arguments and quotations from
learned authorities, that the rebel States were still in the Union. He
concluded his speech by opposing the bill under consideration on the
ground of its expense: "It involves the creation of a small army of
agents and commissioners, whose jurisdiction and control shall pervade
the whole country, shall extend into every State, into every
congressional district, into every county, into every township and
city of this broad Union; provided, only, that they can find some
freedmen or refugees upon whom to exercise their jurisdiction. I
submit that, before a measure of this kind should be adopted, we
should reflect most carefully upon what we are doing. We should
remember that this country is now almost crushed into the very earth
with its accumulated burden of public debt, of State debts, of county
debts, of city debts, of township debts, of individual debts. We
should bear in mind that we may impose upon the people of this
country, by this kind of latitudinarian and most dangerous
legislation, a burden that is too heavy to be borne, and against which
the day may come when the people, as one man, will feel themselves
called upon to protest in such a manner as forever to overthrow that
kind of legislation, and condemn to merited reproach those who favor
it."

On a subsequent day of the discussion, Mr. Marshall, of Illinois,
spoke against the bill. He put much stress upon an objection to which
nearly all the opponents of the bill had referred, namely, that
Congress had no warrant in the Constitution for passing such a
measure. He said: "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 United States, and
subjecting the people thereof to military power and domination. That
would be a much more appropriate title."

Mr. Marshall was opposed to bestowing any thing in charity. "I deny,"
said he, "that this Federal Government has any authority to become the
common almoner of the charities of the people. I deny that there is
any authority in the Federal Constitution to authorize us to put our
hands into their pockets and take therefrom a part of their hard
earnings in order to distribute them as charity. I deny that the
Federal Government was established for any such purpose, or that there
is any authority or warrant in the Constitution for the measures which
are proposed in this most ext