elaborate speech
in opposition to the measure. He had previously refrained from
speech-making, supposing that "while the passions of the country were
inflamed by the war, reason could not be heard." He regretted that
questions pertaining to the war still occupied the attention of
Congress to the exclusion of those connected with economy, revenue,
finance, ordinary legislation, and the administration of
justice--questions which require intelligence, investigation, labor,
and the habits of the student. As an argument against changing the
basis of representation as it existed, Mr. Buckalew gave statistical
details, showing the various ratios of representation in the Senate,
as possessed respectively by the East, West and South. He maintained
that New England had too great a preponderance of power in the Senate,
both, as to membership and the chairmanships of committees, "While,"
said he, "the population of the East is less than one-seventh of the
population of the States represented in the Senate, she has the
chairmanships of one-third of the committees. The chairmanship of a
committee is a position of much influence and power. The several
distinguished gentlemen holding that position have virtual control
over the transaction of business, both in committee and in the
Senate."

Mr. Buckalew thus presented the effect of restoration of
representation to the Southern States upon the relative position of
New England: "Twenty-two Senators from the Southern States and two
from Colorado--being double the number of those from the East--would
reduce the importance of the latter in the Senate and remit her back
to the condition in which she stood in her relations to the Union
before the war. True, she would even then possess much more than her
proportion of weight in the Senate, regard being had to her
population, but she would no longer dominate or control the Government
of the United States."

Mr. Buckalew argued at some length that representation should continue
to be based upon population. He thought that the two-fifths added to
the representative population in the South by the abolition of slavery
would be counterbalanced by the mortality of the slave population
since the outbreak of the war. He then presented the following
objections to "any propositions of amendments at this time by
Congress:"

"1. Eleven States are unrepresented in the Senate and House. They are
not heard in debate which may affect their interests and w