Mr. HARDING, of Kentucky. Well. sir, I think I have counted more than the gentleman hasmentioned. I made the statement on the authority of a statement made the other day in the Senate and not contradicted. But it is very certain that the way they are multiplying day by day their name will be legion very soon. Now, air, I propose to look to the record of this party a little, and I will be glad to have Gentlemen listen to me. When emancipation was the question, and everything else was ignored, i the presses of the North teemed, and it rang; out here in these Halls day by day and week 5 after week, dint the slaves of the South were degraded, degraded in body and mind, exceed:ingly ignorant. but little above the level of the beasts of the field: and that degradation and ignorance was declared to be in consequence of slavery. Every man knows that that was the voice that rang out here in this Hall for weeks and months: that that representation was universally made through all the antislavery presses, who declared that slavery was “the sum of all villainies.” and why? Because it debased and degraded to the lowest depths of ignorance the slave. Every man knows very well that that was so. One phase only of the negro question was then presented. Now, when the negro suffrage bill for the DistCol was to be passed, what did we hear from this same party? Why, that the slaves have ample capacity and were qualified and intelligent enough not only to take care of themselves, but to receive a part of the sovereign power of this Government; capable of exercising judiciously the political franchise; capable of taking their full share in the political power and in the rule of this Government. Thatwas the spirit of the bill you passed. It says to the whole country that you believe that these slaves, contrabands and all, who have swarmed here, are qualified now, though but yesterday released from slavery, to exercise that most important privilege under our form of Government, the elective franchise. You import to them a part of the sovereignty of this country; you give them equal power in political control and rule; you allow them to ai in directing and control ling this complex but beautiful machinery of government. Every man knows this. Now the question I have to ask is simply this: when you were striving to emancipate the negro, and represented everywhere that the slaves were degraded almost to the level of the brutes of the field, sunk into the lowest depths of ignorance, did on believe it? If youbelieved that then, you did not and do not believe what you said in favor of the passage of the negro suffrage bill in the DistCol, because you urged in favor of that bill, as you do in this proposed amendment of the constitution, but more especially when you passed that bill giving universal suffrage in this District, that the negroes can be safely intrusted with an equal participation in the Government, and are intelligent enough and sufficiently qualified to take part in the control of the Government. Do you believe this? If you do, then you did not and could not believe what you said on the emancipation question. Or if you believed that. then you do not and cannot believe what you said on the suffrage question. In other words, if that which you then said in regard to the ignorance and debasement of the negro when you proposed to emancipate him was true, then it follows that what on have lately said in regard to their qualification for the exercise of the elective franchise was false. Or, if what you said lately in regard to their qualifications to exercise the elective franchise was true, then what you said on the emancipation question was false. That is, if this is true, that was false; ifthut was true, this is false; and there is no escape from it. I contend that this whole movement of constitution amending is intensely partisan. I ask my Republican friends this question: ittheslaves are qualified to exercise the political sovereignty of this country, where, in what school, were they qualified? Do we not all know that they were brought here as savages from that dark and be nighted land of savage cruelty where superstition, crime, and bloodshed reign? If they are now fit to be your equals in controllin this Government, where were they schooled I Vhy, sir, the schooling they got was under southern masters. You now turn proslavery advo cates and utter a stronger doctrine in favor of the system. of slavery than ever was uttered by. in various States a any man in the South. Now, I inquire in, whether you believe that the Africans of the South were so degraded and ignorant as you represented, and whether you now believe that theyare intelligent and qualified to exercisethe elective franchise? Did you believe either? Is it not adoubtful complimentto the acknowledged intelli mm of that party to suppose that they believe either? in: am But, again to come a little nearer to the present time, an to come to a matter that is resh within the recollection of every man. A few days a of these Halls rang with declamation to show that the negro is qualified to take part in the Government c ually with the white man, and that no distinction ought to remain between them. I know that there are here afew noble, independent, honest republicnns who rose above their party and reused to follow party lead on that occasion: but almost 2/3rds of the members of this House declared by their votes that the negroes, the whole mass of Contra bands here in the District, are well nalified to exercise the elective franchise, to tn e part in the political power and government of this country. did you believe that? What do we see next? When the bill for the Freedmens Bureau is presented, you represent the negro as utterly hel less11child, and not fit to take care of himse f; and upon the then of his helplessness and ignorance this Freedmens Bureau is professedly based; the negro must have a guardian, and must be treated as an infant in all respects; so far from his being fit to take part in the Government, he cannot govern himself; he cannot make a contract for a weeks work; everything in regard to him must be controlled by the Freedmens Bureau or its agents. Now, does any man in his senses believe both these propositions? One or the other is necessarily false. It is impossible for the same set of men to believe both repositions; and this party did not and coal not. What next? h, we all know that there are large number of intelligent young white men between the ages of 17 and 21 years, many of whom have fought our battles. Another portion of the people is composed of taxpaying widows, and; strongminded unmarried white ladies, and your wives and daughters. These are all disfranchised; but the negroes are all enfranchised. Now, what is the logic ofyour action here? It declares that these young men, these widows, these unmarried ladies, these wives and daugh ters have less intelligence, less qualification for taking part in the Government than the negroes; that it will be more dangerous to intrust them with the elective franchise than to confide that privilege to the contrabands of the South. That is what you say by the logic of your action. But do you believe it? There is not one singleman here that believes it in his heart or believes a word of it. ll? Then, again, does any man believe that it is necessary for the comfort and happiness of the freedman that he shall be made avoter and an officeholder? Will it benefit him, make his condition better? You say so. Do you believe it? Then why deny this precious boon to your widows, your young sons, and your wives and daughters? Are they not “bone ofyour bone, and flesh of your flesh?” or has the fell spirit of fanaticism interVened between you and your own race and color, and divorced you from the “white mans Government ” and the white race. so that, like the Gentfrom Ohio, [Mr. BIKGHAM] it shocks your sensibility even to hear this called the “white mans Government?” "I