Mr. TRUMBULL. Mr. President, it might be very unwise, as the Senfrom Wisconsin says, for us to undertake to wipe out the various exemption laws of the different States; but the Senfrom Wisconsin must be aware that the Constitution of the U.S. declares in so many words that Congress shall have power to “establish uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcy throughout the U.S. ” Now, I wish to submit to the Senfrom Wisconsin, if this bill read in this wise: “There shall be exempted from the operations of this act in the State of Illinois a homestead worth $1,000 to each bankrupt; in the State of Wisconsin a homestead worth $200; in the State of Connecticut 50 dollars' worth of personal property, ” and so on, incorporating exPressly the terms of the exemption laws of the various States, scarcely any 2 of which are alike, does he believe that we have authority to pass such a law as that under the Constitution which gives us power to pass a bankrupt law which 5. be uniform throughout the U.S.? Would that be a uniform law which declared that $1,000 worth of property should be exempted from the operations of the law in Illinois and only $100 worth in Wisconsin 7 Have we any authority to pass such a law? By the ComJudiciary, who considered this question, it was thought otherwise, They considered that there was no such authority. That was the trouble. This is the report of the committee, and the question is on agreeing to the amendment moved by the ComJudiciary. That committee were of opinion and I wish to submit the point to the lawyers of this body that, Congress clearly had no authority to pass such a law exemptin one species of property from the operations of the bankrupt act in one State and another and different species of property and a different amount in another and a different State; and hence the committee reported this amendment to strike out this clause, and the question now before the Senate is on agreeing to this amendment recommended by.ComJudiciary. It may be desirable not to interfere with the existing exemption laws of the various States, and on that question I shall not enter into a discussion with the Senfrom Wisconsin. He tells us that contracts have been made in reference to those laws; but is that an answer to this insurmountable difficulty, in the opinion of the ComJudiciary, to the enactment of the law in this form?