Speech Of Hon Lyman Trumball Of Illinois

Author : Lyman Trumbull
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781332452682
Total Pages : 30 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (526 download)

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Download or read book Speech of Hon. Lyman Trumbull of Illinois written by Lyman Trumbull and published by . This book was released on 2015-08-04 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Speech of Hon. Lyman Trumbull of Illinois: On the Freedmen's Bureau Veto Message; Delivered in the Senate of the United States, February 20, 1866 The Senate having under consideration the Freedmen's Bureau bill, returned by the President with his objections - Mr. Trumbull said: Mr. President: It was with surprise and profound regret that I read the extraordinary message of the President of the United States, returning with his objections the bill to amend an act entitled "An act to establish a Bureau for the Relief of Freedmen and Refugees," and for other purposes. It has been my desire that the various departments of the Government should harmonize in the restoration of all the States to their full constitutional relations in the Union. I have sought to forward such measures as would protect the loyal refugees and freedmen in the rebellious States, and would, as I supposed, harmonize with the views of the Executive. He had proposed to the rebel States, as conditions precedent to their resumption of practical relations with the United States, "that civil rights should be secured by laws applicable alike to whites and blacks," and had declared in his message, delivered to us at the commencement of the session, that "we shall but fulfill our duties as legislators by according equal and exact justice to all men, special privileges to none." The only object and design of the bill was to secure these rights to all men; and I am greatly surprised that a bill designed for such a purpose should have been returned by the Executive with a statement that it is "as inconsistent with the actual condition of the country as it is at variance with the Constitution of the United States." Having taken a somewhat active part in the passage of this bill through the Senate, I feel called upon to vindicate myself from the charge of having urged upon the Senate a bill so unconstitutional and so inconsistent with the actual condition of the country as this is now declared to be. What is this amendment to the Freedmen's Bureau bill? It is not a measure establishing a bureau, but merely amendatory of an act already in existence; nor does it, as seems to be supposed by some, materially enlarge the powers of the Freedmen's Bureau as it already exists. It is an entire misapprehension to suppose that such was the object of the bill or such its effect. It does little more than give the sanction of law to what is already being done without any statute authorizing it. The Freedmen's Bureau, as I have said, already exists. Courts are held by the Freedmen's Bureau throughout the entire region of country where that bureau is in operation. Under the military authority laws inconsistent, as is believed, with the safety of the Government and incompatible with military operations are set aside at this time in eleven States. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.