Mr. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, the proposed amendment to the Constitution may be a good and perfect amendment, without any reference to the bills which are to be passed in furtherance of that amendment or to carry it into effect, or what is more, without reference to bills making exceptions with regard to those who shall hold Office. It may be that the bill disfranchising or rendering ineligible to Office certain persons in the southern States may or may not pass; but how does that affect the constitutional amendment? Not in the least. There is no referenceto it in the constitutional amendment. So also with regard to the other bills which declare certain things with regard to those States. Each of them stands by itself. One may fall and the other may stand, without affecting the constitutional amendment at all. None of those bills are submitted to the States of the Union; none of them are submitted to the northern States. Therefore the plea of the gentleman amounts to nothing. But te 1st bill which now comes before us for consideration recites that Congress has submitted to the Legislatures of the different States certain propositions for amendment of the Constitution, reciting the very amendment which we have sent to the Senate. Now, it is not true that Congress has submitted such an amendment to the respective State Legislatures. As it stands at present, that recital is a false hood upon the ace of the bill. Now, in what position would this House place itself if we should go on and pass this bi 1 making that recital, and the Senate should fail to pass the measure which we have recited as passed? It would make us look ridiculous. It is an absurdity to ask it; and I do not understand why it should be asked, unless to render this House more ridiculous than it can be made in any other way. I trust, therefore, that the business of the House will not be needlessly interrupted and the time of the House wasted in the consideration and passage of bills which may become nugatory by the action of the Senate. When the Senate shall have concurred in our action on the constitutional amendment it will be time enough for us to go on and pass the bill reciting the action of both branches of congress. I think, therefore, that this day 2 weeks hence, when we shall have got through other business now before us, it will be time enough to take u this bill. The constitutional amendment, as have learned this morning, will not come u in the Senate till Tuesday of next week; an a week will probably be required to discuss the proposition.