The bill was further discussed during three successive days, Messrs. Saulsbury, Hendricks, Johnson, McDougall, and Davis speaking against the measure, and Messrs. Fessenden, Creswell, and Trumbull in favor of it. Mr. Garrett Davis addressed the Senate more than once on the subject, and on the last day of the discussion made a very long speech, which was answered by Mr. Trumbull. The Senator from Illinois, at the conclusion of his speech, remarked:
"What I have now said embraces, I believe, all the points of the long gentleman's speech except the sound and fury, and that I will not undertake to reply to."
"You mean the short gentleman's long speech," interposed some Senator.
"Did I say short?" asked Mr. Trumbull. "If so, it was a great mistake to speak of any thing connected with the Senator from Kentucky as short." [Laughter.]
"It is long enough to reach you," responded Mr. Davis.
The vote was soon after taken on the passage of the bill, with the following result:
YEAS—Messrs. Anthony, Brown, Chandler, Clark, Conness,
Cragin, Creswell, Dixon, Doolittle, Fessenden, Foot, Foster,
Grimes, Harris, Henderson, Howard, Howe, Kirkwood, Lane of
Indiana, Lane of Kansas, Morgan, Morrill, Norton, Nye,
Poland, Pomeroy, Ramsey, Sherman, Sprague, Stewart, Sumner,
Trumbull, Van Winkle, Wade, Williams, Wilson, and Yates—37.
NAYS—Messrs. Buckalew, Davis, Guthrie, Hendricks, Johnson,
McDougall, Riddle, Saulsbury, Stockton, and Wright—10.
ABSENT—Messrs. Cowan, Nesmith, and Willey—3.
The bill having passed, the question came up as to its title, which it was proposed to leave as reported by the committee: "A bill to enlarge the powers of the Freedmen's Bureau."