Mr. SUMNER. Mr. President, on the 13th of March last, after a debate of 2 days, the Senate rejected a bill for the admission of colorado as a State into the Union. This was by a vote of 21 nays to 14 yeas, being a majority of 7 and now, after an interval of more than a month, a motion is made to reconsider that vote. An attempt is made to revive:1. nostion which at that time seemed to have been buried. Of course those who press this motion have a right to do so, if they are satisfied in their minds that the motion ought to be pressed. I do not complain of them. But I meet the proposition on the threshold. I do not content myself by waiting to another stage and entering into the discussion after we have allowed the reconsideration. I oppose the reconsideration. I insist that this subect, once closed by such a majority, and on snc good grounds, as I shall proceed to show, shalfnot again be opened in this Chamber. Sir, the proposiion concerns the admission of a State into this Union. I need not remind ou thatin other days no such preposition could be made in this Chamber without excitin great interest. Some of the most remarkable de bates that have occurred in the Senate have been on such propositions. The proposition has 2 as ects: 1st, as it concerns the people in the erritory itself, who, I submit, are not prepared to assume the responsibilities of a State government; and 2ndly, as it concerns the other States in the Union, who, I submit also, ought not to be obliged at this moment to receive this community into full equality as a State. On another occasion I felt it my duty to remind you of the position, the responsibilities, the powers, and the prerogatives of a State in this nion. I held up before you what you would undertake to convey to this small community if you invested it with the character of a State. I showed you that you would impart to it a full equality in this Chamber with the largest States in the Union; with NewYork, witi Pennsylvania, with Ohio, with Massachusetts; and that in the exercise of this equalit the Senators from this small community on all questions of legislation, of diplomacy, and of appointments, might counterbalance the senators of these iarge States. Assumingthatthis small community was already a State in the Union, I had no criticism to make on that equality of power; but I did present it to you as an unanswerable argument Why you should not admit a community so small inihe proor attributes of a State as the enjoyment of that hivh equality. permit me to so., sir, that you cannot adequately consider this question without giving your attention tor one moment to the condition of the count at the moment when the question arises. 0 are happily at the close of a long, a bloody, and a most expensive war. Throughout that war, there was one questidn that entered into it. redorninating over all others. It was the rpicgtion of justice to the colored race and now, sir, that the war is closed, Eat our soldiers are no longer iu the tented field, at same question enters into your debates, and challenges your decisiorl. You have before you at every stage of your legislation the question of tree to the colored race and now, with this question staring you in the face, what do we sec at this moment? A small community in a distant part of the country, small in population, even according to the statements of its friends not amountingin numbers tomore than 25 or 30,000 people; according to the statements of others, even as few in numbers as ten or 15,00opeo Ele; with agricultural resources that already egin to fail; with mining resources that during the last 2 or 3 years have been constantly failing; with accounts at the postoffice which during the ast year have been failing we have this small community coming forwar and asking admission to equality as a State in the Union with a constitution that tramples on human rights. This new candidate, pressing for recognition, holds up a constitution which excludes all persons from the electoral franchise who are not white. It presents to you a constitution with a discrimination of the word “white;” and the question that you now have before you is, whether this small community, so slender in every re. ect, of such inferior condition, and comin orward with a principle of human inequaity in its constitution, shall be admitted by you to the equality of States in this Union. You are not obliged to admit it. IYour discretion is ample. The language of the Constitution is plain. “New States may be admitted into the Union, ” not must be, but “may be.” You may exercise your discretion in the exercise of this prerogative. You may admit, or you may reject. Therefore when called to not, you must exercise your discretion. You cannot decline to exercise it. You must bring your judgment to bear upon the case; you must consider well all the facts and all the elements which enter into the civilization of this candidate community; you must consider of course its population, its resources and also the character of its constitution. In doing so, you can have no feeling except of kindness and sympathy for the people there. God knows that I wish them well from the bottom of my heart. There is no aspiration which I do not offer for their welfare; but, on this occasion, we must consider the requirements of duty and here the nvag is clear. ow, sir, allow me to say, with these few words of introduction, that I present to you this proposition, that such a community as now exists in Colorado, deficient in opnlation, fail in; already in agriculture, faing alread in mineral resources, and with aconstitution which sets at defiance the 1st principle of human rights, should not at this moment be recognized as a State of the Union. Mark me, ifyou p ease; I say at this moment and under these circumstances. The proposition thatI present is compound or complex. I do not found my conclusion on anyone of these elements or details, but I found it on the whole compounded together; and I say. sir, that at this moment, at the close of this war, when by every obligation we are solemnly bound to maintain the rights of the colored race, you will on ifyou give your hand to such acommunit asI have described, which, so inferior in popu Mimi and resources, comes forward With acoustilution denying those rights. Thus uch, sir, I have to say by way of introducti pll; all this is simply that I may open to you in one word the magnitude of the question and the general principles which underlie it; but before I sit doivn it will be my duty to consider with some minuteness the actual condition and the resources of this territory and here, at this stage of the discussion, I hope to be pardoned ifI call the attention of the Sennte to a document which I find on our tables and which has been read I dare say by Senators. It is “ a pamphlet entitled Colorado, ” and is addressed “ to the honor able the members of the Senate and HoRep of the U.S., ” and is signed “J. B. Chalfec and John Evans, Senators elect.” As I proceed it will be my to allude to statements in this pamphlet, wdhuicty is the repertory of facts and arguments for the admission of Colorado. I am reluctant to criticise it; butI believe if any Senator will canvass it from beginnin to the end, he will find that there Are very few of its statements which are entirely candid, very few which in point of fact can be relied upon in all respects. said that it was signed bJ. B. Challee and John Evans. Now, sir, do not intend to introduce any personal question into this discussion so far as it can be avoided; but as this document is on our tables, and as it is here with a certain authority, in order to enlighten us as to our duty on this occasion, I think I shall not err if I call the attention of the senate to the solemn judgment of one of the most honored committees of this body on the conduct of one of the signers of that document. I have in my hand the 3rd volume of the Report of the Committee on the Conduct of the War, and I turn to the head of “ the massacres of the Cheyennelndians.” Thutreport, which is signed by B. F. WADE, chairman, after alluding to the testimony of Governor John Evans, one of the signers of the document now on your tables, proceeds as follows: " His testimonybeforcyour committeewas characterlnedby such prevarioation and shuliiin! ashasbeen shown by no Witnessthey have examined during the 4 years they have been engagedin their investigations: and for the evident purpose of nvoidinc the admission that he was fully aware that the Indians massacredso brutally at Sanderek, were then and had been, actuatedby the most riendl feelings to ward the whites and had done all in t cir power to restrain those lessfriendly disposed.” such, sir, is the language ofyour committee characterizing the testimony of the GOvernor of Colorado who now comes here to lead for the admission of that Territory as a late into this Union. His testimony is held up as“ characterized by such prevarication and shuffling as has been shown by no witness they have examined during the 4 years they huvebeen engaged in theirinvestiguhons.” It is that Gentleman who new signs the paperI hold in my hand which is addressed to you in the eXpectation of influencing your votes on this occa on. I shall not consider minutely the character of this pamphlet; but I will at this stage call attention to the very1st proposition as an illus trationof what seems to me the unenndid way in which the facts are presented. I may err; but this is the way it seems to me. For in stance, here is a statement of the area of this Territory, which amounts, as it is said, to 105,818 square miles. Of this the pamphlet says that 2/5ths is east of the Rocky mount ains, and that its agricultural and pastoral lands comprise 42,000 square miles, or over 25 million acres. That is the statement with which the amphlct begins. Against this statement, which is not authenti cated in any way, not supported by any authority, I oppose authority. havfin my hands a transcript from. the report of the surveyor General of Colorado, dated August 15, 1865, addressed to the ComrGLO, in whose annual reportit appears. This authority is as follows: "The extremelimit of the amount of land capable of cultivation in Colorado will not vary much from 2500,000 acres." Thus is the 1st statement in this pamphlet sweated down, if I may so express it. from 25 million to 2500,000 acres.