Mr. MARSHALL. I admit that. all I have said in regard to this turns on the construction to be given to this section of the bill. Lhave said that I do not know whether the construc vtion l have suggested would be placed upon this provision by our most eminent jurists; but I do know that these men who are to be apinted, and who are to have the powers of judges, who are to be unsworn. so far as I know or can learn from the provisions of the bill, are to construe this act as they please, and their construction is to be maintained by the militarv arm of the Government. Instead of this being called a bill for the protection of freedmen and refugees, it ought to be called a bill for the purpose of destroying the constitution of the U.S and subjecting the people thereof to military power and domination. That would be a much more appro)riate title. An what are these discriminations, which, if made. are to lead to the subversion of the laws of the States and to foisting military law upon the people of the country? I suppose that to testify in courts of justice is a civil right. Now. in Illinois until last winter that right was denied to the children ofHam. I suppose the right to sit upon juries is a civil right. Now, if on account of any local law or prejudice they are denied any civil rights accorded to white men, these military tribunals and these agents of the Government are to be foisted upon the country for the purpose of taking charge of and protecting these people. I suppose the right to marry a white woman is a civil right which 1 belongs to the white men of Illinois; it is denied to the black manthere and if any judge un. dertakes to punish himfor attempting to exercise that civil right, your military judges are to interfere, and without indictment or jury, to punish the judga by atine of $1,000, and impris onment for one year, and there is no appeal from their deciston. This is so palpably in violation of article 6 of the amendments to the constitution, which declares that “in all criminal prosecutions the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartia jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, ” that it will not bear discussion or argument. I suppose, sir, that to vote at elections is a civil right. We deny that right to the negro in Illinois. Now, I want to know whether you are going to pass through this House and force upon the country a bill under which, if the judges of electionsin Illinois or any other State, refuse, under the law of the State, to allow me roes to exercise the elective franchise, your ittle military judge, backed by military author lty, can step in and arrest these judges of election, and imprison them 12 months and fine them each $1,000. Yet such is the construction of which this bill is susce tible; such is the construction which any man wh10may see proper to abuse power would willingly place upon it., The gentleman will not deny that these rights to which I have referred are civil rights. No i gentleman in the House will deny it. Yet, by 3 the provisions of this bill. if, on account of any local law or local prejudice, any State should. deny to the black man any civil right which is ll county of 15 States of this Union. accorded to the white man, these military tribunals are to interpose and punish the judge or other officer of e law who shall attempt to enforce the local law. Now, sir, let me comment a moment on the 8th section of this bill. It provides for the appointment of agents who may be sent into every county of the U.S., or if the amendment offered yesterday by the Gentfrom Indiana should be adopted, into eavteerry 1,000men at least are to be sent out under the direction of the SecyWar as the agents of the Freedmens Bureau, who are to sit as judges and enforce this bill, if it should become a law, fplacing their own construction upon it; and tom these decisions there is to be no apeal and who are to be these judges? I know not who they will be; but it seems to me, without intendin to make any invidious remarks, that if you Wish to oppress a people, if you wish to drive from their breastscvory sentiment of loyalty, if you wish to perpetuate the spirit of disunion, if you wish to make a restoration of fraternity impossible, you could devise no better scheme for that ur use than that which is embodied in this bill, the operations of which must tend to revive the flames of civilWar and involve us a in in all the horrors of anarchy, misrule, an despotism. Who are to be sent out as a outs of this bureau? Will they be men select on account of their judicial knowledge? Not at all. They will be the mere satraps or parasites of power, who will doubtless, many of them, go forth as spies. I know not whether they would be sent for that purpose; but the power at least is anted in the bill; and we ought to be careful in granting to any man on earth unlimited powers of this kind. Beyond a doubt, man of these agents will act as informers and libeers of the people among whom they will be sent. Many of tiicm would doubtless be respectable men, while others might merely act as superservicable creatures of some political schemer, whose purposes wouldbe subserved hywhatever libels and slanders might be collected by these agents. But the jurisdiction conferred by this 8th section is not to be exercised except in States whose constitutional relations with the Governmentare suspended. How do I know that some revolutionary cabal may not insist at some time that the constitutional relations of Illinois with the Federal Government are suspended? Why are not the constitutional relations of all the States to the Government restored now? The flag of the Union is floating over every town and hamlet of the nation; the laws of the Federal Government are nowhere resisted; for 9 months no man has been found in arms against the Government; your courts can. conduct their proceedings withOut interruption in every county ofeveriState, North and South; your taxgatherers have already penetrated every part of the land and are collecting money for the support of the Government. Those States have t. ieir Governors, their Legislatures, their laws, in full operation. Whyare not their constitutional relationsto the Government restored? It is for the simple reason that a revolutionary cabal at the commencement of this Congress refused to allow them representation upon this tloor. Will gentlemen deny if they were admitted, if their Representatives were here, that their constitutional relations would not be fully restored? Our revenues are collected there. Customhouse otheers are in every part of the Scuth. The laws are nowhere resisted. If, by lacing our doorkeepers at the doors of this allan shutting out their Re Representatives, on; destroy their constitutional relations to the I ed, crnl Government, what, then, is to hinder the; dictator of this House orthis revolutionary cabal 5 to refuse to admit the delegation from Illinois, to declare that their names shall be stricken, from the rolls, and we to be told when we come here that we have noright to seats in this Hall?. This is a now and very summary way to bring about disnnion. If we were refused our seats upon this floor would you say that the constitutional relations of Illinois to the Government would be destroyed? and, so far as the em forcing the laws of the Governmentis concerned, this is the only difference between Tennessee and Illinois today. I believe the man who is at the head of the Freedmens Bureau is a good man, a gallant and excellent officer; but, sir, we should place in no man unlimited power. What is to be the amount of the expenditures under this law? It may be 20 million and it may be 200 million. You may buy uplands without limit. You may purchase provision and grant transportation at pleasure. Has it come to this in this free Government, that you shall place in the hands of any man, I care not how esteemed he may be, the power to squander the peoples money at pleasure, to feed, support, and educate the negroes of the country? If the power should unfortunately be placed in the hands of a man who would abuse it, we would seemarched into the States, and especially into the southern States, parasites, who would know nothing but to do the bidding of their master. They will do everything to perpetuate strife and to prevent the restoration of fraternal feelings between all the sections of the country. There“ is nota man on the face of the earth into whose hands I would place such power. I do not know that these powers would be abused, but I would never place in the hands ofany man unbridled, unlicensed power. It is almost impossible for an man to resist the temptation to abuse such authority. Mr. Speakcr, what time have I left?