Mr. EDMUNDS. As this bill is one of very considerable importance I think it right to state to the Senate what the effect of its passage will be. The law of 1864, which this bill proposes to repeal, is an act repealing the provisions of all the then existing laws requiring a certain proportion of the seamen engagedon American vessels to be citizens of the U.S.; so that the effect of the act of 1864, and of the existing law, is to open American commerce and American ships, both in the coasting and foreign trade, to the employment of foreigners entirely if the masters and owners of the vessels so choose. The policy of the Government has always been, from very early in the present century own to this time, to pursue the oppo site course. The act of 1813, which is referred to in this act of 1864, provided that after the war citizens of the U.S. exclusively should be employed on board the public and private vessels of the U.S. The act of 1817, supplementary to that, regulating navigation, required that 2/3rds of the crew and all the officers should be citizens of the U.S., and that wherever they were not very heavy tonnage duties should e imosed, which it is not necessary to refer to. The act of 1830, which continued to be the law down to 1864, also provided that there should be 3/4ths o the crews American sea men, or those who had filed their declaration of intention to become such, with various other regulations; so that the policy of the Government has been to encourage the employment of American seamen in American commerce; to provide for the obvious contingencies of Warfare and other disturbances, when it might happen otherwise that our merchant service would be filled with the citizens or subjects of the belligerent Power with whom we might be at war. The reason of the passage of the act of June 28, 1864, undoubtedly was that we were so pressed at that time for seamen that, as a temporary emergency, it was found necessary to resort to foreigners to fill up the naval service. That occasion has one by; and it appeared to the committee to e quite obvious that it would be proper to return to the original policy of the Government and restore the laws which had thus been repealed. That is the effect of this bill. The bill was reported to the Senate without amendment, orderengross for a 3rd reading, read the 3rd time, and passed. IOWA STHEAMS.