Mr. BLAINE and there are other objections, Mr. Chairman, to the proposed constitutional amendment. Basing representation on votersunless Congress should be empowered to define their qualifications would tend to cheapen suffrage everywhere. There would be an unseemly scramble in all the States during each decade to increase by every means the number of voters, and all conservative restrictions, such as the requirement of reading and writing now enforced in some of the States, would be stricken down in a rash and reckless effort to procure an enlarged representation in the national councils. foreigners would be invited to vote on a mere preliminary “ declaration of intention, ” and the ballot, which cannot be too sacredly guarded, and which is the great and inestimable privilege of the American citizen, would be demoralized and disgraced everywhere and the worst feature of all is, that there is no need whatever of precipitating the evils I have referred to. The great end of depriving the South of the representation which is has on the colored population until that opulntion is enfranchise, can be very reudi y secured without accompanying it with these offensive inequalities of representation among the loyal States. The constitution may be amended so as to prevent the one evil without involving others of greater magnitude, and I venture to express the belief that the proposition submitted by me this morning, and on my motion referred to the ComReconstruction, will, if adopted, secure the desired result. Let me briefly explain that proposition. The constitution of the U.S., article 1 section 2, clause 3, reads as follows to the 1st period: “Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be in eluded within this Union, according to thm respective numbers. which shall be determined by (addingto (he whole number of free persona, flfeflltlmltl. Hose bound to or a "and, (emu7fyearn, and arcluzlmg Indiana not t reci than other persom.)" the portion which I have included in paren theses as become meaningless and nugato by the adoptionof the constitutional amendment, which abolishes the distinction between “free persons” and “all other persons, ” and being t as a dead letter might as well be form ally struck out and in its stead I propose to insert the words following included in parentheses, so that the clause as amended wi I read us: “Representatives and direct taxes shall be nppprtioned among the several States which may be eludedwithin this Union according totheir respective numbers, which shall be determined by takinq the whole number of person; except them lo whom run! or politically plus or milegea are denied or dbfldflellbly the conlhmlwl o of unvblate on account of race or color)” This is a very simple and very direct wa, it seems to me, of reaching the result aime at without embarrassment to any other question or interest. It leaves population as heretofore the basis of representation, does not disturb in any manner the harmonious relations of the loyal States, and it conclusively deprives the southern States of all representation in Congress on account of the colored population so long as those States may choose to abridge or deny to that population the political rights and privileges accorded to others. The adoption of is amendment as a part of the Federal constitution would, I venture to predict, secure the right of suffrage to the colored population throu bout the South in a very few years and I don t if in any other mode that right can be secured so speedily, so certainly, and so enduringly. RECONSTRUCTION.