ime exhibiting his kennel to an American friend, and passing
by many of his showiest bloods, they came upon one that seemed nearly
used up. 'This,' said the nobleman, 'is the most valuable animal in
the pack, although he is old, lame, blind, and deaf.' 'How is that?'
inquired the visitor. The nobleman explained: 'His education was good,
to begin with, and his wonderful sense of smell is still unimpaired.
We only take him out to catch the scent, and put the puppies on the
track, and then return him to the kennel.' Do not suppose that I
intend any comparison between the Secretary of State and that veteran
hunter. Such a comparison would be neither dignified nor truthful,
because the Englishman went on to say, 'I have owned that dog for
thirteen years, and, hard as he looks, he never bit the hand that fed
him nor barked on a false trail.'"

The laughter and applause which followed, were checked by the
Speaker's gavel, which Mr. Schofield mistook for a notice to quit.
"Has my time expired?" asked he. "It has not," replied the Speaker.
"The Chair called you to order," said Mr. Stevens, in his seat, "for
doing injustice to the dog."

Mr. Ward, who next addressed the House, presented a novel theory of
the rebel war. "The people of the South," said he, "did not make war
upon our republican form of government, nor seek to destroy it; they
only sought to make two republics out of one. They are now, and have
been all the time, as much attached to our system of free republican
government as those who abuse them for disloyalty."

Mr. Ward presented his view of the state of things which would result
from the passage of the pending bill. "These negro judges," said he,
"will sit and hold this election backed by the United States army.
That is rather an elevated position for the new-made freedman; the
_habeas corpus_ suspended, martial law proclaimed, the army at the
back of the negro conducting an election to reconstruct States."

Mr. Plants addressed the House in favor of the pending bill. Of the
reception given by the rebels to the proposed constitutional
amendment, he said: "They have not only refused to accept the more
than generous terms proposed, but have rejected them with contumely,
and with the haughty and insulting bravado of assumed superiority
demand that the nation shall submit to such terms as they shall
dictate."

Mr. Miller, while advocating the pending measure, favored its
reference to the Committee on Reconstruc