Mr. Phelps, of Maryland, made a speech indorsing the principle of the bill, but objecting to some of its details. His objections were removed by the presentation and acceptance of the following amendment by Mr. Shellabarger, of Ohio: "No person shall be deemed destitute, suffering, or dependent upon the Government for support, within the meaning of this act, who, being able to find employment, could, by proper industry and exertion, avoid such destitution, suffering and dependence."
Mr. Chanler made a long speech in opposition to the bill. He gave particular attention to the speech of Mr. Donnelly, of Minnesota, who had advocated education as a necessity for the South. "The malignant party spirit and sectional hate," said Mr. Chanler, "that runs through this whole statement, needs no illustration." After presenting voluminous extracts from speeches, letters, and public documents, Mr. Chanler summed up his objections to the bill in the following words: "Our people are not willing to live under military rule.
"This bureau is under military rule. It proposes to perpetuate and strengthen itself by the present bill.
"It founds an 'imperium in imperio' to protect black labor against white labor.
"It excludes the foreign immigrant from the lands given to the native-born negro.
"It subjects the white native-born citizen to the ignominy of surrendering his patrimony, his self-respect, and his right to labor into the hands of negroes, idle, ignorant, and misled by fanatic, selfish speculators."
Mr. Stevens desired to amend the bill by striking out the limitation to three years given the possessory titles conferred by General Sherman, and rendering them perpetual. This amendment the House were unwilling to accept. Mr. Stevens further proposed to strike out the proviso "unless as punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted," giving as a reason for this amendment, "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."
This amendment was adopted. Another important amendment proposed by the committee was the limitation of the operation of the bill to States in which the writ of habeas corpus was suspended on the 1st of February, 1866. Mr. Eliot closed the debate by answering some objections to the bill, and presenting some official documents proving the beneficent results of the bureau, especially in the State of Kentucky.
On the 6th of February the question was taken, and the bill passed by the following vote:
YEAS—Messrs. Alley, Allison, Ames, Anderson, Delos R.
Ashley, James M. Ashley, Baker, Baldwin, Banks, Barker,
Baxter, Beaman, Benjamin, Bidwell, Bingham, Blaine, Blow,
Boutwell, Brandegee, Bromwell, Broomall, Bundy, Reader W.
Clarke, Sidney Clarke, Cobb, Conkling, Cook, Cullom,
Darling, Davis, Dawes, Defrees, Delano, Deming, Dixon,
Donnelly, Driggs, Dumont, Eckley, Eggleston, Eliot,
Farnsworth, Farquhar, Ferry, Garfield, Grinnell, Griswold,
Hale, Abner C. Harding, Hart, Hayes, Henderson, Higby, Hill,
Holmes, Hooper, Hotchkiss, Asahel W. Hubbard, Chester D.
Hubbard, Demas Hubbard, John H. Hubbard, James R. Hubbell,
James Humphrey, Ingersoll, Jenckes, Julian, Kasson, Kelley,
Kelso, Ketcham, Kuykendall, Laflin, Latham, George V.
Lawrence, William Lawrence, Loan, Longyear, Lynch, Marston,
Marvin, McClurg, McIndoe, McKee, McRuer, Mercur, Miller,
Moorhead, Morrill, Morris, Moulton, Myers, Newell, O'Neill,
Orth, Paine, Patterson, Perham, Phelps, Pike, Plants,
Pomeroy, Price, William H. Randall, Raymond, Alexander H.
Rice, John H. Rice, Rollins, Sawyer, Schenck, Scofield,
Shellabarger, Smith, Spalding, Starr, Stevens, Stilwell,
Thayer, Francis Thomas, John L. Thomas, Trowbridge, Upson,
Van Aernam, Burt Van Horn, Robert T. Van Horn, Ward, Warner,
Elihu B. Washburne, William B. Washburn, Welker, Wentworth,
Whaley, Williams, James F. Wilson, Stephen F. Wilson,
Windom, and Woodbridge.—136.