Mr. EDMUNDS. This original law, the 24th section of the act of 1864, only provides that compensation for the loss of the service of slaves shall be paid out of the moneys derived from commutations of drafted persons for military service; so that the whole question of the obligation of the Government is to hold that fund in trust for the payment of those claims; and it provides for the appointment of a commission to ascertain those claims. My point of objection to this present way and manner of pament is, that it does not up ear that this Kind will be sufficient for all) the claims; and therefore it appears to me that we ought not to make provision for the payment of an of this money out of the fund which is he] in trust for all until these commissioners shall have made their report of all the claims which may be made under the authority of the 24th section of the act of 1864, so as that if the fund turns out to be insufficient, the 10 al slave owner of Kentucky who ha pens to e behind in his application will not nd that the money has been iill paid over to the loyal slave owners in Maryland, where the commission has been held. think, therefore, we are premature in authorizing the pay merit of this money out of the Treasury until, it shall have been ascer tained, in the manner provided by law, what is the whole extent and amount of these claims, and who are the claimants. For this reason I am opposed to the amendment and to making any provision at this time, because the fait of the Government in this pledge is limited by the commutation money, the military fund derived in that way. There is no other obligation of any description; and fairness requires, as well as the law, that we should not pay one claimant who happens to be a little more diligent than another in getting before the commission and having his claim approved, until it is ascertained what is the total amount of the claims, so that a just disposition can be made. the pRESIDING OFFICER. The qnestion is on the amendment to the amendment.