Mr. JENCKES. I propose when [conclude my remarks to ield to the Gentfrom NewJersey, [Mr. ROGERS, and if there is any time left I will then yiel to the Gentfrom Illinois. Mr. Speaker, here is a great unexeented power which has existed, and not exercised, except for short intervals, since the adoption.of the Constitution. Suppose it had been enforced by the 1st Congress, and the relation of debtor and creditor had been established uniformly in every State, would it not have been an element ofunion strong as the Constitution itself, because it would have bound together the business interests of every man in the country? When the Constitution was adopted commercial transactions were confined to the At lantic coast, but now they have spread to the Pacific and throughout all the inland cities, and commercial transactions envelope the whole Union in their clasp and further, if this congress should exercise the power granted to them of regulating the internal commerce, not merely the relation of debtor and creditor established or attempted to be established by this bill, but the internal commerce between the States as Iwell as the external commercial relations. what bond that would create between all commercial interests and between every individual an aged in commerce throughout the country. n order that I may not be misunderstood or misrepresented in any way, let me refer to the Constitution itself in reference to the grants of power to Congress. In the 8th section of the 1st article, after the power to define and punish piracies and felonies. which has been done, it is provided that Congress alresahday1 pass laws in reference to offenses against the law of nations. Why has not Congress executed that power? Has it been because all previous Congresses have stood aghast at the grand task thus imposed upon them, as some seem to think they should as to the duty which they are now asked to perform? Why is it that before the commencement of the war we had not recorded in our legislation the experience of all the civilized nations on earth, and stated by authoritative statute what we understood to be the law of civilized Christian nations, defining offenes against it, and prescribing the punishment for such offenses? Let us do those things. powers. I, for one, feel that my duty in my place here is that I should study out all these subjects; that I should give to the House and i the country the result oi such study, and that I should endeavor to see that carefully framed enactments, based on the resultsof such careful study, should become the law of the land. I hope every one who hears me has the some thought. As to the responsibility for the legislation I propose, I assume it all, and ask no one to share it with me and I wish to say, in conclusion, that it is my belief that many of our controversies might have been prevented, and most, if not all, of our present difficulties might be overcome, if Congress would wisely exercise the great unexecuted powers granted by the Constitution. Let us begin by establishing the relation of debtor and creditor; let us follow that beneficent action by recognizing and enforcing a codeofcommercial law; and above and beyond all, let us declare by the lain language of statute law what we believed to be, and what we are pretired to maintain, as the law of nations, an define and fix the punishment for the offenses against it. When Congress shall have done these things, which the Constitution authorizes and requires it to do, then the U.S.A. will have taken their true place among the nations of the earth.