ustry encouraged. Courts were to be
established of competent jurisdiction to hear and decide cases among
the people. Such a government while military in name was patriarchal
in spirit. As early as the spring of 1865, before the war was over, an
act was passed by Congress providing for the destitute of the South.

"AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A BUREAU FOR THE RELIEF OF FREEDMEN AND
REFUGEES.

"_Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled_, That there is
hereby established in the War Department, to continue during the
present war of rebellion, and for one year thereafter, a Bureau
of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, to which shall be
committed, as hereinafter provided, the supervision and
management of all abandoned lands, and the control of all
subjects relating to refugees and freedmen from rebel States, or
from any district of country within the territory embraced in the
operations of the army, under such rules and regulations as may
be prescribed by the head of the bureau and approved by the
President. The said bureau shall be under the management and
control of a commissioner, to be appointed by the President, by
and with the advice and consent of the Senate, whose compensation
shall be three thousand dollars per annum, and such number of
clerks as may be assigned to him by the Secretary of War, not
exceeding one chief clerk, two of the fourth class, two of the
third class, three of the second class, and five of the first
class. And the commissioner and all persons appointed under this
act shall, before entering upon their duties, take the oath of
office prescribed in an act entitled, 'An act to prescribe an
oath of office, and for other purposes,' approved July 2, 1862.
And the commissioners and the chief clerk shall, before entering
upon their duties, give bonds to the Treasurer of the United
States, the former in the sum of fifty thousand dollars, and the
latter in the sum of ten thousand dollars, conditioned for the
faithful discharge of their duties respectively, with securities
to be approved as sufficient by the attorney general, which bonds
shall be filed in the office of the First Comptroller of the
Treasury, to be by him put in suit for the benefit of any injured
party, upon an