As I understand it, this bill, which, as the Senator will see, actually annuls all State laws, everywhere throughout the United States, fixing any inequality in civil rights, is founded upon the second clause of the recent Amendment to the Constitution abolishing Slavery. Now the point to which I ask the attention of the Senator, before he passes from this branch of the discussion, is, whether, if we can annul all State laws declaring inequality in civil rights, we cannot also annul all State laws declaring inequality in political rights? whether, if this bill is constitutional, as I believe it is, such a bill as I propose would not also be constitutional? And in this connection I call attention to the famous judgment of Chief Justice Marshall, which the Senator remembers so well, in the case of _M’Culloch_ v. _The State of Maryland_,[216] where the Chief Justice distinctly announces, having the point before him, that it is within the power of Congress to select its means, provided the means are appropriate to the end, and it is not for the Supreme Court, or any other branch of the Government, to sit in judgment on the means Congress chose to select. Therefore, if Congress now think, that, to enforce the abolition of Slavery, it is necessary, in the first place, to annul all inequality of civil rights, and, in the second place, to annul all inequality of political rights, I ask the Senator whether the latter proposition can be called in question?--whether an Act of Congress annulling all State laws declaring inequality of political rights is not absolutely constitutional, being “appropriate legislation” to enforce the Constitutional Amendment? Mr. Johnson replied, that he had stated more than once that the bill on which Mr. Sumner “now relies is unconstitutional,” and then said:-- “But even supposing it to be within the power of Congress to pass a law of that kind, it by no means follows that I think it has power to pass a law placing all the inhabitants of the States on the same political ground.” Later in his speech Mr. Sumner interrupted Mr. Johnson again, with his permission:--