Now, Sir, I am willing, considering the increase of our navy and the exigency of the public service at this time, to create officers with that rank and title. So doing, we confer honor and consideration,--we bestow what officers, military and naval, naturally covet. Wherever they go, they will be addressed as Admiral; and, with naval men, that is much. Sir, I believe it more than money. But, while bestowing rank, I hesitate to increase emolument largely, particularly at this moment of our history. It costs nothing to confer rank; but it will be most expensive to the Treasury, if we enter upon a new scale of pay. Therefore I follow the Senator from New Hampshire in his proposition to reduce the salary. Create the admirals,--bestow this new title, this consideration, this introduction wherever the admiral goes, this equality, if you please, with the admirals of other nations and other fleets; but do not undertake to vie with those nations in salaries. To me it seems unwise. The amendment was agreed to. TESTIMONY OF COLORED PERSONS IN THE COURTS OF THE UNITED STATES. SPEECHES IN THE SENATE, ON AN AMENDMENT TO TWO DIFFERENT BILLS, ONE RELATING TO THE JUDICIARY, AND THE OTHER TO THE COMPETENCY OF WITNESSES, JULY 3 AND 15, 1862. The Senate having under consideration a bill “relating to the Judiciary,” in which provision was made for proceedings “in the courts of the United States,” Mr. Sumner made another attempt to overthrow the rule excluding colored witnesses by the following amendment:-- “And there shall be no exclusion of any witness on account of color.” This was rejected,--Yeas 14, Nays 21. * * * * * At the next stage of the bill, Mr. Sumner said:-- MR. PRESIDENT,--This bill relates to the national judiciary. The Senate is making rules for the courts of the United States, and now by its vote sanctions the rule that a witness who happens to have a color different from ours is incompetent to testify, he cannot be heard in court. The practical effect of such exclusion is, that any outrage by a white man on a colored person, if no other white person is present, must go unpunished; and the Senate of the United States refuses to interfere against this cruelty. I must say, Sir, that I lose my interest in the bill, when it is associated with such wickedness,--for such I must call it. If there is any outrage at this moment in the form of law, and actually within our reach, it is what I now hold up to the indignation of the country and of mankind. It is hard to think that human beings can be placed thus defenceless by Act of Congress,--that masters or overseers, being white, may offer to colored persons any offence, any brutality, and the testimony of the witnesses, merely because they are colored, shall be excluded absolutely. And yet, Sir, that is what the Senate to-day declares.