Mr. FESSENDEN. There is no difference in design; but the difficulty is, that as origin H nlly.reported the provision was, in my judgment, and in the judgment of others, quite i“mperfect, for this reason: its language was, if the elective franchise shall be denied orin any way abridged.” The ireceding clause was that “Representatives shall be apportioned" in such and such a manner. The subject mutter of the clause is simily the apportionment of Representatives in oiigress. Then it me! on to say, “if the elective franchise shal he denied.” Itisavery common:iiidwcll received rule of construction that the words in a sentence must, if they can be naturall ', limited to the subject mutter of the proviSon itself. Therefore it might beheld, and in my judgment it. might be properly held, as the section stood originally, that if the elective franchise was granted in the election of Representatives to Congress and denied in everything else, that denial in everything else would not have any eTTect on the basis of representation, and under that construction the provision would not accomplish the in pose which was designed, because it was designed to cover the whole; and therefore it became necessary to change the language. The committee decided that it was advisable to change the language, and we decided on the language that is found in the amendment now before us. If other language can be found that is nnohjectionable, and that would cover it, of course we are not particular about that. I do not think the amendment is Open realy to the objection that my friend has stated. IT is intended to cover the election of officers generally; but if all these arrangements which are made with reference to mine r matters are looked to, it would be impossible absolutely to give it any practical effect, because you never could tell what the numbers were that were disfranchised, if you please to call it disfrauchisement, by any revision of the kind that he s icnks of. lfit would be held to apply to the election in school districts of school officers, I do not see why, by the same rule, it would not apply to the election of directors in banks or other corporations in the States, and certainly it never would be carried to that extent. The words must have a reasonable construction always and a reasonable limitation.