Mr. LANE, of Kansas. I desire to make a brief statement to the Senate as to the condition of the State of Arkansas and as to the 2 applicants for seats 11 on this floor. The State of Arkansas is one of the States that never had a provisional governor. The loyal men of that State during 1 e darkest hour of the war instituted proceedings for eallinga convention, without even the knowledge, as I understand, of the POTUS Only loyal men participated in the election of delegates to the convention. That convention met, took up the old constitution of the State and I desire to call the attention of the Senfrom Hline is [Mr. TRUMBULL] to one particular point. In this connection. I understood him in his discussion with the Senfrom Pennsylvania [ML Cowsx] to say the other day that these confederate States did not proceed under the old organi—zation, the organization that was in force previ ous to the war. The State ofArkansas did. They tookup the old constitution and proceeded just as if all the old officers had died with disease. I have before me the action of that convention. They proceeded to amend the old constitution. The 1st amendment declares the ordinance of secession and all laws and proceedings under it to be null and void. The 2nd amendment repudiates the confederate debt and prohibits the assumption or payment of any part of it. The 3rd amendment prohibits slavery. The 4th amendment secures to all men civil rights, making no distinction of color. Under the old constitution these rights were secured to “free men.” They struck out the word “free,” making all men in the State of Arkansas equal before the law. They prohibited slavery. They prohibited apprenticeship beyond the age of 21 as to males, and beyond the age of 18 as to females. 1he convention elected a Governor to serve until the next annual election, and elected as Governor the man who at the 1st secession convention opposed and with others defeated, the ordinance of secession, and who in the 2nd convention, when threatened with death by an Arkansas pro slavery convention, had the cour age to vote alone against the ordinance of secession. The constitution so amended was sub mitted to the loyal people of that State and carried by a majority of 12,000 loyal votes. A cgislatnre was called, and that Legislature elected Judge Baxter as one of the Senators whose credentials I now propose to refer—a man who fled the State at the earliest moment of secession, returned with the Arm of the U.S., was taken prisoner aii confined in the penitentiary of the State of Arkansas for 4 long months for his loyalty to his Government, and was released by the intervention of a loyal lady, and thus saved from ii. cruel death. Judge Baxter, after his escape from the penitentiary, raised a loyal regiment, and commanded it until he was elected by the loyal men of Arkansas njudge of the supreme court of the State. Another Legislature was selected, and still another, by whom Mr. Snow, the other Senator whose cre entials I propose to refer,was chosen. He published 14 years ago at the cit of Roc ester, erha s the s Senfrom NewYork will remem or, the Rochester Tribune, a republican paper.“ He published it for 2 years. e has been an antislavery man of 14 ears standing. He is the colleague of Mr. Taxter. I now send to the Clerks desk the test that the Arkansas Legislature submitted to Mr. Snow previous to his election, and his answers, and the oath which he subscribed, and I ask that the Clerk read the document.