Mr. WILLIAMS. I have some difliculty about this question, and I wish to make one or 2 suggestions in regard to it; I shall not tax the patience of the Senate. It has been assumed in argument here that there is a.law that disqualilics a man from taking a seat in the Senate of the U.S. who has held an ethos under the confederate government. If there is any such law I have never seen it. There is a law, as I understand, that requires a man to take a certain oath in order to qualify himselfto become a member of this body. But if he is prepared and willing to take the oath, the question arises in my mind as to whether or not the Senate can question the truthfulness of that oath. When a person who has credentials appears here, presents those credentials, and says he is prepared to take the oath which the law requires, can the Senate then determine that he shall not take the oath upon the as sumption that it would be false iftaken by‘the person applying for the seat? It is evident that this case is very important as a precedent. One of 2 things must follows if a person who comes here as a Senn tor from the rebel States is allowed, upon taking this oath, to take his seat, then, of course, any man, no matter what may have been his history or his connection with this rebellion, ifhe is willing to take the oath, is entitled, if otherwise qualified, to take his seat in the Son ate. We must assume that position or we must assume the other, that whonever a person comes here with his credentials, prepared to take the oath, the Senate may go back and investigate his antecedent history and deter' mine from that history whether he has or has not been a rebel, and if he has been a rebel, then, notwithstanding he is willing to take the oath, the Senate must determine that he shall not take his seat. Now, which precedent ought we to establish 7 If there is a law that authorizes the Senate to say that if a man has been a rebel he shall not be qualified to take his seat in this body, then. of course, that course is to be pursued, and whenever A, B, or C comes here from the southern States as a Senator elect, his credentials are to be referred and a committee is to investigate the question as to whether he has or has not been a rebel. But if there is no law that authorizes that sort of proceeding, then it seems to me that the examination as to his qualifications is confined to his age, his residence, citizenship such qualifications as are mentioned in the Constitution. I suppose that this resolution will be adopted, and I am inclined under the circumstances to vote for it; but it commits the Senate, as I understand, to the doctrine that whenever any man who comes here from the rebel States otherwise qualified is willing to take this oath, the Senate must allow him to take his seat, and then, perhaps, investigate his former history after e becomes a member of this body.