Mr. ECKLEY. Mr. Speaker, any question affecting the fundamental) law of the land de mands careful and mature deliberation; and it is only when the necessity is great that such changes can be justified. That necessity is upon us, and we cannot, in view of the past and our duty to the present and the future, postpone it. My colleague [Mr. FINLK] has signaled the alarm at the proposition. Those of us who were members of the last Congress heard the same cry while the amendment was under consideration abolishing slavery, but we heeded it not. The amendment was adopted and rat ified, and every person now rejoices, except a small faction known as cop erheads, and they lament it only because of the loss of political capital. lhe old ship has outrode worse storms than he and his colleagues can invoke from the people of the South and she will outiide this; and we shall, I hope, all live to see the day when this proposition shall become a part of the Constitution, with the same acquies cence of its predecessor, that, like this one, was born ami the storms of southern rebels and northern copperheads. The revolution in our affairs, caused by the gigantic struggle through which we have passed, renders such a change absolutely necessary. Congress is the only organized power that can make it; and we shoal be craven in spirit if we shrunk from the responsibility. It is claimed that this presents questions entirely new in American politics. I do not think so. If we but follow the wise examples left us by our fathers we shall find in the foot prints of the past a precedent for our action that will produce Wise and salutary results. I listened with pleasure to my honorable colleague as he described the terrific struggle through which the nation had passed; a strug gle caused by these same rebe s for whom he now pours out his sympathy; and I was really sorry that he stood so badly on the record during the time of that unnatural and wicked conflict. I was sorry that he and I did not stand side by side in resisting the attempts of these rebels on the nations life, as we stood in former days when the Whig party was on earth, resisting the eucroachments and demands of this same party. But, alas! how fickle is poor human nature at best. With what leas ure would I recur to the Journals of the l irty 8th Congress if I could find the name of my colleague recorded in favor of any of the measures necessary to levy men, raise money, provide means, or even to punish aguerrilla for shooting down a soldier or a citizen. But with what sadness must I turn over that silent se roll to find the name of my honorable colleague. upon every measure necessary to sustain the government and resist the rebellion, just where I should have found the name of JeffersonDavis, General Lee, Jacob Thomp son, or any other of the rebel leaders, had they been placed as members upon thelrolls of this House.