The PRESIDENT protemporc. The reading of that portion of the JtResolution being ased for. it will be again read. Mr.HENDRICKS. Beforethereadingofthat section, I wish to call the attention of the Senfrom Massachusetts for a moment to the fact, and I suppose it will be recollected by him, that the Senfrom RhdIsland [Mr. Asrnosy] presented to the Senate, at the last session, a proposition, which had a good deal of strength in the body. changing the mode of appointin cadets to WestPoint. It was then presente to the Senate under circumstances which prevented its full consideration. I was not willing to support it at that time, because its merits could not then be fully understood and considered. It was proposed as an amendment to an appropriation bill. All Senators know that the proposition could not ver well be considered) in that connection, witht e opposition to it as legislation upon an appropriation bill; but as it is a very important proposition, I think, more important, perhaps, than any provision of this bill, if it have any merit at til it is due to the Senfrom RhdIsland that we should wait until he returns before we propose to change the present plan. I cannot state to the Senate what was the ropposition of the Senfrom RhdIslan, but I think it was that there should be a board in each State for the examination of candidates; that the member of Congress from the district should present the names of a certain number of young men, and those young men should go before the board, and should be examined with a view to their physical qualifications for the militar service, their intellectual qualitications an capacity, and also with regard to their education; that they should be examined by the board in advance, so as to prevent so many failures in the institution. I am not prepared to say that I am in favor of the proposition of the Senfrom RhdIsland; but to say the least, it is worthy of the consideration of the Senate; and if the Senfrom Massachusetts will not object, Iwill move to postpone this bill for a reasonable time until the Senfrom RhdIsland shall return.