rotracted. Many members had an
opportunity of presenting their views and opinions without adding much
to the arguments for or against the measure. The power of debate, as
well as "the power of amendment," seemed to have exhausted itself, and
yet gentlemen, continued to swell the volume of both through several
days.

On Friday, January 26th, Mr. Harding, of Kentucky, made a violent
political speech, ostensibly in opposition to the measure before the
House. The following is an extract from his remarks:

"The Republican party have manufactured a large amount of capital out
of the negro question. First they began with caution, now they draw on
it as if they thought it as inexhaustible as were the widow's barrel
of meal and cruse of oil. The fact that the negro question has
continued so long has been owing to the great care with which the
Republican party has managed it."

Mr. McKee, of Kentucky, followed. Referring to his colleague who had
preceded him, he said: "I regret extremely that he has pursued the
same line of policy that gentlemen belonging to the same political
party have pursued ever since the idea took possession of the
Government that the negro was to be a freeman. His whole speech has
been made up of the negro and nothing else.

"I would like it if the amendment could go a little beyond what it
does. I would like so to amend the Constitution that no man who had
raised his hand against the flag should ever be allowed to participate
in any of the affairs of this Government. But it is not probable that
we can go that far. Let us go just as far as we can.

"Gentlemen say that they are not willing to vote for an amendment that
strikes off a part of the representation of the States; they are not
willing to vote for an amendment that lessens Kentucky's
representation upon this floor. The whole course of my colleague's
remarks on this point is as the course of his party--and I may say of
the loyal party in Kentucky--has been through a great part of the war,
that Kentucky is the nation, and the United States a secondary
appendage to her."

Mr. Kerr, of Indiana, did not desire to be heard at length upon the
main question before the House, but upon some questions incidentally
connected with it. He then proceeded to discuss the question whether
Congress has "the power so to regulate the suffrage as to give the
right of suffrage to every male citizen of the country of twenty-one
years of age." "I propose now," said