Mr. WADE. This is a bill of very considerable importance, and Iobserve that the senate seem to be taking no note of it whatever, and that but very few are present. This District was once composed of ten miles square. I suppose every Senator knows the historyof the DistCol; whyit hapened to be set off; why it was provided for In the Constitution of the U.S.; and all the particulars in reference to it. I do' not know of anything in our political history up to the time of the recent war that created a greater sensation among the people of the U.S. than the question of where should be the location of their capital, the ten miles square provided tbr by the Constitution. A number of places were designated; and congress was perhaps as much agitated upon that question as upon any other that has ever arisen. t was settle by a great compromise. We are told by Mr. ] eTTerson and Mr. Madison that it came very near creating a in ture and perhaps a disunion of the States. udging from the controversy that then arose, the question was considered by the statesmen of that day as of much greater interest than the importance of the subject would seem to have warranted. The preceding Congress had sat in Philadel phia. About the time that the whisky insurreotion arose in the State of Pennsylvania Congress feared that they would be disturbed there. Disturbances did arise that threatened, erha s , the session of Congress at that place. he ‘overnor of Pennsylvania was applied to; but his answer was not very satisfactory to Congress. Thereupon, their attention being called to the subject, the question became agi Stated, until finally they fixed, under the Constitution, upon this place, this ten miles square, as the permauent seat of Government. The constitution provides, in the eight h section of the 1st artic e, that Congress shall have power"To exerciseexclusivelegislationin all caseswhat soever over such district, (not exceeding ten square.) miles on may, by 0:ion of particular States and the acceptanceof Cinemas, becomethe seat of the Governmentof the U.S.” The General Assembly of Maryland, by an not passed December 23, 1788, entitled “An act to cede to conas a district of ten miles in this State fort e seat of Government of the U.S., ” authorized and directed its representatives on behalf of the State to cede any district in the State, not to exceed ten miles, which Congress might fix for a seat of Government. The act of these delegates was afterward aliirmed by the General Assembly in an actof ratification assmi December 19, 1791. The General Assemhly of the State of Virginia in 1789 passed a like not for that portion of it that was finally located in the State of Virginia. All agreed in fixing this as the permanent location of the seat of Government under the (clonstitutional provision authorizing that to be one. The question arises, when that power became executed by the final and permanent location of the seat of Government here, and the ten miles s uure were ceded by those States and accepted by Congress under the Constitution, whether it was in the power of Congress afterward to retrocede any portion of it to Virginia or Maryland or any other State. I do not suppose it was any more competent for Congress to cede any portion of this ten miles square that had been thus fixed upon under the constitution of the U.S. to the State of Maryland or the State of Virginia, item which it was taken, than it Would be to cede it to any other State of the U.S. The cession Was full, ample, plenary, and exhausted all the power both of the States and of Congress over the subject. Congress were invested with all the legislative power over this District that could be exercised by any Legislature. No power over it was left "1 those States any more than was left in the other States. The ccssion was as complete as when one neighbor deeds his farm in fee simple to another, reserving no right, title, orinterestin itwhatever. Therefore these States had no more particular claim over it for a retroccsson than any other State. The question arises, had Congress the right, had they the power to divide this grant? If they could do so nobody will deny that tomorrow Congress may, if they see fit, code the other portion of it to Maryland. I believe the ablest jurists in the U.S. have considered that the act of Congress in 1846 ceding this territory back to Virginia was an unauthorized, unconstitutional act. I have heard no opinion of any lawyer or judge on the subject who believed the act was constitutional. Of course, this original cession was the joint act of the State of diaryland, the State of Virginia, and Congress, all 3 conperating and concurring; and' it tips necessary that that should be done in order to fix the seat of government here.