Mr. HARRIS. I was not aware, Mr. President, until a few days since the Senfrom Ohio brought up this bill for consideration, that the subject matterwaspendin g before Congress. The statement then made attracted my attention and interested me, and since then I have given the question a little attention. I am sat isfied, myself, that the act of 1846 was void, and I am inclined to vote for this bill. It is quite probable that it will result in litigation; but I believe that the best way to get along with this question, attended with some embar rassment and difficulty obviously, will be to pass this bill, assert our jurisdiction over the whole territory, and let the question arise as it may and be settled by the courts. I believe, myself, that Congress has no power to cede any part of this District to the States to whom it originally belonged. The provision of the constitution is that Congress may accept from the States the cession of a district of ten miles square; and then it is providedthat Congress, having accepted that cession, shall have exclusive legislation over the District, the exclusive right to legislate for the District. I find nothing in that provision which satisfies me that it was, the intention of the framers of the Constitution to authorize Congress to cede away the territory which they were thus authorized to accept. I believe that Congress has no power to part with the territory composing the DistCol. I think it was the object of the framers of the Constitution to establish a permanent seat of Government, and I do not believe it can be changed. I disagree, therefore, with the Senfrom Missouri. I do not believe Congress has the power to change the seat of Government; I believe it can only be done by an amendment of the Constitution. I think that was the object of the framers. But whether that is so or not, conceding that Congress has the power to cede away the juris diction of the DistCol, or any art of its territory, Congress has not done it. tis true Congress passed a bill called an act to retrocede to the ‘tate of Virginia a portion of the DistCol, but it is not a law. The legislative power f the U.S. is vested in Congress. congress must exercise it. Congress cannot delegate the right to legislate to the people of the District, or to any other body of men. It has no constitutional right to delegate the legislative power. It attempted to do it in this case. Look at this act of 1840. No man can tell by reading it whether it is a law or not. It is supposed we can ascertain what the law of the land is by looking at the statute. Here is this act; no man can tell whether it is a law or not. Congress itself did not know after it had adjourned whether it was a law or not. Wh? Because it was to be a law if the people of the county of Alexandria voted that it should be a law, and if they voted against it then it was to be no law; and no man by reading the statute now can tell whether it is a law or not. I cannot tell, by anything I find in the statute book, whether it is a law or not. That is no legislation., such a proceeding as that is void, utterl void. The act says, on its face, that it shally not'be a law if the people do not sanction it and it shall be valid ifa majority of the people do sanction it. That is no legislation/at all. It is no ex'cise ot the constitutional power of Congress to make laws for the country. I am therefore in favor of repealing that act, wiping it out, getting it out of the way, asserting jurisdiction over the whole DistCol, and letting the legal question arise as it may and be settled finally by the courts.