Mr. EDMUNDS. I am satisfied that my friendfrom Wisconsin is entirely in error in respect to the number of voters in the State of Vermont. He bases himself merely upon the election returns of the election of 1860, if I understand him. The population of Vermont is more than 815,000; and if my recollection is not very much out of joint, in times gone by, when contests were approximately close there, we cast more than 60,000 votes; and I have no doubt today that the number of male citizens of the State of Vermont, of that population of 315,000 and upward, is more than 60,000; | so that in the particular instance that he recites as to that State there is an undoubted error in his figures of more than 16,000 voters; and if, as it. often happens in States where the contest, is not close, similar differences exist, the value l of his tables is of course totally destroyed., Mathematics is one of the sciences where, ifiyou leave out one link or make one error, the result flows thron h the whole problem, and therefore it will undoubtedly turn out that there is no reliance whatever to be placed upon the figures which my friendfrom 1 ’isconsin has so in eniously framed. nt, Mr. President, the question is broader and deeper than the mere selfish one of gain to this State '0‘1t'o that State. It is a question 1‘ which enters into the profoundest philosophy, of government, whether it is a true principle, that the mere accident of the right to vote lis to determine the representation of a community. The fathers who founded this Government acted upon the idea not only that the representation, as a principle, in general was to be based upon pepulation, independent of the franchise, independent of citizenship, but there was also always to go with it for the security of every part of the country, that other principle, that direct taxation, the involuntary burdens which the citizen must bear, must stand always guarded by the right of representation; and therefore it was provided that representation and direct taxation should always go hand in hand in the same ratio. Now, the proposition of my friendfrom Wisconsin is that we shall discard this time honored principle, which in my judgment is an impregnable one, that we shalf discard the original principle that all society in some form is to be represented in a republican Government, an select a particular few, who are themselves always to decide how that few shall be made up, who are not only to exercise all the powers and privileges of Government, but to exercise that other power and privilege of imposing the burdens n on some other section or some other class oft e community; that is to say, if the East happens to be numerous in men and short of money, the eastern men may vote the taxes upon the western property, or the reverse. I know how impatient the Senate is, and without entering at large upon this interesting and profound topic, in my judment, the prop position of the Senfrom Wisconsin is one which is full of inherent error, both in principle and practice, and I shall vote against it.