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order any such disposal of them, that the property belonged to the Govt. & would be sold.  I said, I was sorry that something had not been sooner done, for were an act of Congress even, necessary, I had no doubt, that upon a proper presentation of the facts, it could be had in twenty four hours afterwards.  Also, that it was a matter of little pecuniary consequence to the Govt. but much to these poor people, who had picked up these animals, abandoned as unserviceable & not worth then probably $5 each, had recruited them up, & been able as yet to get little service from them,- that if allowed to retain them, they could get land to work next season, & support their families,- without them they would have only their bare hands.  That many freedmen, as well as poor white people, had these animals, who if deprived of them, would become a burden upon the charity of the Govt. & community, at a greater expense probably than the amount which would be realized from the sales. I did say, that to allow these people to take up these unserviceable animals & recruit them up, & then as soon as they were of some use & value, to reclaim them, did in fact, though of course no such thing was contemplated, or intended by any one, operate as a fraud on these people, as no one of them would have taken probably an unserviceable animal, & recruit him up to keep till this time & then return him, nor did I believe the Govt. would require it, were all the circumstances known.  I said to Capt. Garoutte