Mr. EDMUNDS. Mysympathiesareentirely with the Senfrom Illinois. I felt about this when it was 1st brought to my notice exactly as he did. I felt decidedly belligerent. There is another mistake about that; but when I came to be informed as a matter of fact that the fault about this business was much more with the SecyTreasury than it was with these few gentlemen who were employed in collecting money for the U.S and paying it over into the Treasury, my opinion changed, because the fact turns out to be that the SecyTreasury informed these persons, whZ? were men of individual honor as or as rebels. could be such, and who were fit to be truste in the ordinar respect of business, that this test oath won d not doubtedly be repealed imtlnediately on the assumbling of Does the Congress; and therefore he asked them to take hold and collect money in that sudden emergency before things could be sifted down there, to save the Treasury of the U.S. the 100s of 1,000s of dollars which were coming in and which must be attended to then; and he told them that they would be aid or appointed because the test oath would be repealed, or if not the justice of Congress would provide what was fair and right under the circumstances. These gentlemen accordingly, and there are not a very great number of them, in personal good fait, “reconstructed” rebels as they were, in personal fidelity to the government, took upon themselves the performance of these duties; they collected the revenues and remitted them to the Treasury. Now, the simple question is whether it is notjust to them that a reasonable compensation, a quantummeruit should be paid for the actual days’ labor which they have performed, and so dismiss them. Our responsible agent induced them to under take the performance of this labor under the espectation that the law would be so modified as to allow them to proceed in the performuuce of their duties. We have thong t fit not to do it. It appeared to us upon consideration, and I believe unanimously, that simple justice, simple policy required us to go so far. That was my reason for agreeing to the report; and notwithstanding what has been said by the Senfrom Illinois so eloquently and so vigorously, I am of that opinion still.