Mr. GUTHRlE. Mr. President, I do not mean to attempt to travel over the whole subject of this bill. I rose, in the 1st instance, because of the imputation the Senfrom Indiana [Mr. LANE] chose to cast upon the loyalty o Kentucky. I will say to that Sean tor that he does not know Kentucky; that she is not in the hands of rebels, and never has been. A truer and more loyal peoIs to the Union of those States never eXistc, and she has testified it throughout this whole war. That there have been rebels and disloyal persons in the State of Kentuckyl do not pretend to deny; but what State in the Union is there that has notcontained some men who were false to their Government? The Senfrom Indiana, once a Kentuckian, is a Kentuckian no longer. He does not know the people of Kentucky or their sentiments. I stood in Kentucky during this long contest, apart of the time in the very midst of testrife, and almost in the midst of the war, and I know that Kentucky is loyal to the core, and since we changed the government from the existing Governor at the time the dithenlties were breakiii out, we have always had a loyal Governor emf a loyal Legislature, and we have at this day. There are some local differences about men, and different men may have their friends, and they may defeat or postpone an election. They did postpone the election when I was sent here; but there was no disloyalty that caused the postponement. There was no disloyalty that caused the postponement last year. 1 on cannot trust a better people, a more loyal people, or a people who have made more saer ces for this Union than the people of Kentucky; but, gentlemen, you will pardon me for sayin it, you treat them as though they were rebe s, and upon false information on are led to believe it. It is an unpleasant ting to be told by gentlemen that we come from a disloyal State, and that they are not willing to listen to us, nor give us a fair hearing in the decision ofquestions here. But, sir, we were sent hereto elp the Government to the best of our ability and judgment, and no distrust shall make us fail in our duty. Let me say to you, Senators, that you made a sad mistake when you raised the committee of 15. That was the foundation of post poning the acknowledgment of these southern States. You will have to acknowledge these States and let them in, or you will have to do worse. It is not worth while to speculate as to what will be the consequences. on have provided in this Freedmen 5 Bureau bill and another bill for governin them for 5 or 20 years as provinces, to Tie governed by military men, an military judges are provided, from whose decisions there is no appeal, with no provision for ajury, and the judgment of the Officer of the Freedmens Bureau is to be the sole measureof damages. Our. experience in Kentucky is that the F freedmens Bureau is a system for plundering the people. We know an instance where a man declared that it was too much power to give to anyone, but he was living upon the country there and heintended that his books should show a balance. What is to be done with the fines that are imposed and collected by this bureau I This bill does not say. They are to go into the pockets of these officers; they have gone into their pockets in Kentucky; and hence, during this war, we have been plundered by Federal officers who have arrested our people and comelled them to pay large fines to be released, an we have been plundered by the rebels when they invaded our State. We have suffered all this, and our patriotism and our loyalty have endured through all those evils. You have not treated Kentucky as a member of this Union, and this very bill shows the prejudices that exist against her. Kentucky is the only loyal State that is selected by the bill, as it comes from the House, for this system of 7 punishment. The Gentfrom Illinois says that he does not like congressional legislation which does not apply to all the States, but here is a proposition passed by congress, which has no authority to pass anything utgeneral laws, except in the disposition of lands in the Territories, confined exressly, if not in terms, to one section of this uion. which, with the exception of Kentucky, is without a representative here to be heard in behalf of its people. I tell you, gentlemen, that the passage of this system of bills is a dissolution of this Union, and you cannot help it. You cannot govern them upon this system of government as conquered States. If they are conquered, they offer to come in. You refuse them; you are going to have guarantees. They fold their arms. They have knocked for admission and you have denied them. Their appeal now is to the American eoplG, to the sound sense of the nation, to the honest feelings of a free people, is this right? Is this according to the examples of our revolutionary fathers? Is it what ought to he done? When that a peal is made, from the South and the North, the East and the West, a verdict will come up, either approving your course or condemning it. If it is approved. there can be no Union; it will be impossible for you to carry on this Government under any such system. As the war is now over, I think we should admit those States as a matter of policy. I do not go into the question of the justice of it. States govern by policy; States ought to govern by policy; but instead of that, instead of forgiveness, instead of receiving them with open arms, we heap upon them unmitigated abuse, and in this very bill are providing for their government for a term of years as conquered provinces. I do not desire to gointo a discussion of this measure again. I consider it, so far as Kentucky is concerned, as a warrant to plunder our pee la in the future as they have been plundered in the past. We have been a patient)eople because we thought that we were maing a sacrifice to the Union. But when the Union is not to be restored, when there is nothing of that feeling to make the people endure, do you suppose they will endure forever? Do you suppose this bill will attach the people in these 11 States more thoroughly to the Union than they felt when they reorganized their State governments, passed laws manumitting their slaves, electing their Legislatures, and doing all that was indicated as necessary to be done I Do you suppose that there will ever come a time under is bill that they will desire to become members of this Union once more? I see in this bill exactly how Kentucky is tolerated here, for as to having part in this legislation, when she is charged ppenly with being ruled at home by rebels, our counsels cah beof no good here; but still we are not to be driven from the Union and from raising our voice in favor of it and raising itin favor of conciliation and confidence from one section to the other. Gentlemen do not get these doctrines of hatred and vengeance from the Gospel. These are not the doctrines taught by the Saviour of the world. While on cry for justice to the African, you are not slow to commit wrong and outrage on the white race. I always regret to feel as I do now, that this bill is doing an injustice to Kentucky, that it is impolitic to the balance of the States, that it is calculated for mischief and that I and the rest of the representatives from Kentucky are mistrusted here because you have got it into your heads from some source or other that there are rebels in Kentucky. Sir, there were rebels in all the States. There was in the beginning and will be a ain if you dnve these people to desperation. I e Senfrom Massachusetts, if I understood his language anght, threatened us with war or worse if we did not yield to his suggestions, and the Senfrom Indiana intimated very strongly the something. Yen have strength enough to carry these measures. if it is the sentiment of the nation: but we are not a people to be alarmed by words or threats. Most of us are willing to Import to these colored people what the nation has granted, and to accord it freely, and to the full entent. There are prejudices among our people that prevent some of them from coming to is now; but we think you are not yet prepared to drop your prejudices in relation to the necessary legislation for the South and what must be done with these people. They belong to the South; they belong to the States where they are; and it is for them to govern this question; and it is better for them and better for you and for us all that that system of vernment be early commenced and that the two races get to understand each other. The Uto pian hopes that gentlemen entertain in regard to the African population can never be realized, and if they are not realized they will not be so anxious to confer the right of suffrage upon th m, nor so readyto denounce everybody that wi not agree to it. I know that the passage of this Freedmens Bureau bill is decreed, and that the degradation of Kentuck, so far as she can be degraded by congressiona legislation, is decreed. I am preared to counsel peace, to counsel fidelity to the Union, to counsel the people to await the day when a better feeling and a better sentiment will prevail throughout the Union that will do Kentucky justice.