. If this bill shall go into operation, that wi I be its effect.