ly as any man. I acted with him long, and I might
express the favorable opinions which I entertain of him here, if they
would not be out of place and in bad taste in this body. That I am
disposed and ready to support him to the best of my ability, as every
gentleman around me is, in good faith and with kind feeling in all
that he may desire that is consistent with my views of duty to the
country, giving him credit for intentions as good as mine, and with
ability far greater, I am ready to asseverate.

"But, sir, I do not agree with the doctrine, and I desire to enter my
dissent to it now and here, that, because a certain line of policy has
been adopted by one branch of the Government, or certain views are
entertained by one branch of the Government, therefore, for that
reason alone and none other, that is to be tried, even if it is
against my judgment; and I do not say that it is or is not. That is a
question to be considered. I have a great respect, not for myself,
perhaps, but for the position which I hold as a Senator of the United
States; and no measure of Government, no policy of the President, or
of the head of a department, shall pass me while I am a Senator, if I
know it, until I have examined it and given my assent to it; not on
account of the source from which it emanates, but on account of its
own intrinsic merits, and because I believe it will result in the good
of my country. That is my duty as a Senator, and I fear no
misconstruction at home on this subject or any other.

"Now, therefore, sir, I hope that, laying aside all these matters,
which are entirely foreign, we shall act upon this resolution simply
as a matter of business. No one has a right to complain of it that we
raise a committee for certain purposes of our own when we judge it to
be necessary. It is an imputation upon nobody; it is an insult to
nobody; it is not any thing which any sensible man could ever find
fault with, or be disposed to do so. It is our judgment, our
deliberate judgment, our friendly judgment--a course of action adopted
from regard to the good of the community, and that good of the
community comprehends the good of every individual in it."

Mr. Saulsbury, of Delaware, said: "This resolution is very
objectionable to my mind. It is for the appointment of a committee of
the two houses to determine and to report upon what? The right of
representation of eleven States in this body. What determines the
rights of those States t