Mr. COWAN. Mr. President, in an marks that I made upon this question I ope that I was respectful. I hope too, that I was earnest. I know no reason wh1y I should not be; I know no reason, either, why the honorable Senfrom Maine should be so exceedingly sharp about it. If he does not see fit to to e my warnings, as he is pleased to call them, and if he does not see fit to care anything about me or what I say here, perhaps it would be decomus to conceal that in the Senate. I suppose that I have quite as much interest in the maintenance of the Union, and in the peace and prosperity of the country as the honorable Senfrom Maine has. I do not know why I should be supposed to know as much about this question as e does, and to be as ready to take it up as he is. I have not the honor to be a member of the committee of 15 who have recharge of the condition of this Union, who carry mboutattheir girdles the keys of the Union, at. whose nod sovereign States, as I said before, wait to be admitted into the Union. But, sir, I still have some interest. I representa State and a people in the Union. bother I do it well or ill, it is for that people to determine when the time comes. Whetherido it honestly and fairly, or whether I do it with sinister motives and sinister purposes, it is not for the Senfrom Maine to decide, but it is for the ople whose representative I am upon this oor. I agree with him, and he agrees with me, that this is a great question, the overshadowing of all questions. Vhat did Iask. sir? anything impro or? Anything out of the way? I asked that tequestion may be postponed until at least we have time and opportunity to see the resolution in print, to see the length and breadth of the proposition contained in it. I think there is nothing so extraordinary in all that as that I should be subject to the denun ciation (for it. amounts to denunciation) of the honorable Senfrom Maine. Sir, I am not to be affected by those denunciations in the slightest degree; not to be moved to e right or to the left by a hairs breadth. come from what quarter they ma. When I think a great question is presente here, one involving not only the interests of the people of my State, but the people of all Ill and I may say the people the world over, what I think about. it and what I have to say about it Iwill say, no matter what the consequences may be. Now, we have been considering another proposition from this same committee, day after day, which I understood was to be a fundamental proposition, which was to settle and determine all thesequestions, which was to avenge the dead, which was to console the living and which was to restore the country again to that peace and prosperity which it enjoyed before. Shall we continue that discussion for a day or 2 longer, or must this new bantling that comes from this committee of 15 be thrust in upon us suddenly and rushed through the Senate as it has been rushed through elsewhere? I hope not. I think it is not consistent with the dignity of this body. I think it is not consistent with the notions of this body entertained by the Senfrom Maine that it should be pushed upon us in a hurried manner, or that it should be hurried through. I hope it will not be. I hope he himself will not insist u, on it. If he means nothing more than thatt is resolution shall be taken up and that it shall then go over, certainly I have no disposition to resist that upon his part; but that is not the way I have understood it.