Mr. KASSON. In that case I know of nothing to be done except to leave the matter to the determination of the House. I desire to say that the Constitution of the U.S. exPressly prohibits the infliction of cruel and unusual punishments. We have I will do so, sir. the right to enforce all provisions of the Constitution of the U.S. The infliction of physical torture in any form upon a citizen of the U.S. has been for very many years, if not always, without example in the judicial history of this country. I admit that the system of torture as applied to slaves did exist in certain parts of the U.S., but I deny that the infliction of physical torture upon those who are endowed with the rights of citizenship is usual. The attempt is now being made to carry over this incident of the condition of slavery and apply, it to those who are now in freedom, full citizens of the U.S.A., and endowed with the personal rights that belong to any other class of its citizens. I believe. therefore, to be the duty of the Congress of the U.S. to take early action to prevent what is now both cruel and unusual from becoming simply cruel and usual. And the sole object of this bill is to assert the national authority, the right to administer the provisions of the Constitution by the enactment of laws like this. This House has already passed a bill to prevent in certain States one of the practices that existed during the condition of slavery, the selling of free men into a condition of chattel slavery. This is simply a supplemental bill to abolish what is, so far as Iknow, the only remaining personal incident that belonged to the condition of slavery in several of the States of this Union. It also applies to all the States of the Union. It protects both whites and blacks against that degradation of personal independence, that sentiment which is the very foundation of the ennobling character and dig nity of citizenship in the U.S. This is all I have to say of the bill and of the necessity of its prompt enactment.