Mr. ELIOT. I now move to recommit the bill. Mr. Speaker, I will endeavor to explain the bill, and to answer the inquiry of the Gentfrom NewYork. I propose to take up the bill section by section. The 1st section continues the bureau for a term of 2 years. Gentlemen will see that that differs from the bill vetoed by the President, which was indefinite in its duration. This continues the bureau for 2 years, and removes one objection. If it becomes necessary at the end of that time further to continue the bureau Congress will take whatever action may be deemed proper. The 2nd section )IOVldOS the care of the bureau shall be eatened to all loyal refu ees and freedmen. This is necessary. The law of March. 1865, was passed before the amendment abolishing slavery. It was passed before any slaves were made free except by military order or military proclamation. "here has been no law passed since the constitutional amendment was ratified. There has been no law, therefore, as I shall show in another connection, which embraces in its affirmative provisions nny freedmen except such as were de clared free by the action of their own States or by the military proclamation of commanders or of the President. All other freedmen who were the subjects of emancipation by constitutional amendment are not at this time guarded by any affirmative provision of law which congress has enacted. The 2nd section also varies from the previous law, which did not receive the sanction of the Executive. It de fines the purpose of the law in the care of the freedmen. providing that such care shall only be extended to them as shall be necessary to enable them as speedily aspractieable to become self supporting citizens of the U.S., and to aid them in making the freedom which has been conferred by constitutional amendment available to them and beneficial to the Republic. The 3rd section simply confers upon the Ptesident the power to appoint 2 asst commissioners in addition to those authorized by the act of March, 1865. That act called for the uppointment of a commissioner in each of the States which had been in rebellion. It was found absolutely necessary that the care of the bureau should be extended to other States, and under the authority of law there has been no power to appoint asst commissionersoxceptingin those ten States. The object of this is, therefore, simply to authorize the appointment of 2 more asst coinmissioners. The bill which was heretofore passed called for a territorial division of the country into districts, and it was thought unwise by the President that such power should be given and that such districting should be had. This bill contains no such provision. It simply authorizes the appointment of 2 asst commissioners, and that the different commissioners, under the President shall have charge each of one district to be assigned him by the President where his service can be best employed. The former bill was objected to upon the ground that it called for the appointment of otheers, clerks, and agents in all parts of the U.S., and that the possible expense might run up to a very large amount. lho present bill avoids the districting of the country, and it confines the appointment of clerks or otheers in this way: that the commissioner shall, under the direction of the President, and so far as the same shall be in the judgment of the President necessary for the cllicieut and economical administration of the affairs of the bureau, appoint such agents, clerks, and assts as may be required for the proper conduct of the bureau. It also provides that each agent or clerk, not being a military Officer, shall have an annual salary of not less than $500 nor more than $1, 200, according to the service required of him. It will be found that the amount of compensation that is fixed is so moderate and the limitation upon the appointment of clerks and agents so defined, that the bill cannot be fairly exposed to criticism of that kind. It provides that military officers may be detailed to duty, and distinctly confers noon the President the power, ifin his judgment. it is safe and judicious so to do, to detail from the Army all the otheers and agents of this bureau; but no otheer so as signed shall have increase of pay or allow ances. It also provides that the Commie.sioner, when it can be done consistently with public interests, may op oint, as asst commissioners, agents, an clerks, such men as have proved their loyalty by faithful service ill the armies of the Union during the rebel. ion. The 4th section of the bill is rendered necessary by an inadvertent omission in the law of 1865, which provided no mode under which the SecyWar could under that law issue medical stores. Of course it was necessary that medical stores should be issued where no other means were at hand or possible to be obtained. But the law as passed in 1865 did not contain the authority which is put in this 4th section, to issue such medical stores and other aid as may be needful for the purpose named in the section. It will be found that the suggestion which was made, 1 think, by the Gentfrom Ohio, [Mr. SHELIABABUER] has been adopted by providing that no person shall be deemed “destitute, ” “suffering, ” or “dependent n on the Government for support, ” within tie meaning of this act, who is able to find employment, and could, by properindustry or exertion, avoid such destitution, suffering, or dependence. The last part of this section is made necessary because of this fact, that we expect verysliortly that the regular medical force of the Army will be reduced to the minimum required for the service of the Army. As soon as that is done the volunteer sur cons will be mustered out of the service, on then there will be no medical force which the bureau can hone the aid of, because of the fact that there will be no surgeons retained in the regular Army, whose duties will not be required for the service; and it is deemed in dispensable that a provision should be made simply authorizing the SecyWar to continue in office. as surgeons of the bureau, the volunteer officers now employed, and to fill vacancies with other volunteer surgeons unless suitable surgeons of the regular Army can be assigned to duty. If such surgeons can be made available, it will be the duty of the Conl missioner to employ them; but if the surgeons of the Army are reduced to the minimum number and no other aid can be had, then the object of this provision is to provide some surgical and medical aid for the use of the bureau.; Section 5 is the same as was contained in the other law exccting that instead of thrrB millions of the pubic lands in the 5 States of Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Arkansas, the reservation is of one million acres; and I would say in regard to this section that if the bill which has just been reported from the Senate, and which as now gone too. conference committee, should become a lawI refer to the homestead law which passed this House some time ago this section will become of no value, and will be stricken from the bill. That time will have arrived before, in the regular order of things, this bill shall have passed both branches of Congress. if that hi I does not become a law, for reasons which I will attempt to show it is essential that this section should be retained. If it does become a law, the provisions of that law will enable the Dept to provide for the freedmen without the aid of the 5th section of this bill. The 6th section, as it is now reported, refers to the Sherman lands, and is substan tially altered from the provision of the previous law. It now provides that when the former owners of those lands, which are now allotted to the freedmen and which have been occu ied, as it is known, by them under licenses from the Government, shall a iply for a restoration, the Commissioner shall procure other lands, provided he can obtain tiem at an nv erage price not exceeding 25 dollars peracre; that he shall assign them, in lots of 40 acres, to the occupants of lands under GenlSherman s order, requiring them to pay a fair rental for the lands and permit them to purchase, provided they will pay to the governmentJhc full cost which the Government has incurred for the lands. The provision is that no sale shall be made of the lands purchased at a price less than the cost to the U.S. The 7th section very materially changes the former law which authorized the purchase of sites, and the erection of builings for schools, and the carrying on of those schools; and it was made asubject of comment that the U.S. ought not to educate. It will be Seen upon an examination of this section that all that it is proposed to do here is to procure buildings for the schools. The Commissioner is authorized to cooperate with private benev olent associations of citizens, and to provide propersites and buildings, for purposes of education, whenever such associations shall, without cost to the Government, provide suitable teachers and means of instruction, and he shall furnish such protection as may be required for the conduct of such schools, and the property shall remain the property of the U.S. until sales are authorized by law. It will be seen that the object of this se ctionis to provide schoolhouses and protect those schoolouses, while the schools themselves are conducted by associations of benevoleut individuals from the North and West, or from any part of the country where associations are formed for purposes O education. Icau hardly imagine that any gentleman can object to a provision of that ind. It is perfectly plain that education cannot be secured to these freedmen unless the Government, for the present, shall protect the buildings in which the schools are conducted. It is needless that I should occupy time in efforts to prove that proposition. The ei17ith section simply embodies the provisions of the civil rights bill, and gives to the President authority, through the SecyWar, to extend military protection to secure those rights until the civil courts are in o veration. When the civil courts shall again c in operation the whole jurisdiction hereby conferred ceases. Before that time there is no u:isdiction anywhere except in the military. ntil that time there can be no redress of grievances and no administration of the rights wh ch under the law are now possessed by the frerdmen but by military aid. But as soon as the LIVH courts are reorganized and reestablished, then this bill provides that the jurisdiction conferred upon the officers of the bureau shall no longer exist. In other words, it is carrying out what has been done since the Organization of the bureau in March, 1865. reould never have been effective, because at one The last section simply provides that the! officers and employees of the bureau before l enterin upon t it: discharge of their duties shall ta (e 1: ie oath prcscrihed by the 1st section of the act to which this is an amendment. [Some excitement was hero manifested among members] I hope, Mr. Speaker, that the interruption caused by the late news from Connec ticut will not be taken out. of my time. Several Linnaeus. What is the news?