Mr. JOHNSON. I never had anything to do with the Know Nothings except in 1854. I was a candidate for the Legislature, and just at the close of the polls I looked back over my should der and saw “Sam” a short distance behind. I do not know anything about Billy McMullen or my colleagues frien s generally. I suppose he is some gentleman in Lancaster. Laughter.] But do remember that after the great contest of 1854 was fought in Pennsylvania we had a U.S. Senator to elect. But whether my distinguished colleague was a Know Nothing or not I do not know. The 1st time I ever saw him was during the canvass for U.S. Senator. He knows very well, however, what I mean by this Knowrothing organization that carried on for awhile a sort of machinevoting, or voting by proxy and here I am reminded that it looks to me very much in this city as if this negro voting was to be a continuation of the substitute busi. nessnot under the conscription law, however. In this city the resident population are very unanimous against negroes taking part in the elective franchise. But there is a very large floating (FOFFIlflllOD which sways about the district an 115the galleries of the Houses of congress. They are not residents here. They arec erksin the Depts, thatgohomeonce a year to renew their allegiance to the condidate of their district, and then claim, when he is elected to Congress, that he must keep them in office all the time. At the election the other day that class of persons did not vote at all, because, if they had, they would not be able to vote at home next fall; and in that case their member of Congress might forget them. But inasmuch as this class o foreignersin this city, employee s of the Government, are unable themselves to vote a uinst the residents, it seems that they have circlfiated petitions in all the Depts asking that the negroes might vote as their substitutes, just as the some clerks, a great number of the m, fought their battles in the war by substitutes. Now, it cannot be possible that there is any necessity for this change in this city. I remember 2 or 3 years ago that there was some difficulty in Congress with regard to the safety of this District on the question of loyalty. I remember we had some action here, and that the mayor of the city had to be locked up about 3 weeks in some fort till he would consent to resign, so that the present mayor could take possession and administer the affairs of the city as a loyal man should do. Mr. Wallach had been a candidate, and claimed that he was elected, and was contesting the othee with the acting mayor. But the Government came to the conclusion that Mayor Berrett was dislo al, and so he was locked up until he consente to resign, and so let in a good, loyal man; and this ended the contest and now that loyal man is hardly loyal enough; now it is proposed to put the city in the hands of somebody else; another class of persons are to be manipulated into voters here so they may take control of the city. Who iropose to do this thing? Why, members of congress who have not a dollars worth of property to be protected by the city government; members of on gress who claim no right to vote in this District; members of Congress who, it may possibly be, though it is hardly probable, have not paid up all their board bills; members of Congress coming from all arts of the country, from the Aroostook to gancouver, and saying to the people of this District, ” You do not know how to manage your own affairs; we will impose a voting population upon you who will take better care of yopr property than you have done hereto ore; Sir, we hear a tremendous outery in this House in favor of popular government and about the guarantee of the constitution of the U.S. to the several States that they shall have republican governments. How are the poor people of this District to have a renbhcan tbrm of governmentif gentlemen who have come to this city perhaps for the 1st time in their lives underta ke to control them as absolutel and arbitrarily as Louis Napoleon controls Irance or Maximilian Mexico? Gentlemen ask, what right have they to hold an election and express their sentiments? What right have they to hold such an election? Surely they ought to have the right to petition, for their rulers are generally arbitrary enough. Mr. Speaker, it seems to me ridiculously in consistent for gentlemen upon this floor to prate so much about a RFG, and rise here and offer resolution after resolution about the Monroe doctrine and the downtrodden Mexicans, while they force upon the people of this District a government not of their own choice, because the voter in a pgopular government is a governor himself. ut, sir, this is only part of a grand plan. Gentlemen who dare not go before their white constituents and urge that negroes shall have a vote in their own States, come here and undertake to thrust negro snlfragegpon the people here. Gentlemen whose States have repudiated the idea of giving the elective franchise to negroes, come here and are willing to give the suffrage to negroes here, as if they intended to make this little DistCol a sort of negro Eden; as if they intended to say to the negroes of Virginia and Maryland and Dela ware, ” You have no right to vote in these States, but if you will go to Washington you can vote there.” I imagine I can see them swarming u from dilierent sections of the country to this city and in uiring where the polls are. Agents, men an women, such as there are at work in this city, will no doubt be at work in these States tellin them to pack their knapsacks and march to Vnshington, for on such a day there is to be an election, and there they Will have the glorious privilege of the white man. Sir, all this doctrine is detrnctive of the American system of government which recognizes the right of no man to participate in it unless he is a citizen, which secures to the citizen his voice in the control and management of the Government, and prevents those not citizens from standing in the wn of the exercise of his just rights. "his Government does not belong to any race so that it can be divested or disposed of. l The present age have no right to terminate it. I It is ours to enjoy and administer, and to transmit to posterity unimpaired as we received it. from the fathers.