Mr. HENDRICKS. Mr. President, I will tell the Senator how far I will he] him to keep it in force. If any man asks to take a seat hero and proposes to take this oath when he cannot truthfully take Iit, will not be for his admission. However unconstitutional I may regard the oath, I will not vote to let a man take a seat here who is willing to testify falsely even under an unconstitutional law. This is the oath which is required by law, and by the rules of the Son ate, of anyone who proposes to take a seat in this body:, “I do solemnly swearthat I have never volunta rily borne armsagainsttheU.S.sinccI have beena citizen thereof; that I havevoluntarily given no aid. countenance, counsel or encouragementto persons ‘cnsaged in armed hostility thereto; that I ave neither soughtnor acceptednor attemptedto exercise the functions of any office wbutever under any authority or pretended authority in hostility to the U.S.; that I have not yielded a voluntary support to any pretendedgovernment.authority. power, o r constitution, within the U.S., hostile or inimieal thereto. And I do lurther swear that to the bestof my knowledgeand ability, I will support and defend the Constitution of the U.S. against all enemies. foreign and domestic: that I same; will bear true faith and allegiance to the that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: so help meGod." The law which requires this oath is dated as far back as July, 1862. There has been no proposition during these 4 years for its re pea. It stands as the law of the country. It stands unre caled, with all the force that an enactment ot Congress, such as it is, can have. Then, sir, no man from the southern States can take a seat in either Hall of Congress unless he is refered to swear, and unless the fact be, that le Iias had no voluntary connection with the rebellion; that he has given it no aid or counsel; that he has borne true faith and allegiance to the Government all the while' and that hereafter he will hear such faith an alle giance. such men, the Senfrom Illinois says, such men, the poli’cy of his party says, shall not be admitted to represent the southern State The question is not, shall rebels take seats Congress and there is no use in stating the question (intruly the question is not, shall rebels take seats in Congress; the question is not, shall any man that has been connected with the rebellion in any way take a seat in Congress; but the question is, shall men selected by competent authority in the southern States, chosen according to the provisions of the Constitution, who have had no connection with the rebellion, who have stood out against it, during all the controversy have borne true faith and allegiance to the Government, loyal men as they are called shall they be allowed to take seats in Congress; and you say no. The men in the South whose allegiance to the Government during this struggle has been worth ten times, so or as suffering is concerned, so far as moral courage is concerned, as much as the allegiance ot a man in the North, you say shall not be the representatives of the southern States. As was said by some Senator the other day, it has not been much of a trial to be true to the country in the northern States. Public sentiment was all that way; it bore a man along as the tide of the ocean will bear a boat. It was not a matter of will, scarcely, in the northern States. It was no question of moral courage in the northern States. There it required moral courage to go against the Gouernment in the controversy. What, then, have we to boast ofin the northern States that we have been true all the while? We have gone with the popular current; we have gone where interest was; we have gone where ambition led we have gone where gain was to be found. Set the man of talent, of hope, of ambition in the South that dared to stand up for his flag and his Government during the 5 years of the war, with what had he to contend? There was no current carrying him on to high places of pride and ambition; there was no opportunity for wealth and gain in the form of rich contracts to the true man of the South. He had to meet a popular prejudice such as no Senaton in this body has anyknowledge of. Against the whole pressure of his section of the country he stood or the flag, the Constitution, and the Union. True in the midst of trial; true in the midst of persecution; true when every influence that can be brought to bear upon the human mind was brought to bear against his loyalty, his faith, and his allegiance to his country, and in the midst of it all he came out true; and you say that he shall not be a representative in this Hall! It is hiscause that we lead under the law of the land. The law says t iat no other man shall be admitted to a seat. You cannot misrepresent it here. whatever may be done before the people. The oath is here; we have all taken it; and we ‘know that before any man from Geor in or Tennessee can take a seat on this floor e must swear, as we have sworn, that he has had nothing to do with the rebellion. The Senator asks me ifI ain in favor of the admission of the 2 distinguished gentlemen that he hasmentioned from Georgia, Mr. Ste phens and