Mr. SUMNER. I know we do not do it here. We do not do it here, the Senator says, in the election of a President of the Senate. Well, I am disposed to think that in not doing itwe fail to follow the best example. I was observing, however, that the precedent of the British Par liament, ifitbe of any value, would be in favor of open voting. There is no question now how hile I am entirely satisfied tilt“ I think a sound policy would the voting shall be at popular elections. The simple question now is on voting in arepresentative capacity. Now, sir, glancing for a moment, if you please, at what I suppose is historically the origin of the different systems prevailin in the different parts of the country, I think do not err if I say that in Virginia and the States to the south of Virginia the system of open voting, even at popular elections, was adopted from the beginning. The borrowed it from the Euglish practice in election of members of Parliament, and then from the practice of Parliament itself. The western States, I need not remind you, were carved out of Virginia. The North western Territory was originally but a territory of Virginia, and I presume that the habit which the Senfrom Illinois tells us prevails throughout those States, and in his own State of Illinois, was derived originally from Virginia, as Virginia derived it originally from the Ifinglish custom. If we come to NewEngland the usage is entirely different. NewEngland borrowed her system of secret voting at popu lar elections, and then again at elections by the Legislature, from the usage of the corporation which originally settled the country, a corpora.tion of Puritans, following the simplest ways. And history records that all the ear y elections were determined by secretvoting, inwhich beams were used as ballots. Thus a person was named and each voter dropped a black bean or a white bean into a box in order to determine whether he was for or against him. In this wa secrecy waspreserved. The rule thatprevaile atpopu ‘lnr elections was carried into elections by the legislaturc. Igbelievc. this is a history of the difference in the manner of election which has grown up in the different parts of the country; the West deriving theirs from Virginia and from England, and NewEngland deriving hers from the practice of a small corporation which introduced the system of secret voting. NewEng land has adhered to her usage from the beginning down to this day, with the exception of RhdIsland, which, it will be remembered, was organized under an entirely different char ter, being' a charter of Charles H, having some essentially distinctive features. Now, sir, the question is distinctly presented whether we shall recognize what may be called the NewEngland system of secret voting or the English and almost universal system of open voting. I must say that I am in favor of the system of open voting where persons vote in a representative character, and I think it is becoming to the Senate now, as it undertakes to regulate this matter, that it should stamp it with uniformity, and that this uniformity should be according to the best and the most generous principles, to the end that the representative may be held to the strictest accountability, and t“hat what he does may be in the light of day. Give me to see.”