Mr. MORRILL. Perhaps the attention of the Senate should be called to the action of the HoRep in contrast with the action of the Senate committee. It will be seen that the resolution from the House, for which the Senate committee substitutes its own resolution, provides fora method of treating this subject in cooperation with the States. The President is authorized to make rules and regulations to cooperate with the State and local authorities. l hat is the chieffeature of the House resolution. The resolution reported by the ComCommerce of the senate, which is proposed as a substitute for that, inaugurates a system independent of the local authorities and independent of the States; and it is different in some other respects. The object of the 2 resolutions, ofcourse, is the same, to prevent the spread of the cholera. The question which I desire the Senate should understand and should consider is, whether it is advisable to invest the President and his Secretaries with the powers of quarantine and sanitary regulation over the whole country. The statement of that question will show the Senate at once the importance of this measure and the magnitude of the undertaking; and they must judge forl the mselves as to the probability of its being effective. A measure authorizing the President and his Cabinet to use the war power of the country and the Treasury of the country to make, in the 1st place, a system broad enough to quarantine all the ports on the coast, and a sanitary system or a cordon of sanitary fposts extensive enough to guard your whole routier, and also to be effective in all the cities and towns throughout the whole country, the Senate will see at once will be very comprehensive and very extensive, and involves the exercise of very extensive powers; and whether so spread out and so acting independent of the States to raise no question now of the right to do so by any possibility, within a reasonable time, it could be made effective as a practical question, it seems to me admits of very serious doubt. I ought to say, therefore, calling the attention of the Senate to these 2 propositions, that it seemed to me that the measure, as it came from the HoRep, was preferable in 2 particulars: 1st, that it avmds all questions of authority; and 2ndly, that it proposes to cooperate with the systems alrea y in existence. The city of NewYork, the great metropolis, for instance, has a very effective system quarantine and health police, more tos odaiaonf could be perfected by this Government in 12 months if it should set to work to da to do it. Now, are we to act inde ndent of that, or to cooperate with it? not as you settle that question so will you settle whether you will amend the resolution as it comes from the House, and adopt. the proposition of the committee, or concur in the resolution as it came from the House. I was in favor of the House resolution because it proposed to confer with the States and with the cities and avail itself of the local systems of quarantine and health police, organized and as they have existed for 50 years. It may be said that our authorities can avail themselves of that; but that is not the theory of the bill. The theory of the hill is that it is to be independent, that a system is to be organized here by thesa Secretaries, and that it is to be carried out over the whole country. It seems to me that you will lose entirely the eiliciency which is desirable and which you Would secure if, instead of that, you cooperated with the systems already in force. For these reasons not to argue the question in anyway, but merel to make suggestions because of the doubt on the question of authority, and especially because ciliciency will come from conperating with the States, it seemed to me that the House resolution was referable; but of course I rise to make no hostility to the measure. It seemed, however to me to be advisable, as nobody had stated the precise position in which the measure was presented to the Senate, that I should make this statement.