Mr. SMITH. I can yield no further; I will new resume the floor. I had intended a few days ago to occupy some of the time of this House upon this subject; but I am not now in a condition to do so. I cannot, however, allow the occasion to pass without making one or 2 remarks in rerd to what some men whom I know have an ered in Kentucky. I wish to state m passant that the 2 men who were arrested and tried at the Alexandria court in the 6th district of Kent iicky, were arrested for obeying an order issued by General Palmer, in the latter part of September, 1865. That order was that those 2 men, officers of the Union arm, should go into the county of Campbell, an while preserving the peace and the dignity of the election, they should prevent any man who had been expa triated y the Legislature of Kentucky from exercising the elective franchise. It was provided by a law of Kentucky, in force at that time, that those who had won aid and comfort to the rebellion, and who refused to return to their alleance within 60 days after the passage of that bill, should not be allowed to vote. That law was in force until last winter. That class of men had threatened to take possession of the polls and defeat the Union can didates, in order that they might control the destinies of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The war was over, and 1,000s of those men had returned, under the terms of surren der granted by GenlGrant to General Lee, and with the permission of the POTUS I remember distinctly on one occasion when I was addressing the people in my own district, that 25 of these men with their arms were present, and they swore that on the day of election no Abolitionist and no Republican should vote for me. When these Union officers were arrested and carried before the court at Alexandria, they pleaded that they were only obeying orders emanating from the POTUS and officers in command over them. That the court overruled. The 2nd lea they made was that an a eal should be taken to the Federal court. The judge ruled that there was but one appeal known in the commonwealth of Kentucky, and that was to the supreme court of that State. They were therefore tried in that court. The jury, all of them. secessionists, all of them rebels, some of them having been in the rebel arm, fined those men $4,000 a iece; and one of them was fined $2,000 fiir arresting a man who had been charged with being a guerrilla, carryin him in a carriage 15 miles to Newport, and eeping him at his house 12 hours, when he was released, the evidence notsustaining the charge. Those men refused to pay the fines, were car ried to jail, but they went there as the had gone through 4 years of war under the tin of the country and with their comrades aroun them. Those who had charge of them dare not put them in a cell, but gave them a comfortable upperchamber, where they were vis ited by their friends, ladies and gentlemen, and where they were fed well. At last, undera writ of habeascorpus they were taken to Louisville and released on bail. N ow, air, it is for the protection of such men that this bill should be passed. If Kentucky refers to give protection to rebels the U.S. should give protection to the Union people of the country. Sir, I know that in another county of that State the grand jury in dicted every Union judge, sheriff, and clerk of the election of August, 1865. In addition to that every loyal man who had been in the Army and had, under the order of his superior Officer, taken a horse, was indicted. On the other hand in cases where Union men made charges and offered their witnesses, not a single case was called, not a single indictment was found. Sir, let memention another fact, because, probably, this is the only way in which the truth of histor can be exhibited. The last Legislature of Kentucky turned out a Senfrom m district, a gentleman who had been elected y 1, 150 majority in 2 counties. But he was not expelled till the exatriation law had been repealed and the rights of citizen. ship fully and completely restored to all the returned rebels of the State. When he returned home he be an to canvass his district. A meeting was calle to be held in the evening at a prominent school house in that county. He was met upon the threshhold by 40 or 50 men, one of whom took him by the hand That man, it was accidentally discovered, held under his coat a bowie knife With whlch he was about to stab that gentlimlni senator T.R. Baker, who would have been assassinated but for the fortunate interposition of a friend who knocked down the mise reant as he was about to draw his knife. That assassin was carried to jail and tried; but in spite of the testimony of 15 or 20 witnesses, the jury did not find a verdict against him. This circumstance was related to me by Senator Baker himselfin this city nightbefore last; and no one will dare to impugn the integrity of T.R. Baker. Sir I have said to those in Kentucky who have condisloyal and taken part in the rebellion, “Behave yourselves; show that you desire to be honest and just and law abiding, and I have nothing to say or do against you. I will treat you properl. I will go as far as any man in the way of orgiveness. But when you raise the stiletto against a man like Baker when you incarcerate good Union men an allow rebels to go free; then I wish you to understand I am in the ranks again, as I was before, with the red, white, and blue, to whip you out and make you behave yourselves." There is no nobler class of men in the world than the Union men of Kentucky. The have treated with the utmost forbearance an mag nanimity the returned rebels, who have been allowed to come back to their homes and enjoy the privileges of citizens. But if these rebels want more blood and will have it, let them have it. No Union soldier from Kentucky has ever yet turned his back on the enemy. Now, sir, I know the temperament of that people. I know it well, I know it thoroughly, and I believe this is the only remedy we have. We have no martial law in Kentucky. We will be satisfied when we can have this remedy, when we can have our appeal to the Federal courts and can go among men who will respect us and accord to us justice. Sir, let me say, while these men were carried through Alexandria, Mr. Caldwell, a noto rious guerrilla in Kentucky, charged with killing, not only men, but women, and with stealing more than 20 horses, stood on the corner of the street, with his hands in his pan taloons pockets, exulting over the defeat of these Union men. I am tired of that. Our Union people are tired of it. We say we will bury the hatchet if you will agree to do so; but if you will not, we will throw the scabbard behind us, and then " Lay on. Maeduff; and damnedbe him that1st cries Hold. enoughl"