Mr. WASHBURNE, of lhnois. The Gentfrom Massachusetts has not only to answer to these cutleineu, but he has to answer to his distinguished eolleague in the Senate of the U.S., the senior Senfrom Massachusetts, Mr. SUMNEH] who was the cham pion of this very bill in the Senate, making a speech I believe, in its behalf. The Gentfrom Massachusetts can settle with that Senator whether, in seeking to do what he professed to be trying to accomplish, his “ rea but undeclared purpose” was to relieve the Illinois Central ailroad Company. Let me remark further, sir, that when the Gentfrom Massachusetts says, in the article which has been read, that “ he, or somebody else, gave the press a false account of this bill, if the gentleman referred to me his assertion was unwarranted and insolent. Besides the question which the gentleman must. settle with his colleague he must settle with himself this question: “Was it your purpose, when you voted for this bill on the 12th of May, 1864, to release the Illinois Central Railroad company?" There might, perhaps, be some color for such a supposition so far as regards the Gentfrom Massachusetts; butI think that as to my self, I will be exonerated from any such purpose by gentlemen who were members of the hist Congress, and thus had an opportunity to observe my course on this subject. Theyknow that I strove with all my power to obtain 11 declaration by Congress against the impudent and since the passage of that bill. stupendous robbery of the public Treasury of more than a half million dollars by the Illinois Central Railroad Company. Sir, as gentlemen know, I resisted to the last the cfforts of that company; I fought it at every step and I cannot conceive what could have induced the gentleman, with his knowledge of that fact, (be cause he must have known it, to make such a statement. I am certain that I have given him no occasion for doin so and let the House understand that, while Iwas thus struggling, the Gentfrom Massachusetts, in the very pine of the game, left us and went over to the enem, and voted with the friends of the Illinois entral Railroad Company. Yet he now goes before his constituents, in a newspaper article, giving an entirely erroneous view in rd to this whole matter. ow, sir, one word with regard to the construction of the bill. Sir, it never occurred to me, it never occurred to any member of the ComCommerce, as it never occurred to the Gentfrom Ohio [Ma and the Gentfrom Iowa, [Mr GARinFIsEoLxD] that an a construction as that suggested by the Gentfrom Massachusetts could be given to the bill. I have not examined the subject closel, but I do not believe the hill is susceptible such a construction. If I had imned it to be capable of any such construction would never, under any circumstances, have given the measure my assent; and now, if any respectable lawyer believes it can by possibility be construe in such a way, I would avoid any question by using in efforts to secure an amendment of the bill in the Senate. With these remarks, I leave the subject.