his act, under such rules and regulations as the
President of the United States, through the War Department, may
prescribe. This jurisdiction is to cease and determine whenever the
discrimination on account of which it is conferred ceases, and is in
no event to be exercised in any State in which the ordinary course of
judicial proceedings has not been interrupted by the rebellion, nor in
any such State after it shall have been fully restored in all its
constitutional relations to the United States, and the courts of the
State and of the United States within its limits are not disturbed or
stopped in the peaceable course of justice."

Other business occupying the attention of the Senate, the
consideration of the Freedman's Bureau Bill was not practically
entered upon until the 18th of January. On that day, Mr. Stewart made
a speech ostensibly on this bill, but really on the question of
reconstruction and negro suffrage, in reply to remarks by Mr. Wade on
those subjects.

Mr. Trumbull moved as an amendment to the bill that occupants on land
under General Sherman's special field order, dated at Savannah,
January 16, 1865; should be confirmed in their possessions for the
period of three years from the date of said order, and no person
should be disturbed in said possession during the said three years
unless a settlement should be made with said occupant by the owner
satisfactory to the commissioner of the Freedmen's Bureau.

Mr. Trumbull explained the circumstances under which the freedmen had
obtained possessory titles to lands in Georgia, and urged the
propriety of their being confirmed by Congress for three years. He
said:

"I should be glad to go further. I would be glad, if we could, to
secure to these people, upon any just principle, the fee of this land;
but I do not see with what propriety we could except this particular
tract of country out of all the other lands in the South, and
appropriate it in fee to these parties. I think, having gone upon the
land in good faith under the protection of the Government, we may
protect them there for a reasonable time; and the opinion of the
committee was that three years would be a reasonable time."

On the following day, Mr. Hendricks presented his objections to the
bill in a speech of considerable length. He was followed by Mr.
Trumbull in reply. As both were members of the Judiciary Committee
from which the bill was reported, and both had carefully considered
the reas