Mr. LAWRENCE, of Ohio. I am one of the minority of the ComJudiciary who were opposed to this bill. Ihope it will receive the consideration of the House before it shall be passed. I do not propose to discuss it now, for have not sufficiently considered it to give it that mature discussion which it deserves. I am not persuaded, however, either of the expediency of the measure or of our constitutional power to pass it. Now, this bill proposes to incorporate a company either for charitable purposes or for purposes of gain. If its object be charity, it seems to me that the corporators named in this bill can as well execute their charity without an in corporation as with it. The Sanitary Commission and the Christian Commission for the last 4 years have performed great works of charity without any act of incorporation. But this is not a charitable corporation. Its purposes are set out in the 2nd section of the bill, and I ask the attention of the House particularly to that section. It proposes to invest the corporation with power “to lease, or purchase, and hold lands, and sub let or sell, and convey the same for use, settlement, and cultivation;” and they may also“lend money on mortgage of lands, or pledges of growing crops, with aview to promote the organization of labor on the basis of freedom, and to promote the obtaining of homesteads by the landless poor.” In other words, it is proposed to organize a company, with a capita otp$3,000,000, which shall have authority to buy up and lease immense tracts of land on sub let them for the purpose of speculation. Now, I am not satisfied of the expediency of this bill, and for that reason I am opposed to it. But I am opposed to it also because I am not clearly persuaded of our constitutional power to pass it. That Congress may create corporations, having for their object to aid in carrying out the purposes of the Government, I do not entertain any doubt; but I am notsatisfied that we have power to enter in a general system of incorporations having for their purpose, not to carry out any power of the Government, but for the mere private purposes of the corporators, purposes of specuation. If this be so, if it be the purpose of Congress to embark in a general system of corporations, with power to clfect insurances all over the country with power to buy up lands and resell them all over the country;. withlpowier, in short, to do anything which men can do, then this bill may receive the sanction of Congress. But if congress shall be unwilling to embark in a general system of incorporation for these purposes, then this bill ought not to pass. I desired merely to call attention to the bill, and I hope that it will receive duo consideration before it shall ass.